BUGATTI BIDS FAREWELL TO THE W16 ENGINE WITH MISTRAL ROADSTER 

As the manufacturer moves towards an electrified future, Bugatti will say goodbye to the  W16 engine with its latest roadster, the Mistral. 

The Mistral is a fresh design that builds upon the established Chiron and looks to provide the W16 engine with a momentous send-off. It uses the 1600PS incarnation of the W16, the  same engine used in the Chiron Super Sport 300+, a car that was able to reach record breaking speeds of 304.773mph.

Bugatti has stated that the Mistral has been created with a singular goal in mind: to become  the fastest roadster in the world. What a goodbye that would be for the W16!

At the front, the horseshoe grill has been redesigned, taking on a much more three dimensional look that is noticeably deeper and wider. The vertically stacked four-LED  headlight design – a nod to the Mistral’s four-wheel-drive and four turbochargers, according  to Deputy Design Director Frank Heyl – has also been crafted specifically for the Mistral. A  wrap-around windscreen merges the front and sides, a truly eye-catching design that  Bugatti says is “curved just enough to create the rounded visor design”.

At the back, we are greeted by a stunning X-shaped rear light which Bugatti Design Director  Achim Anscheidt says was the result of their pursuit to try and create a “striking but also  more elegant iteration of Bolide’s X-theme taillight motif”. Striking is one word for it.

As impressive as these exterior design features look, they do serve a practical purpose. The  gaping horseshoe grille is said to allow the high-temperature engine radiator to be cooled from one intake, thus allowing the two side intakes to focus solely on providing air to the  intercoolers. The X-taillight even plays its part, ultimately facilitating a pressure drop  between the side intakes and the outlets at the back which helps manage the W16’s mid temperature cooling circuit. Form and function, we love it.

The Mistral benefits from Bugatti’s standard tenet of supreme quality, with blemish-free  leathers adorning the roadster’s interior. Like the Chiron, the company says that function  has once more been considered with the interior components constructed in a way that  ensures all information is easily visible at speeds up to 420km/h. 

The Mistral also features its own distinct design additions, with the gear shifter  incorporating an amber insert that includes Rembrandt Bugatti’s (sculptor and brother of  Ettore Bugatti) famous ‘dancing elephant’. 

Only 99 W12 Mistrals will be constructed, with each priced at €5 million. Deliveries are set  to begin in 2024, with the entire Mistral production run already sold out. 

Images: https://newsroom.bugatti.com/press-releases/bugatti-w16-mistral-the-ultimate roadster