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Since the introduction of the Veyron in 2005, the W16 engine has been at the heart of every Bugatti hyper sports car. The final model, with which the W16 era ends, should be something very special: exclusive, elegant and powerful. Like the new Bugatti W16 Mistral - the ultimate roadster.
Bugatti W16 Mistral
“For the final appearance of Bugatti's legendary W16 engine, it was clear to us that we had to develop a roadster. More than 40 percent of all automobiles ever made by Bugatti have been open-top vehicles, forming a long line of performance icons that are still revered around the world to this day,” said Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti Rimac. “In the era of the Bugatti Chiron* there was still no roadster.
The launch of the W16 Mistral now continues the legacy, fueled by tremendous demand from our customers for a whole new way to experience the mighty performance of our iconic engine. Inspired by over a century of open legends, the W16 Mistral opens the next chapter in the history of Bugatti roadsters.”
With such an important automobile, Bugatti considered very carefully what name it should bear. Because the Roadster is far more than a further development of the Chiron. The roadster therefore needs a name that is associated with freedom, elegance and speed. The Mistral served as inspiration, a strong wind that blows from the Rhône Valley through the fashionable cities of the Côte d'Azur in southern France to the Mediterranean Sea. And because the powertrain is so central to the character of this roadster, it stands side by side with that mighty wind: W16 Mistral.
W16 engine with 1.600 hp
The W16 Mistral is based on the final version of the W16 engine with 1.600 hp, which was first used in the Chiron Super Sport 300+*. It offers a level of performance that no other open vehicle has matched before. The Chiron's existing monocoque was not simply removed above the A-pillars to make room for the new open design. It has been reshaped to create a more rounded silhouette without sacrificing performance.
“We know that the W16 Mistral will play an important role in Bugatti's history. Because it marks the last time that what is perhaps the greatest powertrain in automotive history will be used in a production car. We as a design team were highly motivated to deliver styling that immediately conveys this significant moment and were inspired by some of the most beautiful roadsters in Bugatti history,” says Achim Anscheidt, Bugatti Design Director.
The Bugatti Type 16 Roadster Grand Raid, built in 1934, served as a great inspiration for the W57 Mistral. The sporty roadster represents the pinnacle of elegant design. This Grand Raid, on display at the Louwman Museum in The Hague, is characterized by its twin aerodynamic headrests, which merge into the rear of the body, and a truncated V-shaped windscreen. It also impresses with its unobtrusive sportiness. With its two-tone black and yellow livery, the Bugatti Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid is the perfect choice for this turning point in Bugatti history.
Paintwork inspired by the Type 57 Grand Raid Roadster
Therefore, the W16 Mistral also debuts in a paint finish inspired by the Type 57 Grand Raid Roadster: a warm black with a touch of truffle brown and subtle yellow accents. This is both a homage to the Grand Raid body and to Ettore Bugatti. The company's founder chose the black and yellow combination for many of his personal vehicles, including his Type 41 Royale. For lovers of the brand, it's a timeless combination.
The W16 Mistral captures the essence of the Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid's V-shaped windshield and transforms it into a modern work of art. A curved windscreen that visually wraps around the A-pillars, seamlessly blending into the side windows and creating a 'visor' effect, hints at the W16 Mistral's motorsport performance. The windshield itself is a marvel of engineering. It's curved just enough to create the rounded visor design without obscuring the rider's vision. The top line of the windshield and side windows flows around the side air intakes. This character line, in turn, flows back under the side windows to flow through to the front horseshoe grille. Bugatti is thus creating a new three-dimensional character for the famous C-Line that Bugatti introduced with the Chiron.
In order to keep the side part of the body slim and at the same time allow an optimal air supply to the W16, Bugatti separated the side oil cooler intakes from the engine air intakes. These now sit directly behind the headrests of the occupants. They also cite the Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid and the first open Bugatti of modern times: the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. Tighter, more powerful and seemingly leap forward.
the front end has been completely redesigned
"In order to reflect the new character of the W16 Mistral, we have also completely redesigned the front end, based on the vertical arrangement of our unique or rare models such as Divo* and La Voiture Noire*," continues Achim Anscheidt. "The vertically arranged headlights are fully bespoke and the famous horseshoe grille has been made more three-dimensional, deeper and wider. At the rear, we took on the challenge of designing a striking but also more elegant version of the X-theme of the Bolide* tail light motif that has forever marked the world of automotive design.” To design a car like the W16 Mistral , Bugatti's design mantra "Form follows Performance" had to be carefully implemented. Each component had to set new standards of beauty while helping to achieve entirely new levels of performance.
