Tag Archives: Mistral

Tuning

MANSORY Vincerò: Bugatti Mistral Transformed Into a Bespoke One-Off Hypercar

MANSORY has unveiled the Vincerò, an extraordinary one-off creation based on the Bugatti Mistral, taking one of the world’s most exclusive open-top hypercars into an even more bespoke and visually dramatic direction.

The MANSORY Vincerò combines the unmistakable design DNA of the Bugatti Mistral with MANSORY’s signature approach to personalization, extensive use of exposed carbon fibre and a completely reworked interior. As a one-off commission, the Vincerò is designed not simply as a modified Mistral, but as an individually tailored hypercar created around the preferences of its owner.

MANSORY Vincerò brings a new interpretation of the Bugatti Mistral

The Bugatti Mistral already occupies a rare position in the hypercar world, combining extreme performance with the experience of an open-top grand tourer. MANSORY has used that foundation for the Vincerò project, introducing a series of newly developed exterior components while retaining the fundamental proportions of the original car.

A major focus of the Vincerò is its extensive use of coloured exposed carbon fibre. The lightweight material is applied across numerous newly developed body components, giving the one-off hypercar a highly customized appearance while reinforcing its performance-oriented character.

At the front, MANSORY has developed a redesigned front apron that gives the Vincerò a more assertive visual presence. The changes continue along the sides, where new aerodynamic elements and redesigned mirror housings further distinguish the car from the standard Bugatti Mistral.

The rear section has also undergone a comprehensive redesign. MANSORY says each component was engineered to integrate with the Mistral’s original design while emphasizing its distinctive proportions and exclusive character.

Extensive exposed carbon fibre defines the Vincerò

Carbon fibre is central to the MANSORY Vincerò’s visual identity. Rather than simply adding aftermarket styling elements, MANSORY has developed an extensive collection of bespoke carbon-fibre components specifically for the one-off project.

The coloured exposed carbon fibre provides a particularly distinctive finish, allowing the material itself to become an important part of the vehicle’s design rather than being hidden beneath conventional paint.

The result is a Bugatti Mistral that maintains its recognizable silhouette while gaining a considerably more individualized appearance.

For MANSORY, the project also demonstrates the company’s broader philosophy of creating highly personalized vehicles in which virtually every major design element can be tailored to an individual customer.

A completely bespoke Bugatti Mistral interior

Inside, the transformation is even more extensive. MANSORY has completely redesigned the cabin using premium leather, exposed carbon-fibre trim and numerous handcrafted details.

The interior can be specified with individually tailored colours, embroidery and bespoke equipment, allowing the customer to create a cockpit that reflects personal tastes rather than following a fixed factory specification.

MANSORY’s approach means that personalization extends to virtually every interior detail. This is particularly significant for a one-off vehicle based on a hypercar as exclusive as the Bugatti Mistral, where individuality becomes an essential part of the car’s appeal.

The combination of handcrafted leatherwork, carbon fibre and bespoke detailing is intended to create an environment that matches the Vincerò’s extensively modified exterior.

MANSORY Vincerò is designed as a true one-off

Unlike a conventional tuning package that can be applied to multiple vehicles, the MANSORY Vincerò has been created as a unique automobile.

That distinction is important. MANSORY’s one-off projects are built around extensive customer involvement, with the specification tailored to individual requirements. Colours, materials, embroidery and equipment can therefore be selected to create a vehicle unlike any other Mistral.

The Vincerò represents this philosophy in its most exclusive form: a Bugatti Mistral transformed through bespoke carbon-fibre bodywork, a fully personalized cabin and extensive handcrafted detailing.

Bugatti Mistral meets MANSORY design philosophy

The MANSORY Vincerò demonstrates how far bespoke automotive design can be taken when the starting point is already one of the world’s most exclusive hypercars.

Rather than replacing the fundamental identity of the Bugatti Mistral, MANSORY has concentrated on enhancing its visual impact through new bodywork, aerodynamic elements, exposed carbon fibre and a completely individualized interior.

With only a single Vincerò being created, the project also becomes an exercise in automotive exclusivity. Every design decision contributes to a car intended to stand apart not only from conventional Mistral models, but also from other highly customized hypercars.

