- Testing is wrapping up on the Bugatti W16 Mistral
- The Mistral marks the end of the W-16 engine
- Deliveries start later this year; each costs $5 million
The Bugatti W16 Mistral roadster has entered final testing, bringing the end of the automaker's W-16 era closer.
Following aerodynamic and dynamometer testing, prototypes are now racking up mileage to judge drivability, emissions, safety and other factors in real-world conditions, Bugatti said in a press release. One prototype has already covered 32,000 kilometers (19,883 miles), and the plan is for it to accumulate a further 5,000 kilometers (3,106 miles)—more than most current customer cars, Bugatti noted.
Bugatti Mistral
One remaining item on the checklist is verifying the Mistral's top speed, which Bugatti estimates at over 261 mph thanks to trick aerodynamic features. That's dependent on gaining access to a suitable test track.
"We are planning to run the final high-speed test in one of the very few tracks around the world that allow us to run the test in safe conditions," Emilio Scervo, CTO of parent company Bugatti Rimac, said in a statement. "The moment we have access to that track however, achieving the top speed will no longer be a problem."
Bugatti Mistral
Revealed during 2022 Monterey Car Week, the Mistral is the first open-top Bugatti since 2015. That's because, unlike the Veyron, a Bugatti Chiron roadster wasn't planned. But hoping to send off the 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W-16 engine in style, engineers redesigned the Chiron's carbon-fiber monocoque structure to maintain rigidity without a roof. The changes were significant enough to require a new round of crash tests, Bugatti noted.
Scheduled to start deliveries later this year, the Mistral is priced at $5 million. Production will be limited to 99 units, all of which have already sold out. These will be the last Bugatti W-16 road cars, but the automaker is also planning a batch of 40 Bolide track cars. The successor to the W-16 cars, the Bugatti Tourbillon, boasts a naturally-aspirated 8.3-liter V-16 that's part of an 1,800-hp plug-in hybrid powertrain. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2026.
