The Mistral is the last production car to come equipped with Bugatti’s iconic W16 engine, and its production has been limited to 99 units, all of which have been spoken for. What makes the Mistral even more fascinating is the fact that it’s a convertible.
Bugatti doesn’t seem to be satisfied with the number of world records that it holds, adding another one with the Mistral. The Mistral has become the fastest roadster in the world, achieving a certified speed of 453.91kmph or 282mph. What makes it even more insane is that the car could go faster if the track length and weather conditions would have allowed.
The world record has been set by none other than Andy Wallace, the official Bugatti test driver who has driven several Bugattis to the record books. Andy set the Mistral world record at the Papenburg test track in northern Germany.
Powering the Bugatti Mistral is an 8.0-litre W16 petrol engine with four turbochargers. This iconic powertrain has been tuned to produce 1,600PS of maximum power. The Mistral also happens to be the last Bugatti to be powered by the WR16.
The record-breaking Bugatti Mistral donned the same orange-black livery as seen on previous record-breaking Bugattis like the Veyron Super Sport and the Chiron Super Sport 300+. The latter was also one of the camera cars used to film the Mistral top speed run, which can be watched at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-1YNV3XcE0
The next hypercar from the French manufacturer will be the upcoming Bugatti Tourbillion, which will debut a new powertrain. This new unit will be a naturally-aspirated V16 engine, advertising Bugatti’s commitment towards ICE technology. It will be mated to three electric motors as part of a hybrid setup on the Tourbillion.