It is also the last car from Bugatti to run only on petrol. Future models will be hybrid.
According to Bugatti, only 99 Mistrals will be made, and all of them have been sold before the car’s public unveiling in Carmel, California on Friday.
“There can only be one goal: to once again be the fastest roadster in the world,” the company announced.
Bugatti has not revealed what the Mistral’s expected top speed might be. The last time Bugatti could claim the world’s fastest convertible was in 2013 when the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse convertible hit 454 mph at Volkswagen’s test track in Germany.
The current top speed record for convertibles is claimed by the Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster, built by Texas-based Hennessey Performance Engineering. The $3 million, 1,800-horsepower car reached a top speed of 265.6 miles per hour in 2016.
Convertibles typically have lower top speeds than hardtops due to poorer aerodynamics.
The Mistral will also be the last model to feature Bugatti’s famous W16 16-cylinder engine. Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti-Rimac, which currently owns the Bugatti brand, said that future Bugatti models will be hybrids. It’s unclear what gas engine these future models will have, but it won’t be the W16 that’s powered every modern Bugatti since 2005, with various developments and upgrades.
Air for the Mistral’s large engine enters through air intakes behind each of the car’s two seats. The air scoops are made of carbon fiber and are designed to support the entire weight of the vehicle to protect the occupants in the event of a rollover. The air intakes on the side of the car are for the oil coolers. Air from the oil coolers is expelled through the Mistral’s X-shaped taillights.
The front of the Mistral has a unique design with headlights made of four light bars each. The horseshoe-shaped central grille is also deeper and wider than on hardtop cars.
