Bugatti's W16 Era Comes To A Close With 99th And Final Mistral
Talk about an engine being truly iconic: Bugatti's W16 set the world alight when it debuted in the Veyron in 2004, and its grasp on the ultra-exotic market has hardly loosened since. Yet after a surprisingly long run, the quad-turbo, 8.0-liter monster's time is finally up, marked by one last Mistral to celebrate the W16's time on this planet.
The last Bugatti Mistral is here, and it's an important car for the company for more reasons than just being the end of the model's run. Mistral number 99 bears the final application of the W16 engine—making a massive 1,578 horsepower and 1,180 lb-ft of torque—and also stands as the final car Bugatti is building while a subset of the Volkswagen Group.
Bugatti's celebration of the Mistral (and the Chiron on which it's based) comes with a special name, too: “The Last of Its Kind." This name might sound like a "special" model Jeep under its Twelve4Twelve release program, but it really does denote the close of a chapter in the Bugatti book.
The last Mistral—custom-ordered, as all Mistrals have been—is draped in "Pearl" and "Sparkle" paint, which seems appropriate for a car that would be happy sipping champagne in Monaco. It also has Magnolia and Grey Carbon Matt interior accents, plus a bunch of touches harkening back to Bugatti's past.
Bugatti says this final Mistral is "the swansong to this masterpiece of powertrain engineering," and that last hurrah also comes with holding the record for the world's fastest open-top car. Back in 2024, Chief Test Driver ("Pilote Officiel" in Bugatti speak) Andy Wallace ran the one-of-one W16 Mistral World Record Car to 453.91 km/h (282 mph), solidifying the model and engine in the history books.
With all 99 Mistral models accounted for, the W16's time in production is finally complete. The next Bugatti will arrive with a "traditional" V16 under the Tourbillon name, and 250 units will be made. Of course, extremely well-off prospective buyers will still be able to buy a W16-powered car under the Programme Solitaire—just don't call it "production."
Based in Connecticut, Ross hosts The Hooniverse Podcast. He has been in the off-road world since he was a kid riding in the back of his dad’s YJ Wrangler. He works in marketing by day and in his free time contributes to Hooniverse, AutoGuide, and ATV.com, and in the past has contributed to UTV Driver, ATV Rider, and Everyday Driver. Ross drives a 2018 Lexus GX460 that is an ongoing build project featured on multiple websites and the podcast.
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