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1,600-hp Bugatti Mistral roadster marks the end of the line for the W16 engine

Bugatti's mighty W16 engine will retire in the coming years, but it's not sailing off into the sunset quietly. It will power one final street-legal car: a roadster named Mistral that stands proud as the first convertible of the Chiron era. Built due to customer demand, the Bugatti Mistral is a striking, limited-edition model that looks ready to add another speed record to the French firm's trophy case. I sat down with some of the people who created it, including Bugatti design director Achim Anscheidt and head of design Frank Heyl, to get the droptop's full story. "For the final road-going appearance of Bugatti’s legendary W16 engine, we knew we had to create a roadster. Well over 40% of all Bugatti vehicles ever created have been open-top in design," said Bugatti-Rimac CEO Mate Rimac. Heyl added that customers "begged" Bugatti to create a Chiron-derived convertible, and that granting them this wish was a "bucket-list" item for the members of his team. Power for the Mistral comes from the same 8.0-liter, quad-turbocharged 16-cylinder engine that propelled the Chiron Super Sport 300+ to a record-breaking 304.773 mph in 2019. It's rated at 1,600 horsepower, and it spins the four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Bugatti estimates that the Mistral's top speed will check in at approximately 261 mph (420 kph). Will this number get verified? Hell, yes! "There can only be one goal in mind: to become the fastest roadster in the world once more," Bugatti pledged in a statement. While the Mistral is Chiron-based, Bugatti made several important structural changes to offset the inevitable loss of structural rigidity caused by chopping off the roof. Heyl explained that the monocoque's sills and transmission tunnel were reinforced and that the a- and b-pillar structures are new, though the front crash structure is the same. And, the two models intentionally share no exterior styling cues. "We had the pressure of creating something that is precious and valuable in a car collector's garage. It's not just a fashion statement: 'Oh, let's do a roadster!' Or, even worse, 'Let's take a Chiron and just cut it open,' which would have looked terrible. This burdens us with the responsibility that this is the last of its kind of that generation and how that's going to sit in those collections," Anscheidt told Autoblog.

Bugatti by Venet is the world's fastest art

Some consider the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport to be a piece of rolling art, while others consider the real masterpiece to be the engineering feats to be what lies underneath. Impressively, French artist Bernar Venet has managed to combine these two notions in one dramatic special edition model: the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Venet.
Venet, whose works can be found everywhere from New Zealand to Versailles, confessed that he initially thought it unnecessary to alter what he already considered a work of art. The French painter and sculptor drew inspiration from Bugatti's engineering equations that led to the development of the Veyron. The numbers and functions were placed on the bodywork in such away that it appears they are being blown off the Grand Sport as it drives at speed. These equations are also stitched into the interior, and the finishing touches come in small replicas of Vanet's works on the oil cap, filler cap and the center console.
The Bugatti Grand Sport Venet will be on display at the Rubell Family collection during Art Basel Miami Beach, which runs through December 9. Check out the video below to see Venet discuss creating this high-speed work of art, surrounded by his own works.

The Bugatti Baby II is a three-quarter-scale Type 35

Bugatti ownership is about to get a lot more affordable — particularly for children with indulgent parents. The French supercar company has announced the Bugatti Baby II, a follow-up to a model produced from 1927 to 1936. Like the original baby Bugatti, a model originally built for the 4-year-old son of Ettore Bugatti, the Baby II is modeled after the Type 35 grand prix car. The Baby II is only about 1/100th of the price of the Chiron Sport at 30,000 Euro (about $33,700). And because it's a three-quarter-scale replica rather than the original's half-scale, it's possible for adults and not just children to squeeze behind the wheel. Finished in French Racing Blue (although other colors can be specified), the Baby II also features eight-spoke aluminum wheels, a leather driver's seat, and an aluminum-trimmed dash displaying a numbered plaque. On the hood is Bugatti's "Macaron" badge, rendered in solid silver, just the thing for the silver-spoon set. As with the original, the Baby II features an electric powertrain and rear-wheel drive, although here it has been upgraded to incorporate a lithium-ion battery, regenerative braking, and even a limited-slip differential. Whereas the full-size Chiron supercar has 1,479 horsepower from its 16-cylinder engine, the smaller-scale Bug is somewhat less powerful, with an electric motor offering 1.3 horsepower in "child mode," which is good for 12 mph; an "adult mode" increases output to just over 5 hp and raises top speed to 28 mph. But just as the Chiron offers an optional Speed Key that unleashes the powertrain's full potential, so too does the Baby II — in this case 13 horsepower with no speed limiter. Typical for Bugatti, production is limited. Only 500 units will be built, about the same number as the 1920s–'30s original. Related Video: