Latest news with #BugattiMistral
Forbes
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
Driving The 282mph Bugatti Mistral, The World's Fastest Roadster
Fewer than 150 people have driven the $5.8 million, 16-cylinder, 1600bhp, 282.04mph Bugatti Mistral, of which only 99 will be built, and it's sold out. I'm now one of the 150 or so. I'm also one of only a handful of journalists to become the steering-wheel and loud pedal guide to the missile, currently the world's fastest roadster. Bugatti's history has been progressively etched in automotive lore since 1909. Much of the innovation and competitive nature of the carmaker, as well as its drive for the exceptional, resurfaced, thanks to previous owner Volkswagen Group's input and investment, in 2005 with the Veyron and its W16 motor, its final iteration powering the Mistral. I'll spare you the history lesson - it's widely-chronicled in Forbes. Bugatti invents the hypercar Bugatti, based in Molsheim, France, effectively invented the "hypercar" segment with initial v-max runs of 253.81mph in the 1000bhp Veyron, rising with the Super Sport Veyron to (267.856mph) and now with the world's fastest roadster: the Mistral. Rolls-Royces have on their dashboards a "power reserve" dial, emphasising just how unchallenged the engine is in most circumstances. Tucked off to the left of the instrument binnacle on a Mistral, with its central 500kmh (310.686mph) speedometer, alongside the rising bar of the tachometer, is a parallel instrument notated from zero to 1600. It provides information about how much of the Mistral's available power you're using. Those numbers relate, of course, to bhp. Most of the time, in "normal" driving, a feat remarkably well within the lower-demands of Mistral usage given its F1++ power output, that bar barely flickers above zero bhp being troubled, everyday trundle-pace drawing on EV battery power. At the top, "1600" keeps drawing your attention, a short-term obsession, progressively more aggressive right-foot-flexing producing acceleration during gaps in traffic that would embarrass mere supercars. But even acceleration beyond anything I'd experienced (we're talking in McLaren, Lamborghini and Ferrari), an eye-flick to that power-use gauge sees it nonchalantly nudging a traffic-restricted peak of around 650bhp. Bugatti's "Pilote Officiel" urges deployment of 1600bhp My "minder", decorated racing driver Bruno Spengler, 41, and now Bugatti's "Pilote Officiel" is happily urging me on, he having earlier demonstrated what all 1600bhp feels like during a lucky, and safe, break in traffic, a piece of luck that continues to evade me... Then the two-lane highway suddenly opens up, Citroens and Audis peeling aside, a VW van being the last to present me with an open ribbon of road I hope by now is somewhere in neighbouring Germany. "Go," says Bruno. The speed of the human brain can be impressive. I floor the throttle, but before that ultra-slow-motion split second between starting to floor it and it meeting the firewall something in my mind causes me to back off a fraction. All that human brain computing power calculates, in perhaps a nano-second, a vast array of factors and parameters and, in this instance, came to the conclusion: "Iain, 1600bhp going through four driven wheels to the road is perhaps not a great idea right now, mainly because in doing so you'll be accelerating not just faster than you ever have, but faster than probably 99.9% of the world's driving population has ever experienced. Floor it properly later when you know what to expect." So I backed off. To just over 1000bhp. I'll restate that. Just over 1000bhp. My own 330bhp BMW is fast. I've driven the likes of Lamborghinis to not-far-short of 200mph, , and my Honda 1000 superbike barely breaks a sweat in muscle-flexing alongside supercars. 1000bhp proves to be the traffic-restricted maximum But that now-eternal mental snapshot is still the deployment of 1000bhp, while my memory stores a recording of the brain's gyros registering forces never previously experienced. Because I now know what 1000bhp feels like for a few seconds, I think I can imagine the sensation personally deploying 1600bhp would bring. Years ago I raced cars, but the Mistral's performance brings into starker focus what F1 drivers achieve for 90 minutes or more in their 800kg, 1000bhp cars (a Mistral weights over 2000kg with driver). And they always seem to be for more power. Pulling back into Bugatti's grounds, Bruno pays me the sort of compliment you'd want on your cv, and, let's face it, guys, the sort of thing you wish other people had overheard: "I wouldn't have let you try that if you weren't a