In the ultra-rarefied world of Bugatti automobiles, it doesn’t get more exclusive than this new W16 Mistral ‘La Perle Rare,’ a one-of-a-kind creation crafted by Bugatti’s Sur Mesure official customization program.
It is a well-known fact that no two Bugattis are the same, as most owners order their cars with many personalizations to reflect their personalities and taste. So how do you make a W16 Mistral open-top hypercar, which is already rare as it’s limited to 99 units worldwide, even more unique? You hand it over to Bugatti’s Sur Mesure program with a long list of personalization requests.
The result is truly an automotive work of art, as you can see in these photos. No expense was spared to make this the ultimate W16 Mistral yet through bespoke craftsmanship. Bugatti says the customer of the unique W16 Mistral ‘La Perle Rare’ first met with the manager of its Sur Mesure and Individualization division, Jascha Straub, in August 2023 at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
That was the moment the seeds for this exquisite W16 Mistral creation were planted. The owner’s goal was to enrich the roadster’s character “with a sculptural, flowing aesthetic” through a fusion of refined lines and colors.
Two Bespoke Pearlescent Paint Hues Were Invented for This W16 Mistral
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To accomplish this, two completely new, bespoke paint hues were developed: a gold-infused color with warm highlights for the upper body and a refined warm white for the lower one. Drawing inspiration from Bugatti’s iconic hand-painted paintwork “Vague de Lumière” featured on a one-off Chiron, Straub came up with a central theme for the vehicle, a pearlescent tribute to the power and beauty of the Mistral.
The open-top hypercar’s two-tone composition visually separates the upper and lower sections, echoing the interplay between ground and sky thanks to the dividing lines. The latter were hand-applied meticulously with the help of taping and masking, taking hundreds of hours to complete.
Echoing the dual-tone paintwork are the stunning diamond-cut alloy wheels finished with a gold and white mixture. Details like the white ‘La Perle Rare’ inscription painted on the lower side of the retractable rear wing and Rembrandt Bugatti’s iconic Dancing Elephant sculpture featured on the body panels behind the front wheels indicate the exclusive nature of this W16 Mistral.
“This W16 Mistral ‘La Perle Rare’ is an extraordinary example of what becomes possible when a client’s imagination meets the full creative and technical capabilities of our Sur Mesure offering,” said Jascha Straub, the manager of Sur Mesure and Individualization at Bugatti.
A Spectacular, Jewel-Like Cockpit
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As you would expect, the interior carries over the theme of the bodywork, leading to a jewel-like cockpit where machined and polished aluminum trim elements contrast with the white-painted carbon components and the door panels’ alternating white and warm gold drawings that underline their concave sculpted surfaces.
Another special feature is the warm ambient lighting that subtly illuminates the panels, reinforcing the pearl-inspired theme, as do the ‘La Perle Rare’ stitched inscription along the central tunnel, rendered in Straub’s own handwriting, and the Dancing Elephant sculpture within the gear selector casing.
“It is both an honor and a privilege to contribute my own design signature to a creation that celebrates Bugatti’s inimitable design style and rich heritage, while embodying the individuality that makes this Sur Mesure commission so special,” Straub added.
If you needed a reminder, the W16 Mistral is Bugatti’s last road-going model to feature the monumental 8.0-liter W16 quad-turbocharged engine, which in this iteration delivers 1,578 horsepower and 1,180 lb-ft of torque—without any electrical assistance whatsoever.
Hooked to a 7-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission sending power to all four wheels, the monster engine enables the Mistral to rocket from 0 to 62 mph in 2.4 seconds and top 260 mph—though it was clocked at over 282 mph during a 2024 record attempt, making it the world”s fastest open-top roadster. Talk about a proper send-off for the mightiest production engine ever made.
