Bugatti once said it was done chasing speed records. Guess what? They weren’t. The era of the W-16 engine is wrapping up, but not without a grand finale. This legendary 8.0-liter, quad-turbo beast found its way into a customer’s Mistral, helping it claim the title of the fastest open-top production car ever. No roof, no problem.
At first, Bugatti miscalculated the Mistral’s potential. They claimed it could hit 261 mph. Impressive, sure, but less than reality. Turns out, the car smashed that estimate. On Germany’s Papenburg track, it reached a jaw-dropping 282 mph. For those using metric, that’s 453.91 km/h—22 mph shy of its coupe sibling, the Chiron. Close enough.
Andy Wallace was behind the wheel. That name might ring a bell; he’s Bugatti’s go-to test driver and a Le Mans champ. Back in 2019, he piloted the Chiron Super Sport 300+ to a crazy 304.77 mph. Only 99 Mistrals are being built, though the record-breaking one is a one-off, decked out with striking Jet Orange details. Fun fact: the owner of this car also has the other three Bugatti record holders. Talk about commitment.
Speaking of records, the Mistral bumped off Hennessey’s Venom GT Spyder, which hit 265.6 mph in 2016. This latest feat happened November 9, with the car’s owner and Mate Rimac—the CEO of Bugatti Rimac—watching closely. For context, Rimac owns 37% of the Rimac Group, Porsche holds 24%, Hyundai has 12%, and other investors share the rest. Rimac Group itself owns 55% of Bugatti Rimac, while Porsche retains the remaining 45%.
An interesting twist? Bugatti couldn’t use Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien track for this run, despite it being historic for the Veyron and Chiron. Why? VW owns that track and Bugatti’s no longer part of the group. They had to settle for Papenburg. Still worked out.
Hennessey brags the Venom F5 Roadster will break 300 mph someday. Koenigsegg’s Jesko Absolut is still waiting. Until then, the Mistral reigns as the king of open-top speed.
Source and Images: Motor1