relaxed and very good driver." Aw, shucks. The Mistral is more than a straight-line rocket The Mistral isn't just an absolute rocket in a straight line, it's a great handling car with enormous grip. I exited every corner believing I could have entered it twice as fast, the specially-developed Michelin tyres untroubled. The brakes wouldn't be out of place on a Boeing 787, and the quality, design, detail and sheer craftsmanship of the Mistral admirable. Those details of design and engineering abound once you take pause and walk around the car. After parking up, the rear spoiler remains deployed so hot air can be vented out of the engine bay, progressively closing as the engine cools. Stick a finger between spoiler and rear panel, and it stops lowering, designed to prevent small fingers of mesmerised children being trapped. It may be immensely fast and powerful, but perhaps the only thing stopping you using it more than storing it is its value. You can only use what it offers for seconds at a time, rarely attempt to v-max it, and then only on a limited number of private straight-line tracks or runways. But that's perhaps what makes it special. It'll always have the potential, but the few opportunities to realise that potential will be etched on your mind for eternity.
Time of India
27-07-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
75-Year-Old Jay Leno drives world's fastest open-top car Bugatti Mistral at 280+ MPH; fans call it 'beautiful machine'
Jay Leno, a popular American television host and comedian, recently got an opportunity to experience the world's fastest open-top production car, the Bugatti Mistral. The comedian described the experience as surprisingly effortless. The previous year, the Mistral hypercar reached an impressive top speed of 282 mph on a high-speed test track in Germany. Despite its extreme performance, the 75-year-old compares the driving experience to that of a Miata—smooth and approachable. According to DuPont REGISTRY, the Mistral may not be light or nimble in the conventional sense, weighing in at nearly two tonnes (1,977 kg or 4,359 pounds), yet it defies expectations with its remarkable agility. At speeds exceeding 280 mph, the hypercar reacts so sharply and smoothly that it momentarily tricks your mind into ignoring the laws of physics. Jay Leno drives a $5 million (Rs 41.6 crore) Bugatti Mistral Despite being powered by the massive W16 engine, the Mistral feels so surprisingly light to Leno that he compares it to the lightweight MX-5 Miata. "This feels like a Miata," he said in the viral YouTube video. However, both cars have their own unique appeal, but the comparison remains intriguing, especially when you consider that even the expensive Miata is roughly 131 times cheaper than the Mistral's hefty $5 million (Rs 41.6 crore) price tag, as per Auto Evolution. This particular Bugatti Mistral was featured on the Audrain Museum Network channel, with Jay Leno behind the wheel and his long-time friend Donald Osborne as passenger. In the video, the driver goes beyond just showcasing raw power; it celebrates the final and most elegant chapter of Bugatti's legendary W16 engine. Fans react to the video, one wrote in the YouTube comment section, "Jay and Donald, the greatest combination you can get for car reviews." "I love this Bugatti. So beautiful," another added. The hypercar was designed as a tribute to the 1930s-era Type 57 Grand Raid Usine The Bugatti Mistral marks the brand's long-awaited return to open-top driving, becoming its first roadster since the 2012 Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. The exclusive hypercar pays homage to the elegant 1930s Type 57 Grand Raid Usine, a rare, Art Deco-inspired masterpiece of which only 10 were ever produced. What truly sets the Mistral apart from the other similar cars is its 8.0-litre W16 engine and a bold defiance of the industry's shift towards downsizing. Additionally, it is equipped with four turbochargers; the engine delivers a jaw-dropping 1,578 horsepower (1,600 PS), which makes it a high-performance tribute to Bugatti's engineering legacy. While Leno, who has driven just about every kind of performance car imaginable, lauds its balance and manoeuvrability. "There should be a sign on the dashboard that says, Please inhale before accelerating," jokes Donald Osborne, CEO of the Audrain Group, who joined Leno during the drive. Key features of the Bugatti Mistral Let's take a look at the key features of the Bugatti Mistral and why there is so much hype around it: The ultimate roadster: According to HR Owen, the Bugatti W16 Mistral is the final swansong of one of the most ambitious powertrains