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Bugatti W16 Mistral Build Slot for Sale, Makes Supercars Look Dirt Cheap

Bugatti W16 Mistral 17 photos
Photo: Bugatti
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Bugatti is now on the verge of reinventing itself, having become synonymous with hypercars in the modern era due to the success of the Veyron, Chiron, and their derivatives. The Molsheim brand's future is electric, yet the present remains firmly rooted in gasoline.
The Chiron story is about to end this year when the 500th copy will roll off the line. This model has given birth to several special editions and a whole bunch of other vehicles, including the Divo, Centodieci, Bolide, and Mistral, and the latter is pretty much the open-top version of the Chiron that we never got.

Unveiled one and a half years ago, the Bugatti W16 Mistral looks like a coachbuilt Chiron. It doesn't cut back on the premium features, so it is basically an ultra-high-end grand tourer. Bugatti drew inspiration from the 1934 Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid, though it's not a retro-ish proposal like the Centodieci. The dashboard and other interior components came straight from the Chiron, and the cockpit is sprinkled with wood and amber inserts.

Peel its fancy skin off, and you will find the same nuts and bolts used on its more mainstream sibling. The same goes for the engine, which was lifted from the Super Sport and Super Sport 300+ versions of the Chiron. The Mistral uses a monstrous W16 lump with an 8.0-liter displacement aided by no fewer than four turbochargers. The total output is rated at 1,600 horsepower, which is metric, translating to 1,577 brake horsepower and 1,177 kilowatts. The torque is 1,180 pound-feet (1,600 Nm).

Bugatti W16 Mistral
Photo: Bugatti
The neck-snapping output and thrust available at a hard push of the throttle make the Bugatti W16 Mistral the fastest convertible ever made. The Molsheim company wasn't too keen to announce more about the performance of this ultra-fast machine, yet it claims that the instruments are visible at speeds of up to 260 miles per hour or 420 kilometers per hour. With not that many copies seeing the light of day and most of them set to be kept under wraps, it is possible that no one will ever hit the maximum speed in this open-top brute.

Now, speaking of the examples that will be made, production has yet to commence at the Molsheim factory in France. Nevertheless, the first one should roll off the line shorty, and only 99 of them will ever be made. Bugatti managed to sell out the W16 Mistral before it hosted its premiere in the summer of 2022, so one might think there is no way they could ever land a brand-new one, right? Wrong, because some of those greedy future owners who have reserved a build slot are willing to let it go in exchange for an eye-watering sum.

Case in point, we just found a brand-new Bugatti W16 Mistral that's looking for a new home. Well, brand-new is obviously an overstatement, as production has yet to commence, but it will be sold with only the delivery miles under its belt. You are looking at a build slot that is said to be available in four months after placing the order. The vendor doesn't reveal its exterior and interior colors, so chances are interested parties might be able to personalize it. Nevertheless, we wouldn't bet on it, so it would be a good idea to ask about it before transferring the sum.

Bugatti W16 Mistral
Photo: Bugatti
If you have to ask how much this build slot costs, you certainly cannot afford it. You see, it is estimated that Bugatti used to charge some $5 million for each of the 99 copies of the W16 Mistral, so you know this one is anything but a bargain. You should grab a seat before reading the next line, which reveals its asking price. So, in order to make it yours, you will have to pay €8,539,900, which comes out to $9,282,615 at today's exchange rates.

That's nearly $10 million for a hypercar that might not see any action at all despite being capable of feasting on miles while sipping gasoline like there's no tomorrow. Does it sound like a good deal? Well, then you may want to visit the Mobile listing here. The hypercar build slot is advertised by a Swiss used car dealer, which has a whole bunch of other pricey rides in its portfolio, including some that cost a few million dollars each. However, the W16 Mistral in question is by far their most expensive product.

We will remind you that the Chirons currently looking for new homes are valued at a little over €3 million (~$3.2 million), so you could buy two of them for the cost of this W16 Mistral. Still, we reckon a deep-pocketed collector has already set eyes on it, so chances are it won't stay listed for grabs much longer. Would you have bought it if money were the least of your concerns?
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Editor's note: Bugatti W16 Mistral official pictures shared in the gallery.

About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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