“We elaborately shaped the headlights. They include a four-light signature that is a subtle nod to the W16 Mistral's four-wheel drive and four-turbochargers. However, their three-dimensional surface also serves as an aerodynamic aid. It directs air through the headlights and out through the wheel arch to improve drag. The wider horseshoe-shaped radiator grille makes it possible to supply the high-temperature engine cooler exclusively via one inlet, so that the two side inlets can concentrate exclusively on supplying the intercooler,” explains Frank Heyl, Bugatti Deputy Design Director.
“The X-taillight is used to vent the side oil coolers through ducts that connect the triangular negative space between the X-beams to the side coolers. This creates a pressure gradient between the side inlets and the outlets at the rear of the W16 Mistral. This helps to control the medium-temperature cooling circuit of the mighty W16 as effectively as possible.”
new air intakes behind the headrests
Right from the start, Bugatti developed the new air inlets behind the headrests with strict rollover tests in mind. They are made from a bespoke carbon fiber structure capable of supporting the entire weight of the vehicle in the event of a rollover. This new intake layout also enriches the driver's W16 experience, who hears a unique orchestral performance of the quiet, powerful, muffled intake sound of the 8-litre displacement engine when accelerating and the exhaust valve whistle of the four turbochargers when the throttle is lifted. It is an incomparable sound experience in the automotive world.
To achieve this unsurpassed combination of elegance and excitement, the W16 Mistral incorporates the very latest technical innovations. Bugatti's advanced composites are combined with state-of-the-art titanium and aluminum 3D printing for striking design, ultimate performance and rugged reliability. A careful analysis of the dynamic stiffness of the W16 Mistral allows the engineers to design lightweight solutions that ensure optimal handling and performance in the most extreme conditions.
The interior of the W16 Mistral was meticulously modeled after the Chiron by the designers to offer an elegant and luxurious experience. At the same time, it should be functional enough to ensure that all information is clearly visible at speeds of up to 420 km/h. The high level of commitment to the search for the best quality of materials remains a hallmark of Bugatti design: modern, lightweight titanium, billet aluminum components and soft, flawless leather.
There are also new design elements: elaborately quilted leather is used for the newly designed door panels. This is carefully checked and manufactured according to Bugatti quality standards, with the vision that it will still look good in a hundred years. Referring to the W16 Mistral's famous ancestors, the gearshift lever, milled from a solid block of aluminium, is finished with wood and an amber-colored insert in which is embedded the famous "sculpture of the dancing elephant" by Rembrandt Bugatti, well-known artist and son of the company's founder. Variations of this sculpture once adorned the bonnet of the legendary Type 41 Royale, the most luxurious automobile of all time, of which only six were built between 1926 and 1933. Under the Type 41 Royale's massive, side-opening bonnet is a 12,7-litre in-line engine unlike anything the world has seen before.
The fastest roadster in the world?
Just like the unique W16 drive of the W16 Mistral. When Bugatti's last roadster, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, set a world speed record of 2013 km/h (408,84 mph) in 254,04, its 8,0-liter, four-turbocharged W16 was producing 1.200 hp. The W16 Mistral now has 1.600 hp and uses the same engine that propelled the Chiron Super Sport 300+ to a world record speed of 2019 km/h (490,484 mph) in the summer of 304,773. There can therefore only be one goal for the W16 Mistral: to once again become the fastest roadster in the world.
“The combination of Roadster and our W16 drive means absolute perfection. With the roof removed and the two large air inlets directly behind the occupants, which direct around 70.000 liters of air per minute through the engine at full power, the passengers driving the W16 Mistral experience the functionality of this revolutionary powertrain like no other Bugatti hyper sports car before." says Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti Rimac.
“What we are continuing with the W16 Mistral is the long history of Bugatti roadsters, each one unparalleled in design, performance and rarity. The Type 40, the Type 41 Royale, the Type 55 Roadster, the Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid or even the Type 57SC Corsica Roadster - Bugatti has always been associated with the purity of open-top driving. Even though the W16 powertrain ends with the W16 Mistral, we continue the legacy of the roadster that Ettore Bugatti established more than a century ago,” Mate Rimac continued. Only 16 examples of the W99 Mistral will be built at a net price of 5 million euros, with deliveries starting in 2024. The entire production series of the W16 Mistral has already been sold out.
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The ultimate roadster: Bugatti W16 Mistral!
Photo credit: Bugatti