ever made. With an 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 engine, the car is powered by the definitive version, first introduced on the Chiron Super Sport 300+. The Mistral has 1,600 hp, allowing for a top speed of 420 km/h. Distinctive in every detail: The hypercar is developed with careful attention paid to Bugatti's 'Form Follows Performance' design language, the W16 Mistral. The top line of the windscreen and side windows flows purposefully around the side air intakes. Focused luxury: The interior of the W16 Mistral draws inspiration from the Chiron, refined to offer a blend of sophistication and luxury while maintaining practicality. Is the Bugatti Mistral available in India? As per CarWale, the Bugatti Mistral is not available in India. It is a limited edition, open-top hypercar, with only 99 units produced; that too, all of them have been sold. The Mistral is not being produced for any specific market, including India. While Bugatti does have a presence in India with models like the Chiron, the Mistral is not part of their current or future Indian offerings. FAQs Q. How does Mistral's interior design differ from the Chiron, and what unique touches does it feature? According to NewsCars, the Mistral's cabin inherits much of its layout from the Chiron but includes bespoke refinements characteristic of Bugatti's craftsmanship. Q. How is the interior optimised for high-speed driving? While the W16 Mistral's cockpit delivers luxury and elegance, it's also designed for functionality at velocities up to 420 km/h (261 mph), as per Motor1. For the latest and more interesting auto news, keep reading Indiatimes Auto.
Auto Express
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Plenty of rain and no roof! We drive the £5.2mil Bugatti Mistral
Comparing a Bugatti to a 'normal' car is probably like comparing Concorde and a paper aeroplane. The Mistral – on behalf of all W16-era models – represents a place and time in humanity's engineering journey that broke boundaries and pushed the limits of what a road car could be. Yet what's most incredible is how easy the Mistral is to use, and how beautifully polished its driving experience is. Advertisement - Article continues below Few modern brands command as much reverence as Bugatti. This iconic manufacturer of ultra-luxury cars has always seemed to operate in a vacuum, building the most exquisite and finely formed cars, irrespective of cost. This isn't just in terms of the quality of leather used on the seats or its carbon-fibre body work, but the otherworldly engineering that goes into every single nut and bolt. It's always a privilege to drive a Bugatti, but to drive the Mistral – which is the last, and one of the most expensive, of this generation – well, that's bucket list stuff. But what is the Mistral? Named after a strong wind in southern France, its limited-run of 99 units is a celebration of the Chiron era, fitted with a completely bespoke open-top body and a powertrain derived from the wild, record-breaking Chiron Super Sport 300+. In fact, to call it a powertrain is probably something of a disservice, because it's arguably better likened to the propulsion units of steampunk locomotives – something that isn't without precedent, given that Bugatti's pre-war straight-eight did power high-speed trains during the second world war. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below View e-208 View 500L View Stonic The Mistral's W16, though, is far more sophisticated than anything connected to rail tracks, with eight litres of swept capacity and four turbochargers providing incredible thrust without any electronic assistance. Power is rated at 1,577bhp, with 1,600Nm of torque driving all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. These figures might lack genuine shock and awe in the age of electric hypercars, but as we'll come to, the ability to generate such performance through purely mechanical means is quite a different experience. Advertisement - Article continues below An acceleration time almost seems arbitrary, but the 0-62mph time of 2.5 seconds is still impressive. Yet like all modern Bugattis, this hypercar is more about ultimate speed and this is where the Mistral blows the competition into the weeds. Most customer models like the one we're driving today are limited to 260mph, but Bugatti was able to hit an astounding 282.03mph with a one-off customer car painted in the iconic carbon and orange livery that goes with all its record-breaking models. Being macabre for a second, I can't help but wonder what would happen if you were to put your hand up into the airstream at 280mph. Of course there's so much more detail to drink in, such as the exquisite exposed carbon-fibre body or the timeless interior, but our time is limited and we're here to drive it. