- Bugatti has begun deliveries of the Mistral, the final model to feature the famed W-16 engine
- The car costs $5 million, and the first two units are bound for customers in the U.S.
- Bugatti’s next hypercar, the Tourbillon, features a V-16 engine in a plug-in hybrid setup
The end of the road for Bugatti’s W-16 engine is nearly here. The final car to feature this legendary engine is the Bugatti Mistral, a roadster that marks the end of both the W-16 era and the Chiron platform. Customer deliveries have now begun.
Only 99 units will be produced, each priced at approximately $5 million. On Wednesday, Bugatti unveiled the first two customer examples, which are now on their way to their owners in the U.S.
One of the cars features a black carbon finish contrasted with a bright blue interior, while the other is adorned in white with dark blue and red accents, paying tribute to the French national flag.
A special touch common to both cars is a recreation of Rembrandt Bugatti’s iconic Dancing Elephant sculpture, which originally served as a hood ornament for the Depression-era Bugatti Type 41 Royale. In the Mistral, it is elegantly integrated into the gear shifter, machined from a single block of aluminum and enclosed within a glass case.
Bugatti first introduced the Mistral during the 2022 Monterey Car Week as a celebration of the quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W-16 engine, which debuted in the Veyron two decades ago. Bugatti’s newest hypercar, the Tourbillon, features a plug-in hybrid powertrain with a naturally aspirated 8.3-liter V-16 engine as its internal-combustion component.
The all-wheel-drive Mistral produces 1,578 hp, and last November, Bugatti achieved a top speed of 282 mph with the car, securing the world land speed record for a production open-top vehicle. This record was set in a one-off example priced at $14.7 million. Other Mistrals are expected to have their speed limited to a lower figure, though still exceeding the 261-mph cap of the Chiron.
Named after a wind from the French Riviera—as well as a Maserati model from the 1960s—the Mistral is expected to remain in production through 2025 and partially into 2026. Production of the Tourbillon will follow, with all Mistral build slots already accounted for, Bugatti has confirmed.