This is the World’s First and Only Bugatti W16 Mistral La Perle Rare

The Bugatti W16 Mistral ‘La Perle Rare’, the last of a vanishing breed, marks the end of an era defined by raw mechanical power and an obsessive quest of perfection. There are only 99 of these Mistrals in total, and each starts at over €5 million. ‘La Perle Rare’, on the other hand, is a handmade unique that will cost a little more than $8-9 million.

It all began at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, when a client commissioned Bugatti to produce something absolutely special. Over time, the client and Jascha Straub, the guy in charge of Bugatti’s bespoke business, came up with proposals ranging from a silver tint to numerous shades of white before settling on something that seemed to capture the essence of light. The project began in August 2023, and we can safely assume that the designers in Berlin and engineers in Molsheim worked long hours on it.

The exterior of ‘La Perle Rare’ is a true show-stopper, with a two-tone color scheme that separates the vehicle into two distinct areas. The top area is a warm color tinged with gold and iridescence, as well as a sprinkle of metallic particles that sparkle beautifully. The second part is a sophisticated, warm white color. Getting the separating lines between the colors just right required a lot of precision. Even the wheels received special treatment, resulting in stunning diamond-cut rims painted in the interior color of the vehicle, which is an understatement given that the wheels are coated in a custom paint combination that matches the exact colors of gold and white. The end result is a car that shines like a rare gem while maintaining the original Mistral design.

Rembrandt Bugatti’s famed Dancing Elephant sculpture is featured in a few of the car’s more subtle details, like the gear selector, body panels behind the front wheels, and even the headrests. To add a personal touch, the name ‘La Perle Rare’ is stitched in the center tunnel, stamped on the engine cover, and painted on the active rear wing. These little details return the automobile to Bugatti’s artistic roots.

Inside ‘La Perle Rare,’ the cabin takes on an entirely new level of brightness, a luminous continuation of the outer motif that is difficult to describe. Every visible piece of carbon fibre has been coated white to give it a jewel-like appearance. Door panels feature alternating white and warm gold lines that look lovely on their sculpted, concave surfaces. The ambient lighting has just the right amount of warmth to it, highlighting the interplay between light and material. The steering wheel, center console clocks, and door handles are all machined and polished aluminum, with each meant to catch reflections in a particularly stunning way.

The power comes from the same quad-turbocharged 8.0-litre W16 engine found in all Mistrals. It’s not exactly small in any way, with 1,579 horsepower and 1,600 Nm of torque, it can go from 0 to 62 in 2.4 seconds, 0 to 124 in 5.6 seconds, and 0 to 186 in 12.1 seconds, and all of that power is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. Top speed? The record for the fastest open-top production car is already in the records, 282 mph and all, thanks to this car, but, for obvious reasons, you won’t be able to get it up to that sort of speed on the road, closer to 236 mph if you want to play it safe.
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