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Walking towards the Mistral from a distance, you notice just how tightly packaged a modern Bugatti is. Yes, the engine is roughly four times the size of the average ICE engine, and it comes with four times as many turbos, but sitting within the compact two-seater carbon-fibre chassis, the car feels no bigger or more intimidating to drive than an Audi TT. Those early comparisons from back when the Veyron was new have stuck, it seems, but even after the engine has whumped into life and you're under way, it might even be easier to drive than a TT. That's because it instantly feels approachable. There's a lot of moving parts only centimetres away from you, but the twin-clutch box slurs its gears effortlessly, and there's no gnashing of driveline components or suspension parts despite their need to withstand speeds four times higher than the UK's national speed limit. Advertisement - Article continues below Yet what keeps it from feeling a little too easy or benign is the incredible noise coming from behind you. A W16 isn't as inherently musical as a V12, but there is a unique combination of deep, guttural sounds that you feel as much as hear. This is overlaid by a symphony of whooshes from the turbochargers, reiterating that steampunk overtone. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below By now we're out on bigger roads, and rain that's threatened all morning is now falling. As any convertible driver knows, driving faster stops you from getting wet, right? So that's what I do. Push the throttle pedal down into its travel and you can sense that there's a whole array of components working in harmony to deliver performance. Given the highly turbocharged nature of the engine, torque swells at low revs, and does so more than quickly enough to require your full concentration, even with four driven wheels to share it. At around 4,500rpm, though, the quite old-fashioned manner in which the turbochargers spool comes to light, because you can actually hear a solenoid switch the airflow from just feeding two turbochargers into all four. Now, the Mistral is capable of firing you down the road without any care for such things like physics. The feeling is completely different to the 2,000bhp electric hypercars that achieve their performance – impressive though it is – without much in the way of pomp and circumstance. Advertisement - Article continues below It's totally addictive, and even though I'm ensuring I measure out my inputs because it's now raining torrentially (to the point that streams of water enter the cabin over the top of the windscreen and side windows) it's thrilling to the point of exasperation. No wonder dictators find it so hard to give up access to state-owned militaries; this type of power at the hands of one person is something quite incredible. When the roads eventually dry out a little, the next discovery is just how wonderfully agile and finely honed the ride and handling package is alongside that incredible engine. Costing over £5.2m, the Mistral was always going to be made up from only the best components, but there's a sophistication and polish to all the driving elements that really takes me by surprise. Whether it be the steering, the ride quality over rough roads, or the oily slickness of the drivetrain itself, the Bugatti reeks of quality like no other car. Unfortunately time, weather and the local road laws prevent me from digging deeper into extraordinary car's talents, but even with this small level of exposure, it makes perfect sense how and why Bugatti has been able to convince its customers to part with literally millions of pounds for the past 20 years in its modern era. So while £5.2m is a lot for a car, the Mistral doesn't really feel like just a car. Instead, it's an example of humanity's debonair creativity that can only be unlocked when those sorts of numbers are involved. But as one chapter closes with the Mistral and its iconic W16 engine, so will the door open to another with the new Bugatti Tourbillion – we can't even begin to fathom what it has in store. Model: Bugatti Mistral Price: £5.2million Powertrain: 8.0-litre, W16 turbo petrol Power/torque: 1577bhp/1,600Nm Transmission: 7-speed auto, all-wheel drive 0-62mph: 2.5 seconds Top speed: 260mph Economy/CO2: 13mpg/495g/km Size (L/W/H): 4,544/2,162/1,212mm On sale: Sold out Now you can buy a car through our network of top dealers around the UK. 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