Automotive
Bugatti has officially reached the end of one of the most outrageous engine chapters in automotive history. After years of celebrating the eventual retirement of its quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16, the company has now completed the final W16 Mistral, closing the book on an engine lineage that began with the Veyron and helped define modern hypercars. For a brand built around excess, elegance, and engineering spectacle, the last W16-powered production car had to be something memorable, and the final Mistral appears to be exactly that.
The W16 Mistral is already special by nature, with only 99 units planned and an open-roof body that serves as the roadster sibling to the Chiron era. This final example wears a two-tone finish with Pearl and Sparkle sections, along with a subtle French flag detail behind the front wheels. Bugatti also added “the last of its kind” beneath the rear wing, a fitting message for a car that represents the final production use of an engine configuration no other automaker could quite match in drama or identity.
Inside, the farewell treatment becomes even more personal. The cabin combines Magnolia beige with Grey Carbon Matt, while the door panels feature sketches of earlier Bugatti models as a nod to the brand’s past. A dedication plate repeats the “the last of its kind” theme with a silhouette of the Mistral, and Bugatti worked with French crystal house Lalique on a frozen crystal glass insert for the center console carrying the “Spirit of the Wind” message. Ettore Bugatti’s signature also appears on the headrests and door sills, tying the car back to the founder’s legacy.
The customer also made one notable change through Bugatti’s Sur Mesure personalization division. Instead of the familiar Dancing Elephant sculpture often found in the gear selector, this final Mistral features a falcon head, chosen as a personal reference to the owner’s home region in the Middle East. That level of bespoke detail is very much in line with how Bugatti has treated its final W16 cars, turning them into rolling collector pieces as much as performance machines.
Mechanically, the Mistral sends off the W16 in proper fashion. Its 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged engine produces 1,578 horsepower and 1,180 pound-feet of torque, routed through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel drive. Bugatti lists 0 to 62 mph in 2.4 seconds and a top speed of 261 mph, while the special World Record Car version of the Mistral pushed the open-roof benchmark to 282.05 mph in 2024. With Bugatti now moving into the Tourbillon era and its new V16 hybrid powertrain, the final Mistral feels less like a quiet goodbye and more like one last thunderous salute to the engine that made Bugatti untouchable for more than two decades.
Darryl Taylor Dowe is a seasoned automotive professional with a proven track record of leading successful ventures and providing strategic consultation across the automotive industry. With years of hands-on experience in both business operations and market development, Darryl has played a key role in helping automotive brands grow and adapt in a rapidly evolving landscape. His insight and leadership have earned him recognition as a trusted expert, and his contributions to Automotive Addicts reflect his deep knowledge and passion for the business side of the car world.
