BUGATTI W16 Mistral: price of this Ultimate Roadster?
Since the launch of the veyron in 2005, the w16 engine has always been the heart of all bugattis. the car that ends the w16 era therefore has to be special – exclusive, elegant and powerful – the best of its kind. and this car is the “w16 mistral”: the ultimate roadster.
For a car as provocative and important as this, a lot of attention was paid to the name it should carry. Representing more than a simple evolution of the Chiron, the roadster needed a name that symbolized freedom, beauty and speed. The inspiration came from the mistral, a strong wind that blows from the Rhone Valley through the luxury towns of the Côte d’Azur and out into the Mediterranean. And since the engine is the heart of this roadster, we combined the two concepts to create the name: W16 Mistral.
Built around the definitive version of the 1,600PS W16 engine – first used in the Chiron Super Sport 300+3 – the W16 Mistral delivers absolutely outstanding performance for a roofless car.
Therefore, the W16 Mistral makes its grand debut with colors inspired by the Bugatti Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid; a warm black with hints of truffle brown and subtle yellow accents. This is not only a tribute to the car itself, but also to Ettore Bugatti, who chose the combination of black and yellow for many of his personal cars – especially his Type 41 Royale. For lovers of the brand, this combination of colors is timeless.
The W16 Mistral takes the essence of the Grand Raid’s “V” windshield and turns it into a modern work of art. A curved windscreen that appears to wrap around the A-pillars, seamlessly blends into the side windows and creates a ‘visor’ effect that hints at the motorsport-worthy performance levels offered by the W16 Mistral . The windshield itself is an engineering marvel, curved just enough to create a rounded visor design, without compromising the driver’s vision.
The upper line of the windshield and side windows extend deliberately around the side air intakes. This character line goes back under the side windows to extend the horseshoe grille, thus creating a new three-dimensional character for the famous “C” line, the Bugatti signature introduced in the Chiron. To maintain the quality and beauty of the bodywork, but also to allow optimal air circulation in the W16 engine, the side air intakes of the oil cooler have been deliberately separated from the engine air intakes – which are now in the bodywork. , just behind the car occupants. The two new engine air intakes mounted behind the headrests are a nod to the Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid as well as the first open-top Bugatti of the modern era: the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. Narrower, more powerful and seemingly leap forward, the W16 Mistral however presents a completely different character.
Designing a car like the W16 Mistral requires strict application of the Bugatti mantra “Form Follows Performance”, with every part designed not only to set new standards in aesthetics, but also to perform. a key role in achieving unprecedented levels of performance.
The interior of the W16 Mistral is inspired by the Chiron. It has been carefully crafted to provide an experience that is both elegant and luxurious, but also functional enough that all information is easy to read, even at speeds of 420 km/h. Attention to material quality remains a hallmark of Bugatti design: advanced, lightweight titanium and aluminum components – milled from a solid block – and soft, spotless leathers. But in this latest tribute to the W16, there are also new design touches.
An intricately woven leather is used on the newly designed door panels, thoroughly tested and manufactured to Bugatti quality standards, anticipating regular use for over a hundred years. And as a nod to the W16 Mistral’s famous ancestors, the gear lever – machined from a solid block of aluminum – features a wood handle and an amber insert encased in the famous elephant carving. dancing by Rembrandt Bugatti. Versions of this sculpture adorn the hood of the legendary Type 41 Royale, the most luxurious car ever created.
Under the Royale’s massive side-opening hood hides an ambitious 12.7-liter inline-eight engine, the likes of which the world has never seen. The W16 Mistral’s engine is equally ambitious: it is the only W16 powertrain still in use today.
When Bugatti’s latest roadster, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, set the world speed record at 254.04 mph (408.84 km/h) in 2013, its quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 was generating 1 200 PS. The W16 Mistral generates 1,600 PS, drawing on the same power unit that propelled the Chiron Super Sport 300+ to a record speed of 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h) in 2019. There can only be one goal in mind: to once again become the fastest roadster in the world.
Only 99 copies of the W16 Mistral will be produced and sold at a price of 5 million euros net. Deliveries will begin in 2024. All W16 Mistral vehicles have been reserved.
