‘The last of its kind’: Bugatti makes its final W16-powered road car
This is the end for the Bugatti W16 engine, installed into the last road-going production car after 20 years of service.
The curtains are coming down on Bugatti’s famed quad-turbo 8.0-litre W16 engine, with the French hypercar brand confirming production has ended – at least for street-legal vehicles.
Overnight, Bugatti announced it had produced its final of 99 W16 Mistrals, the last evolution of the Chiron-based, open-top hypercar which was to bid farewell to the legendary engine.
Simply known as ‘The last of its kind’, that motto is inscribed throughout the special vehicle, both in the cabin and under the rear wing, celebrating its significance to the model line.
With an exterior painted in Pearl and Sparkle finishes, the Magnolia and Grey Carbon Matt interior includes another special detail, with sketches of the Veyron, Chiron and Mistral stitched into the door cards.
“With this car, we wanted to bring together everything the W16 Mistral has stood for since the first sketch: an incredible open-top driving experience paying tribute to the incomparable character of the W16, alongside details that hark back to the brand’s rich heritage, and to Ettore [Bugatti] in particular,” said Jascha Straub, manager of Bugatti Sur Mesure.
According to Bugatti, this Mistral is the “closing chapter [to] the W16 engine's road-going story”, after multiple other versions of the W16’s powered hypercar launched within the past year.
First there was the Brouillard, the Veyron-inspired F.K.P. Hommage, the W16 Mistral ‘Caroline’, and even last month the Blanc Éternel, all of which were road cars, though Bugatti’s wording suggests there may be one final bow for the W16.
The Bolide had served as the flagship of the range as a track-only model, with its W16 engine producing an eye-watering 1361kW and 1849Nm, all without electrification, making it the most powerful version of the powertrain yet.
More could still be to come from the final Bugatti W16, though the brand is tight-lipped about its next move.
We do know however what will come after, with the Tourbillon set to supersede the W16 Mistral, becoming Bugatti’s first hybrid with three electric motors assisting its new Cosworth-developed 8.4-litre V16.
