The Bugatti Mistral is the brands swan song to the W16 quad-turbocharged engine
When one thinks of extreme motoring machines, the list will definitely include the legendary Bugatti vehicles. Ever since its resurgence in the mid-2000s, the brand has been pumping out extreme-speed machines.
It started with the Veyron and eventually the Chiron, at the heart of these beasts was an engineering masterpiece of an engine. It was a W16 quad-turbocharged gasoline engine, that in its first iteration made around 1,000 hp, and has since gone up to around 1,100 plus hp.
This engine propelled the Veyron and Chiron (along with other special edition models) to world record speeds upwards of 250 mph, but with the future of mobility looking more “electric” even Bugatti knows its W16’s days are numbered.
Bugatti Mistral
As a swan song and gesture of gratitude for all the W16 has done, the brand is putting it in its newly unveiled model; the Mistral. The Bugatti Mistral is the final road-legal Bugatti that will feature the legendary engine, based on the Chiron hypercar’s chassis, and designed to celebrate iconic open-top Bugattis of history, including the Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid of 1934.
The Mistral will use a higher-output version of the 8.0-liter quad-turbo engine – shared with the record-breaking 300mph (483km/h) Chiron Super Sport 300+ which is capable of a 420km/h top speed. In the Mistral, the power output is rated at a face-bending 1,600 hp. The carmaker claims that the Mistral might very well be the fastest road-going roadster.
The W16 Mistral (named after a French wind) receives a bespoke coach-built body, with classic car-inspired cues including a curved windscreen designed to create a “visor effect”.
It was debuted at the recently concluded Monterey Car Week in California, Only 99 examples of the new Bugatti W16 Mistral will be built, priced from €5 million (PHP 278 Million +) each, and set for delivery starting in 2024.
So what does the future hold for the speed-crazy brand? well, they aren’t sure as of the moment but rest assured whatever they eventually come up with, needs to live up to expectations.
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