Bugatti W16 Mistral takes aim at fastest roadster title

Bugatti has created what it believes to be the ‘ultimate roadster’ – the W16 Mistral.

Named after the powerful wind that blows from the Rhône River valley right the way through to the Mediterranean, the W16 Mistral will arrive as the final road-going Bugatti to use the firm’s legendary W16 engine.

The Mistral uses the W16 engine first utilised in the Chiron Super Sport 300+, which develops 1,578bhp. It propelled the Chiron Super Sport 300+ to a world-record-breaking top speed of 304.773mph, so as a result, Bugatti is expecting the W16 Mistral to become the fastest roadster in the world.

Mate Rimac, Bugatti Rimac CEO, said: “For the final roadgoing appearance of Bugatti’s legendary W16 engine, we knew we had to create a roadster. Well over 40% of all Bugatti vehicles ever created have been open-top in design, establishing a long lineage of performance icons that – to this day – are revered the world over.”

Bugatti took inspiration for the Mistral’s design from the 1934 Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid. The Mistral uses the Grand Raid’s black and yellow themes, which were also used by Ettore Bugatti in many of his personal cars.

The Mistral also uses a modern interpretation of the Grand Raid’s V-shaped windscreen, with its curved windscreen appearing to wrap around the A-pillars. The screen itself has been curved just enough to create a visor-style design but without distorting the driver’s vision.

The top of the windscreen and side windows then flow into the side air intakes. To help keep the body section slim, the oil cooler intakes on the sides were separated from the engine air intakes, which have been positioned on the roof section behind the occupants. These roof-mounted scoops also hark back to the Grand Raid, as well as the more modern Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport.

Inside, the W16 Mistral shares some of its design with the Chiron, with high-quality materials such as titanium, milled aluminium and waxy leathers.

Just 99 examples of the W16 Mistral will be built, with each costing €5 million (circa £4.2m). The entire production run is already sold out, with deliveries expected to commence in 2024.