The MANSORY Vincerò is therefore less a traditional tuning project and more a bespoke interpretation of the Bugatti Mistral—one that combines Bugatti’s distinctive design heritage with MANSORY’s uncompromising approach to personalization and craftsmanship.

Source: Mansory

NEW CARS

The Final Bugatti W16 Mistral Rolls Out as the Brand Looks to a Hybrid Future

Bugatti has built its last W16 Mistral, bringing to a close one of the most extraordinary engine programs in automotive history. After two decades of quad-turbocharged, 16-cylinder excess that powered the Veyron, Chiron, and finally the roofless Mistral, the legendary W16 has officially taken its final bow.

The 99th and final W16 Mistral rolled out of Bugatti’s Atelier in Molsheim wearing an elegant two-tone finish in Pearl and Sparkle, a subtle but fitting choice for a car whose defining message is etched into its identity: “The last of its kind.” While Bugatti has already shifted its focus toward the hybrid-powered Tourbillon and its new La Manufacture production facility, this final Mistral serves as a reminder of an era that redefined what was possible from an internal-combustion engine.

Unlike many farewell editions that rely on decals and commemorative badges, Bugatti treated the final Mistral as a rolling tribute to the people, engineering, and history that made the W16 legend possible. The cabin features a dedicated plaque with the car’s silhouette and farewell inscription, while the interior pairs Magnolia leather with Grey Carbon Matt trim for a restrained, timeless appearance.

The details go far beyond color choices. Ettore Bugatti’s signature appears embroidered into the headrests, machined into the door sills, and even replaces the standard Bugatti script on the inside of the engine cover. An armrest insert crafted in frozen crystal by Lalique, titled Spirit of the Wind, celebrates the historic partnership between Bugatti and the famed French crystal house, while a custom falcon motif on the gear selector and door panels reflects the owner’s Middle Eastern heritage instead of the brand’s traditional dancing elephant sculpture.

It’s exactly the kind of personalization Bugatti’s Sur Mesure division has become known for. During the Mistral’s production run, every one of the 99 cars became a unique commission, with owners working directly with designers and craftsmen in Molsheim and Berlin to create one-off specifications. Earlier this year, Bugatti showcased the porcelain-inspired Blanc Éternel, demonstrating just how far the customization program could stretch beyond conventional automotive design.

The Mistral’s significance, however, goes far beyond bespoke craftsmanship. Introduced during Monterey Car Week in 2022, it wasn’t simply another limited-production Bugatti—it was designed as the ultimate celebration of the 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16. And before customer deliveries even began, the roadster cemented its place in the record books.

In November 2024, Bugatti factory driver Andy Wallace piloted a specially prepared W16 Mistral World Record Car to 453.91 km/h (282 mph) at Germany’s ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg, officially making it the fastest open-top production car ever built. It was an appropriately outrageous farewell for an engine that had spent twenty years rewriting the limits of road-going performance.

That same record-setting car recently reached another milestone when it was officially delivered to its owner during the Silverstone Grand Prix weekend, symbolically closing the chapter just as the last production example left the factory.

Despite its staggering performance, the W16 Mistral never abandoned the philosophy established during Ferdinand Piëch’s original vision for the modern Bugatti: build a machine capable of exceeding 400 km/h while remaining refined enough to drive comfortably to the opera. The Mistral arguably distilled that dual personality better than any Bugatti before it. With the roof removed, occupants could experience every mechanical note of the 1,578-horsepower W16 while still wrapped in handcrafted luxury.

Now, production is complete. Ninety-nine examples were built, each uniquely tailored to its owner and each representing the final road-going application of one of the most ambitious engines ever installed in a production car.

The automotive industry is rapidly moving toward electrification and hybrid performance, and Bugatti’s next chapter with the Tourbillon promises astonishing technology of its own. But the W16 occupies a place no successor can replicate. It wasn’t simply an engine—it was a statement of engineering ambition, built during an era when the question wasn’t whether something should be done, but whether it could be done.

With the last W16 Mistral now leaving Molsheim, one of the greatest internal-combustion powertrains ever created has officially reached the end of the road. And if there’s ever been a machine deserving of the phrase “the last of its kind,” this is it.

