Bugatti has been testing the $5 million W16 Mistral Roadster in South of France

  • Bugatti has been pictured testing its W16 Mistral in France
  • The stunning hypercar is being made in a limited run of 99 
  • The W16 has now entered its final stages of testing

Published on Sep 10, 2024 at 3:47 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid

Last updated on Sep 17, 2024 at 9:40 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood

Bugatti is testing its stunning $5 million W16 Mistral roadster, bringing the car ‘one step closer’ to release. 

The luxury car maker says the Mistral, which will be the brand’s last ever W16-engined hypercar, is in the ‘final stages’ of testing. 

As part of this late-stage testing, the beautiful motor has been driven ‘under the sun of Southern France’. 

The W16 Mistral has encountered ‘winding mountain roads and mesmerizing coastal routes to the iconic streets’, with Bugatti sharing a slew of photos showcasing the car in all its glory. 

The Bugatti W16 Mistral is set to be a very special car

The impending release of the W16 Mistral hypercar is bittersweet for gearheads. 

While it’s always good to see a jaw-dropping new hypercar hitting the roads, many Bugatti fans will be wiping away a tear over the marque’s last-ever purely ICE-powered thoroughbred.

Bugatti has shared several teaser images of the upcoming car—only 99 will be produced—and it’s fair to say it’s nothing short of breathtaking.

The W16 Mistral is promises to ‘deliver unrelenting performance, acoustic excellence, and ultimate luxury’.

Sounds pretty special, right?

Not only that, but the new hypercar is going to be fast.

And we do mean fast – as the car is set to have a top speed in excess of 420km/h.

The Bugatti is in the final stages of testing

Naturally, with such speed on offer, safety is paramount to Bugatti, so it has been carrying out extensive testing. 

In a press release from July, Bugatti said its Prototype 2 had already clocked up 32,000km while testing. 

“These road tests have taken the W16 Mistral through various terrains, at high altitudes in the mountains, at sea level, and even through heavy traffic conditions,” the company said

Now, new images show the car taking to the streets and winding roads of the South of France. 

“We are in the last part of the testing program – we are getting close to the finish,” said Bugatti CTO Emilio Scervo. 

“From the initial validation stages to the intensive endurance tests, every aspect of the Mistral’s development is precisely planned and executed.

“The Mistral is the ultimate example of our dedication to setting new standards in roadster design.”

With the testing stage drawing to a close, production of the W16 Mistral is set to kick off later this year. 

Exciting stuff. 

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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.