Video: Bugatti W16 Mistral debuts at Festival of Speed

This precedes a run of just 99 examples that are set to be built, each costing over £3million. Based on the Chiron carbon tub, it’s a car that was never really supposed to exist. But when Bugatti and Rimac merged, and Maté Rimac became CEO, his first order was for a pop-top special to send off the second-generation 21^st century Bugatti.

For the final roadgoing appearance of Bugatti’s legendary W16 engine, we knew we had to create a roadster,” he said when the car was revealed.

“Well over 40% of all Bugatti vehicles ever created have been open-top in design. In the Chiron era there had, to-date, been no roadster, so the introduction of W16 Mistral continues this legacy.”

Design-wise, the Mistral is a mix of old and new, albeit without taking much at all from the Chiron on which it’s based. There’s a bit of Noire, some inspiration taken from a few stillborn Bugatti concepts and dare we say it in that Horseshoe, a bit of the Tourbillon itself. It is of course, achingly pretty with the roof off in what is a very tasteful spec.

On its run up the Hill the W16 sounded reassuringly familiar, in the weeks following the introduction of the bombastic V16-engined Tourbillon that will replace the Chiron. That car has a sinewy, rev-happy sound that’s very different to the distant, almost tectonic thump, warble and gargle of the W16. It is of course devastatingly fast, lunging up to the first couple of corners before slingshotting all the way down to Molecomb. Wisely, the driver doesn’t overshoot the braking zone.

The 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed is underway, and you can watch every moment of the action on our live stream right here on GRR!