Source: Bugatti

NEW CARS

Bugatti W16 Mistral ‘La Perle Rare’

There are special editions, and then there are statements. The Bugatti W16 Mistral ‘La Perle Rare’ falls squarely into the latter camp—a one-off, open-top monument to excess, craftsmanship, and the end of an era defined by 16 cylinders and four turbochargers.

If the standard W16 Mistral already represents the final, roofless crescendo of Bugatti’s quad-turbo W16 symphony, this Sur Mesure commission turns the volume up on artistry. Think less “option package,” more rolling haute couture.

Pebble Beach Origins, Billionaire Intentions

The story begins on the manicured lawns of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August 2023, where Jascha Straub—Bugatti’s Manager of Sur Mesure and Individualization—met the client who would commission this pearlescent ode to personal taste. The brief wasn’t about shouting louder than the other hypercars. It was about elegance. Flow. Reflection. A sculptural presence that would look just as at home under the California sun as it would under gallery lighting.

That philosophy tracks. The W16 Mistral is already a design object, its speedster proportions stretched tight over mechanical insanity. The Sur Mesure program simply gives the buyer the brush.

A Study in White and Gold

At first glance, ‘La Perle Rare’ reads as restrained—at least by Bugatti standards. Look closer, and the complexity reveals itself.

The entire car is split visually into upper and lower halves, separated by hand-executed white and gold dividing lines that required hundreds of hours of taping, masking, and paintwork. This isn’t vinyl wizardry. It’s old-school craftsmanship applied to a car capable of rearranging the horizon.

The two-tone concept evolved from an early silver proposal into something far more nuanced: two entirely bespoke whites. Up top sits a warm, gold-infused hue laced with metallic flake, shimmering subtly in direct light. Below, a softer warm white grounds the car. The effect is less contrast, more conversation—sky meeting earth, light playing off surface.

The inspiration draws from Bugatti’s signature “Vagues de Lumière” paintwork, a finish meant to capture how its hypercars bend and reflect light. Here, that idea morphs into something more elemental—a pearl-like glow befitting the name “La Perle Rare.”

Even the diamond-cut wheels get in on the theme, finished in a curated blend that mirrors the body’s gold-and-white interplay. From every angle, the car seems to radiate rather than merely reflect.

A Jewel-Box Cockpit

Inside, subtlety gives way to full commitment. All visible carbon-fiber components are painted white, transforming the cockpit into something resembling a high-end timepiece casing rather than a traditional hypercar interior.

The door panels wear alternating white and warm-gold linework that follows their concave surfaces like tailored piping on a Savile Row suit. Ambient lighting glows softly against the sculpted forms, amplifying the pearl motif after dark. Polished aluminum accents—steering wheel details, console dials, door handles—act like tiny mirrors, bouncing light around the cabin.

And then there’s the signature.

“La Perle Rare,” rendered in Straub’s own handwriting, appears stitched along the central tunnel, engraved on the bespoke engine cover, and painted beneath the rear wing. It’s a designer signing his canvas—except this canvas produces four-digit horsepower.

In a nod to heritage, the iconic Dancing Elephant—originally sculpted by Rembrandt Bugatti—appears within the gear selector casing and on the exterior body panels behind the front wheels. It’s a quiet reminder that while this car is a modern fever dream, the brand’s artistic DNA runs more than a century deep.

The Final Open-Air W16 Statement

The W16 Mistral itself already carries historic weight as the last roadgoing Bugatti to feature the brand’s legendary quad-turbocharged W16 engine. In standard form, it’s a 1600-hp, wind-in-your-hair celebration of mechanical excess. In ‘La Perle Rare’ guise, it becomes something more intimate.

Straub describes the project as a shared passion for elegance and precision—a collaboration where every line and reflection was refined until the car became a pure expression of its owner’s vision. That’s the promise of Sur Mesure: not just customization, but co-authorship.

In the end, ‘La Perle Rare’ isn’t about lap times or top-speed records. It’s about closing a chapter properly. As Bugatti pivots toward a new hybrid future, this one-off roadster stands as a luminous farewell to an engine configuration that redefined the outer limits of internal combustion.

Some cars mark the end of an era with fireworks. This one does it with a pearl-like glow—and 16 cylinders singing into the open sky.

Source: Bugatti