What Bugatti Does With The Mistral Prior To Delivery, From The Factory To The Keys

The Chiron era may be coming to an end, but Bugatti continues to reveal interesting details about the Mistral, the last model of the W16 generation. This roadster, powered by an 8.0-liter four-turbo engine, was introduced three years ago for five million euros. The production is limited to only 99 copies, and all of them were sold out even before the official premiere. Deliveries to customers only started last February, and now we’re finding out exactly what happens from the moment a car leaves the production line to the moment the keys end up in the owner’s hands.

Every Mistral goes through a rigorous testing process that includes at least 400 kilometers of driving to confirm that everything is fully up to specification. If any problems are found, the car is sent back to the workshop to have “any irregularities, no matter how small” fixed. After that, it returns to the road again, where it covers an additional 50 kilometers or more, if necessary. But that’s not the most interesting part of the process.

Even before the owner gets behind the wheel for the first time, Bugatti tests the Mistral at speeds of up to 299 km/h. This part of the procedure serves to check the ESP and ABS systems during sudden braking. Of course, such tests are not carried out on public roads; the company uses part of the Colmar airport runway, in the northeast of France.

However, the Mistral is capable of much more when driven to its full potential. At the Papenburg test track in Germany, it reached a speed of 453.9 km/h, making it the fastest open-top car in the world. This figure is even higher than what Bugatti originally stated, given that the Chiron roadster had a declared top speed of 420 km/h. Its predecessor, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, could “only” reach 408.8 km/h. An interesting detail: the maximum speed of the Mistral was achieved exclusively with the roof removed.

Bugatti’s test process encompasses much more than extreme speed and hard braking. From the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission to the removable roof mechanism, every element is thoroughly checked and evaluated. Only three people in the entire company have the necessary qualifications to test the Mistral before it is delivered to the customer.

As one era slowly ends, another is just beginning. In 2026, Bugatti will begin deliveries of the Tourbillon model, which will initially be available exclusively as a coupe, although a roadster version is already emerging as a logical continuation. The successor to the Chiron could be even faster, as company CEO Mate Rimac hinted that, with the right tires, the new V16-powered hypercar could break the 500 km/h mark—or 310.6 mph.

• Also See: All Bugatti Tourbillion Have Been Sold Out By Rimac Even Before Production Started