2026 will go down in history as one of the most important years for Bugatti. Not only is it leaving the Volkswagen Group, but it’s also calling time on the long-running W16. The 99th and final Mistral marks the end of the road for the quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter engine, which made its production debut in the 2005 Veyron. The roadster is the last road car from Molsheim to feature the venerable engine, which also powered the Bolide, an extreme track-only machine limited to 40 units, all of which were built by November 2025.
The last Mistral is fittingly called “The Last of Its Kind” and wears a two-tone Pearl and Sparkle paint finish. Like the 98 cars before it, this roadster is essentially a one-off, as Bugatti invites wealthy customers to personalize their cars down to the smallest details. Whoever ordered the final W16-powered model chose Magnolia and Grey Carbon Matt accents for the interior, where Ettore Bugatti’s signature appears on the headrests, aluminum door sills, and even the inner trim of the engine cover.
View Price on AmazonAs with every other Mistral, the final example underwent 248.5 miles of testing before delivery. Every roadster was driven to 186 mph at an airfield at Colmar Airport in northeastern France before being handed over to its rightful owner. Bugatti carefully selected three highly qualified test drivers to put the Mistral through its paces and ensure each car met the brand’s exacting standards.
Bugatti once said it was done chasing records, but in November 2024, the $5-million Mistral claimed the title of the world’s fastest open-top production car. With Andy Wallace behind the wheel, the one-off W16 Mistral World Record Car reached 282 mph at ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg in Germany.
As for what lies ahead, we already know part of the answer. Earlier this month, Bugatti inaugurated La Manufacture, a new facility capable of building up to 200 cars per year. It’s reasonable to assume models beyond the Tourbillon will eventually be built there, considering the new V16-powered machine is limited to just 250 units. Production of the naturally aspirated, Cosworth-powered hybrid hypercar has yet to begin, as the company is currently tooling up the new facility.
Although Bugatti has stopped building new W16-powered production cars, the ultra-rich can still commission one through the Programme Solitaire. It’s a special initiative for few-offs and even one-offs based on existing models, similar to what Pagani has been doing for years with the Zonda. Only two cars will be built annually, and we’ve already seen a couple of Chiron-based projects: Brouillard and the Veyron-inspired FKP Hommage.
Motor1's Take: It’s truly the end of an era now that the W16 has officially been retired. Even so, the future looks just as exciting, even if the Tourbillon remains reserved for the one percenters, much like the Chiron and Veyron before it. It still feels a bit strange that Bugatti has parted ways with the Volkswagen Group after 28 years, but with an enthusiast like Mate Rimac at the helm, the future looks bright.
Source: motor1.com
