World’s Only Bugatti W16 Mistral ‘Fly Bug’ Showcases When Dragonfly Blue Meets Open-Air Speed

James Lucas Condon turned his passion for cars and camera into a platform that now funds some of the rarest cars on the planet. Known online as TheStradMan, he has spent years sharing his passion for hypercars with millions. His latest move shows just how far that success reaches. He commissioned Bugatti to create a one-off W16 Mistral called Fly Bug, the fourth car in a series built around insects from the natural world.

Condon began this incredible collection with a Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, which he called Hellbug. He next added a Chiron called the Hellbee, followed by a Divo named the Lady Bug. Each of them is connected by a common thread, and that thread becomes increasingly refined as he completes more of them. Fly Bug brings the series to a close on the open top Mistral platform, and it feels like this was always the plan.

The Bugatti designers drew inspiration from the dragonfly and incorporated many of its key features. It’s an insect that moves with nearly silky smooth accuracy and can take off with speed and control unlike anything else. They were able to transfer all of this into the paint, patterns, and textures shown on the car. None of it feels thrown on as an afterthought; rather, it connects to the dragonfly in its own unique manner.

The Fly Bug is finished in a never seen before color called Dragonfly Blue, which is a deep, rich blue that shifts like a dragonfly’s wing under the light. The same paint is put on the wheels, not only to match the automobile, but also to make the overall appearance consistent, despite the fact that the materials utilized are different. There is also an eelipse pattern that spans across the body of the car, which is very light and nearly invisible until you reach to the back, when it becomes thicker and then drops off quickly as it vanishes into the dark recesses of the air intakes.

For the first time, the Bugatti insignia appears on the car’s side, cleverly blended into the elliptical design in a way that exudes sophistication. They’ve taken great care with every detail of the emblem to ensure that it just fits in without disrupting the atmosphere of the rest of the automobile.

Step inside the Fly Bug, and the dragonfly theme remains central. The door panels and armrests are made of a special material that mixes leather and Alcantara to provide a deep, rich look that is both sumptuous and lightweight. The elliptical design is back, this time in 3D and catching the light in a way that further adds to the overall sensation of depth. The hue matches the outside of the car, and the finish is both rich and incredibly light. The gear selector features a tiny little elephant sculpture, a charming tribute to the work of Rembrandt Bugatti, a great artist and relative of the car makers who was doing incredible work more than a century ago.

Under the custom skin is the standard Mistral mechanical package, which provides the car with its powerful heartbeat. A beast of an engine, an eight-liter, quad-turbocharged W16 monster, producing a massive 1600 horsepower delivered to all four wheels via a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. The car accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in approximately 2.5 seconds, and with the roof down, it can reach a top speed of 282 mph, a record for any production roadster. Not unexpectedly, when Bugatti chose to limit Mistral production to 99 vehicles, every single one sold out years ago, leaving the Fly Bug as the only one finished in its unique specification.
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