Bugatti W16 Mistral Hits 282-mph, Sets A New Top-speed World Record For An Open-top Car

A one-off Bugatti W16 Mistral hits 453.91 km/h (282-mph), sets a new top-speed world record for an open-top car.

W16 Mistral is the first open-top Bugatti model since 2015 and the last to use the brand’s 8.0-liter W16 engine.

Record-breaking feat follows Bugatti’s world-record runs that began with the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport’s 431.07 km/h in 2010.

Three years after, a Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse reached 408.84 km/h to become the world’s fastest convertible car.

A Bugatti W16 MISTRAL World Record Car in the hands of Bugatti’s chief test driver, Andy Wallace, on November 9th 2024 set a new world record for open-top speed after reaching 453.91 km/h (282-mph) at ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg in Germany.

The W16 Mistral’s record-breaking feat was achieved at the same proving ground where Nevera broke over 20 other acceleration and braking records in just one day, including the 412 km/h (258mph) top-speed run.

Named after the energetic wind that blows from the Rhône River valley in Southern France, the open-top Mistral is the first open-top Bugatti model since 2015 and the last to use the brand’s incomparable 8.0-liter W16 engine, first seen in 2005 in the Veyron.

“Throughout the testing program leading up to this moment, it was incredible to feel how stable the car felt – I got the sense that it wanted to go faster,” explained Andy Wallace, the Bugatti Pilote Officiel and winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

“And when it came to the moment itself, the experience was overwhelmingly thrilling; feeling the elemental forces from the open-top cockpit, the sound of the immense W16 engine emanating from the air scoops next to my ear – it made the achievement incredibly emotional.”

The W16 Mistral’s record-breaking feat follows Bugatti’s world-record runs that began more than 14 years ago in June 2010 with a Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, which reached a new speed record of 431.07 km/h (267.85 mph).

Three years after the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport’s momentous achievement, an open-top Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse reached 408.84 km/h (254.04 mph) to become the world’s fastest convertible car.

Once again on August 2019, a Chiron Super Sport 300+ achieving 490.48 km/h (304.77 mph) driven by Andy Wallace reached 490.48 km/h (307.77 mph) to set a new speed record at Volkswagen’s test facility in Ehra-Lessian.

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