10/24/2024
Molsheim
A master of air: crafting a new generation of roadster design with the Bugatti W16 Mistral
The Mistral¹: a unique wind pervading southern France, and a herald for the changing of seasons. Its influence, however, extends beyond its status as a force of nature. Those that experience it are able to draw upon its power, conjuring immersive sensations of adventure, awe, nostalgia, and anticipation for the road ahead. Such an impactful phenomenon is at one with the spirit of Bugatti – and a fitting inspiration for designing the last in an illustrious line of models powered by the iconic Bugatti W16 engine: the W16 Mistral.
Staying true to Bugatti’s long-held ethos of ‘form follows performance’, the W16 Mistral is defined by the harnessing of air. The truly elemental driving experience is only made possible by a century-born mastery of aerodynamics; both fused together to form an open-air masterpiece – an intense roofless experience at 420 km/h that celebrates design and engineering at its zenith.
For Bugatti’s master designers, the quest to perfect the art of aerodynamics
began at the very front of the W16 Mistral – with an icon of the Bugatti marque
reimagined for pushing the boundaries of innovation. The inimitable Bugatti
horseshoe grille was crafted in a new form for the W16 Mistral, widened and
equipped with perfectly aligned 3D-printed meshes to channel air into the
central radiator – harnessing its power to provide critical cooling for the 1600
PS, quad-turbo W16.
The horseshoe grille channels the ingenuity of Bugatti’s design heritage, but
the designers of the W16 sought to honor the spirit of the marque’s legendary
innovation yet further. The role of signature design cues in harnessing the
power of the air extends to the front light units – furthering the W16 Mistral’s
pursuit of form defined by performance. Echoing the Chiron with eight elements,
and vertically arranged in homage to other Bugatti masterpieces such as the Divo
and La Voiture Noire, the three-dimensional surface of the refined, elegant
design reduces aerodynamic drag with grooves guiding the air curtain –
evacuating air from the wheel well and enhancing performance.
As air races towards the center of the W16 Mistral, it encounters a new
interpretation of a feature that has made Bugatti unique over a century of
design innovation: the encapsulating C-line. Raised to a higher position in the
drive for maximum performance, the C-line houses intelligent air inlets that
serve to further boost the W16 Mistral’s incredible levels of dynamic pressure –
processing air and pressure at once to provide cooling for the engine, gearbox
and rear axle.
Staying true to Bugatti’s guiding ethos, the form of the C-line honors the
pursuit of performance. Following a seamlessly elegant trajectory through to the
windows and windshield, the line evokes the aesthetic of the visor on a racing
helmet, while an integrated cross-beam across the windshield smoothens the
airflow over the open cockpit – directing air towards the rear wing for maximum
downforce.
Where it meets the windows of the W16 Mistral, the C-line flows past exquisitely
sculpted air scoops, paying tribute to a lineage of open-top Bugatti icons –
from the stunningly beautiful 1934 Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid Usine, to the
first modern-era open-air Bugatti, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. Fusing the
elegance and performance the sculpted scoops have come to symbolize, the
arrangement on the W16 Mistral represents an all-new, highly advanced and
entirely bespoke air intake system that’s fully integrated into the vehicle’s
immensely strong carbon-fiber crash structure. From the crafted scoops, air is
rammed through air filters into the four turbochargers of the 8.0-liter
16-cylinder engine, feeding the W16 Mistral’s incredible power, acceleration and
speed. It is a feast for the senses also imbued with the glorious notes of the
W16 engine – amplified by the scoops to give the cabin’s occupants an aural
experience unmatched in the automotive world.
The hot air that exits the radiators cooling the 16-cylinder engine is channeled
through ducts towards the rear – representing one of the most sophisticated
areas of design on a holistically complex canvas. Drawn through by negative
pressure, the hot air is expelled through the vents within the W16 Mistral’s
X-taillight arrangement – a stunning display inspired by the Bugatti Bolide that
elegantly fuses aesthetic allure with engineering ingenuity. The air’s journey
from the rear of the vehicle is dramatically accelerated by the enhanced
‘ramp’-design diffuser, acting to aid the further removal of hot air and
increase the overall downforce that makes the model excel at high speeds.
While majoring on exhilarating performance, the beauty that defines the
X-taillight arrangement is echoed throughout the exterior design, down to the
finest of touches. Taking inspiration from the Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid
Usine’s unique symphony of black and yellow that Ettore Bugatti so loved, the
W16 Mistral offers a creative canvas for which a plethora of color combinations
can be specified – allowing drivers to create a truly individual character for
their vehicle, in the same way Ettore did.
Fuel consumption and emissions
- 1 W16 Mistral: This model is not subject to Directive 1999/94/EC, as type approval has not yet been granted.
