The W16 Mistral is the final open-top Bugatti powered by the legendary W16 engine. Bugatti produced just 99 examples.
The Engine That Closes an Era
The 8.0-liter, quad-turbocharged W16 displaces 7,993 cc. It delivers 1,600 PS at 7,050 rpm. Torque reaches 1,600 Nm from 2,250 rpm all the way to 7,000 rpm. Bugatti arranged sixteen cylinders in a W-formation, creating four banks of four. Each cylinder carries four valves. Bore and stroke are both 86 mm. Four turbochargers and an intercooler feed the combustion chambers. A 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox sends power to all four wheels.
The performance numbers are extraordinary. Zero to 100 km/h takes 2.4 seconds. Zero to 200 km/h takes 5.6 seconds. Zero to 300 km/h needs just 12.1 seconds. The Mistral holds the world open-top speed record at 453.91 km/h. Double-wishbone suspension governs both axles. Ventilated discs measure 420 mm at the front and 400 mm at the rear. The kerb weight stands at 2,040 kg.
The Commission Begins
This Sur Mesure journey started in August 2023. Jascha Straub, Bugatti‘s Manager of Sur Mesure, met the client on the lawns of Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The design team at Bugatti’s Berlin studio then led every visual decision for months. The goal was simple: build something deeply personal around the Mistral’s inherent character.
Two New Colors, Hundreds of Hours
Bugatti created two entirely new bespoke paint colors for this car. A warm, gold-infused hue crowns the upper body surfaces. A refined warm white covers the lower sections. Both tones carry bright metallic flakes. The color development started from a silver concept, then shifted toward varying white tones. Each adjustment led to further refinement, through extensive discussion between client and design team.
The dividing lines between the two tones required hand-applied taping and masking. Painters spent weeks on the bodywork, supervised at every step by the design team. Hundreds of hours of precision craftwork went into the final execution. The diamond-cut alloy wheels received a specially curated paint mixture. It echoes the gold and white relationship across the bodywork, completing the visual narrative.
A Jewel-Like Cockpit
All interior carbon components are painted white, creating a concentrated jewel-like environment. The door panels carry alternating white and warm gold linework. These lines follow the concave sculpted surfaces of the door geometry with precision. The design team integrated warm ambient lighting to reinforce the luminous pearl-inspired theme. Machined and polished aluminum trim elements run throughout the cabin. Steering wheel accents, center console dials, and door handles all echo the reflection motif.
A Signature Written Across the Car
Straub’s own handwriting appears across the entire vehicle. The name ‘La Perle Rare’ sits stitched along the central tunnel. Engravings carry it onto the bespoke white-and-gold engine cover. A painted signature appears on the bodywork beneath the rear wing.
Heritage in the Details
Rembrandt Bugatti’s iconic Dancing Elephant lives inside the gear selector casing. It also appears on the body panels directly behind the front wheels. The Dancing Elephant has anchored Bugatti‘s identity for over a century. Placing it here ties this one-off creation to that living legacy.w16-mistral-la-perle-rare.pdf
The Final Word
WLTP combined fuel consumption sits at 21.8 l/100 km. CO₂ emissions reach 495 g/km. This is not a car designed to apologize for what it is. The W16 era ends here, at 453.91 km/h, in gold and warm white. ‘La Perle Rare’ closes the chapter with precision and singular vision.
