Bugatti debuts 1176kW Mistral in Europe

BUGATTI’S latest luxury hyper-car, the W16-powered Mistral, made its European debut at Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille just outside of Paris at Chateau de Chantilly.

The prestigious show, supported by Bugatti since its inception in 2014, celebrates the ‘finest things in life’ across key categories; automotive, art, luxury, haute cuisine, and haute couture. 

Held across the weekend of 23-25 September, the event attracted 16,000 visitors, and Bugatti took some of its finest four-wheeled examples along.

Bugatti presented the W16 Mistal to an audience of just 60 guests, at the exclusive opening gala dinner, under the Dome of the Great Stables at the Chateua de Chantilly.

The elite luxury car-maker showcased not only its new Mistral, but also its Chiron, Chiron Sport, Chiron Pur Sport, Chiron Super Sport, Dibo, EB110, Type 57 Gangloff, Veyron and world record setting Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. 

While the spectacular display from Bugatti showcased some of the most iconic models from the brand, it also gave punters a taste of where the ‘avant-garde’ Mistral’s design inspiration was drawn. 

According to the marque, the W16 Mistral pays homage to the Type 57, but looks to the future with the latest in automotive technology and, in true Bugatti fashion, immensely potent power. 

The W16 Mistral roadster, of which just 99 will be produced, sports an 1176kW W16 quad-turbo engine, and despite being priced at €5.0 million ($A7.55m), all examples have been accounted for by ‘discerning collectors’.

The distinctive black and yellow colour theme for the Mistral was chosen by Ettore Bugatti for many of his personal cars, which is why designers opted for the colours.

Bugatti has used its venerable W16 in every model since its introduction in the Veyron in 2005, and the Mistral will be the model that “brings the W16 era to an end”.

The ‘Ultimate Roadster’ was the end goal, which Bugatti undoubtedly achieved with the stunning Mistral, forging a lasting legacy for the bizarrely unique W16.

“For the final roadgoing appearance of Bugatti’s legendary W16 engine, we knew we had to create a roadster,” said Bugatti Rimac CEO, Mate Rimac.

“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.

“The W16 Mistral opens the next chapter in the Bugatti roadster story, inspired by over a century of open top legends.”

The ‘Mistral’ name itself comes from the French word for a one-of-a-kind wind that blows from the Rhône River valley, through the chic towns of the Côte d’Azur in southern France and into the Mediterranean.