The Bugatti Mistral opened its shutters earlier this year, making a grand appearance at Pebble Beach. Deliveries won’t start until around 2024, so the car is rolling out slowly. The limited-run hypercar recently debuted for the Middle East ahead of an exclusive preview event that will take place at the new Bugatti Riyadh showroom in the Saudi Arabian capital. However, Bugatti has sold everything it planned to build.
Bugatti took the Mistral on a tour around Riyadh, taking the sleek model to the King Abdullah Financial District. The automaker then took the Mistral to the Ritz Carlton Riyadh, with its final stop planned at the showroom, which Bugatti operates with its Saudi Arabian partner, SAMACO Automotive. The showroom is one of the newest brands in the world, opening in 2021.
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“Throughout the years, residents of the Kingdom have admired Bugatti’s heritage, craftsmanship and unparalleled performance, and we are honored to be able to bring our finest roadster to the Kingdom for a glimpse of this unrivaled car,” said Kostas Psarris, Middle East Regional Director and Asia in Bugatti.
The Mistral has the same 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine that powers the Chiron Super Sport 300+. It also makes the same 1,577 horsepower (1,159 kilowatts), but the Mistral can’t reach the Super Sport’s 304,774-mph (490,484-kph) top speed. Earlier in November, Bugatti revealed that the roadster would have a top speed of at least 261 mph (420 kph).
Due to customer demand, Bugatti decided to build a roofless Mistral – Chiron roadster. According to Bugatti Deputy Design Director Franks Heyl, collectors are pressing the automaker to build a convertible. Bugatti didn’t envision the Chiron model spawning a roadster variant, but the company found a way to do it.
The W16-powered Mistral is a bit of a goodbye letter to the brand’s iconic engine. Bugatti and Rimac are now partnered and together are working to chart a path for both brands, which will begin to bear fruit in 2024, the same year Mistral and Bolide deliveries begin. It will be interesting to see what Bugatti’s future looks like in a world that is electrifying quickly, but Mistral motifs such as the X-shaped taillights hint at what’s to come with the design.
