Bugatti unveiled the W16, its final car powered by its iconic 8.0-litre quad-turbocharged 16-cylinder engine, in mid-August. The W16 Mistral car is based on the Chiron Super Sport, but loses the roof in a new twist for the body style.
The car should be able to reach nearly 260 mph (418 km/h) with the top off, thanks to that now-retired 1,600-horsepower engine.
It is powered by the same 1,578-bhp 8.0-litre engine that propelled the Chiron Super Sport 300+ to a record-breaking 304.773 mph (490.48 km/h) in 2019.
“For the final road-going appearance of Bugatti’s legendary W16 engine, we knew we had to create a roadster. As a result, well over 40 per cent 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,” Mate Rimac, Bugatti-Rimac CEO, said in a statement.
“In the Chiron era, there had, to-date, been no roadster, so the introduction of W16 Mistral continues this legacy, driven by enormous demand from our clients for an all-new way to experience the mighty performance of our iconic engine.”
The W16 Mistral, which costs more than $5 million, has a redesigned monocoque and a new exterior and interior design that borrows styling cues from its La Voiture Noire, Bolide, and Divo siblings.
The car, which debuted in black like the pre-war Bugatti Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid, is an ode to both classic and modern design.
The two new roof-mounted engine air scoops pay homage to both the aforementioned Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid and the first open-top Bugatti of the modern era, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport.
“It’s immediately imbued with a sense of exclusivity; the vertically stacked headlights are completely bespoke, and the famous horseshoe grille is reimagined to be much more three-dimensional, both deeper and wider,” Achim Anscheidt, Bugatti design director, said in a statement.
“At the rear, we challenged ourselves to create a striking but more elegant iteration of Bolide’s X-theme taillight motif, which forever left its mark on the world of automotive design.”
The wrap-around windscreen, inspired by La Voiture Noire, merges into the side windows, giving the roadster a distinct appearance and creating a “visor impression,” according to Bugatti.
The Bolide’s signature X-shaped taillights are also present, though designers say that adapting that part of the car to mass production “tested” them the most. As a result, the Chiron Super Sport’s double-twin pipes have been replaced by a square exhaust, as seen on the Chiron and Veyron.
To read our blog on “Bugatti debuts its first electric vehicle and it’s a scooter,” click here