The house from Molsheim is officially drawing the curtain on one of the most spectacular chapters in the history of modern motoring. Production of the Bugatti W16 Mistral hypercar has officially ended, marking the definitive end of the life cycle for the famous 8.0-liter W16 quad-turbo engine.
The final chapter in the 99-car series. Although initially presented in the summer of 2022 as an ultra-exclusive edition limited to 99 cars worldwide (each with a starting price of around 5 million euros excluding taxes), the last chassis recently left the assembly line in Alsace. The completion of the last example brings to an end a two-decade era in which Bugatti dominated the top of absolute speed.
The mechanical heart of the Mistral model is the ultimate version of the 16-cylinder W-shaped engine:
In November 2024, a Bugatti Mistral made history on the Papenburg test track in Germany. Driven by former Le Mans winner test driver Andy Wallace, the roadster reached a staggering speed of 453.91 km/h, officially becoming the fastest production convertible in the world.
As production of the Mistral series neared its end, the brand's Sur Mesure workshop created some extraordinary one-off versions. Among them is Blanc Éternel, a one-off piece made in collaboration with the famous Berlin porcelain manufacturer KPM.
The model integrates functional and decorative elements cast in genuine porcelain (on the fuel filler flap, in the passenger compartment and at the level of the emblems), continuing the artistic tradition opened in the past by the Veyron L'Or Blanc model. Also, other one-off examples created to order, such as the "Caroline" or "Le Retour de Jeune Prince" editions, underlined the collector's character of each chassis delivered.
The W16 architecture debuted on the world automotive scene in 2005, with the revolutionary Bugatti Veyron 16.4 (which initially developed 1,001 hp). Over the past two decades, this legendary engine has been found in models such as the Veyron, Chiron, Divo, Centodieci, Bolide, Mistral and Brouillard, as well as the Hunaudières and Vision Gran Turismo concepts.
With the retirement of the W16 engine, the Molsheim plant is transitioning to the new hybrid era. Its successor is the new Bugatti Tourbillon hypercar, powered by an 8.3-liter naturally aspirated V16 engine (developed with Cosworth) assembled together with 3 electric motors, delivering a total of 1,800 hp. The model is due to enter production at the French plant soon.
No, no Bugatti W16 Mistral has been registered or delivered directly to Romania.
All the examples were pre-sold to private collectors in major markets such as the Middle East, the United States, Western Europe and Asia. Although there are Romanian hypercar collectors with residences or garages abroad (Monaco, Switzerland, Great Britain), on Romanian territory the presence of the Bugatti brand remains an absolute rarity:
With a purchase price exceeding 5 million euros with all options and taxes included, the Bugatti Mistral remains one of the most exclusive automobiles in history — a spectacular farewell to the 16-cylinder engine.