This year’s “The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering” in Monterey will feature two unique models from Bugatti. In addition to the one-of-a-kind Chiron Super Sport Golden Era, which featured the hand-sketched vinyl, the Molsheim brand developed a colour-matching Mistral to highlight the customizability options provided by the Bugatti Sur Mesure programme.
The Bugatti Mistral was revealed to the world at the Monterey Car Week precisely one year prior, and despite its €5 million price tag, all 99 of its models were already sold out. A pricey limited-production like this is perfect for customisation, and owners have the option of getting the Bugatti Sur Mesure treatment.
The Bugatti Mistral has a gold paint job that closely resembles the custom “Doré” finish of the Chiron Super Sport Golden Era, although without the latter’s black front or elaborate illustrations. The engine cover and the twin intakes behind the headrests are also made of bare carbon fibre, as is the bottom half of the bodywork. Although the mirrors have a gold appearance, they also have a carbon fibre weave.
A significant amount of carbon fibre, two leather colours that also mirrored the Golden Era one-off, and a gold finish for the EB insignia that is prominently shown on the steering wheel were chosen by Bugatti for the open cabin.
The Mistral and Chiron are built on the same structural platform below the unique bodywork that combines parts from the Divo and La Voiture Noire. The rare speedster is rumoured to be the final Bugatti, driven by the same quad-turbo 8.0-litre W16 engine that powers the Chiron Super Sport and produces 1578hp.
Yes you read that right, the final Bugatti powered by the W16 engine. In order to meet the emissions rules, which are becoming increasingly strict all over the world, Bugatti is also moving towards electrification and downsizing. The end of an era has arrived, according to a statement on social media by Bugatti, who describes it as “the road-going hyper sports car that draws to a close the era of the brand’s momentous W16 powertrain.”
Bugatti has been producing the engine since 2015, and is used in models including the Veyron, Chiron, Divo, Centodieci, Bolide, and Mistral. It was also given to the Bugatti 16C Glibber and the Vision Gran Turismo, two concept models.
The Bugatti Bolide was equipped with the most powerful variant of this engine. It produces 1,825hp 1,850Nm of torque. The Bolide can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 2.2 seconds, 200km/h in 4.4 seconds, and 300km/h in just 7.4 seconds. The highest speed is outrageous at 501km/h.
The French declared they will stop using the W16 in 2021. The last or last Molsheim-built model to receive it is the Mistral. With the gold-painted Mistral, the firm is attempting to promote this in advance of the first deliveries, which are planned for early 2024.
