Why was an exclusive five-million-euro car, with a top speed of 420km/h, being tested in Granada's Sierra Nevada mountain range?

Only 99 Bugatti W16's have been produced, all of which have already been sold. The car is a 'roadster', because it does not have a convertible soft top. However, the manufacturer offers a fabric "emergency roof" to be carried inside the car in case of unexpected rain

D. Callejón

Granada

Tuesday, 25 June 2024, 19:16 | Updated 19:31h.

Granada's Sierra Nevada mountain range provides a unique setting in Europe for testing vehicles. Car manufacturers often choose it for its characteristics, such as the climate and altitude which changes dramatically in just a few hundred metres. This mountain range is thus ideal for testing new vehicles to see how they respond.

In recent weeks, the Sierra Nevada has hosted a test drive of the exclusive Bugatti w16 Mistral, a modification of the vehicle launched on the market in 2022. Only 99 units were manufactured, all of which have already been sold for five million euros plus taxes.

The Bugatti W16 Mistral is the 16-cylinder, 8-litre, 4-turbocharged Bugatti that the brand introduced to the market in 2005 with the Veyron. The W16 Mistral carries the latest specification of a 1600 bhp engine, which we first saw in the Chiron Super Sport 300+. The top speed of the W16 Mistral is limited to 420 kilometres per hour, like that of a conventional Chiron.

Imagen principal - Bugatti W16 on the roads of the Sierra Nevada. — Bugatti W16 on the roads of the Sierra Nevada. Pablo Morales

Imagen secundaria 1 - Bugatti W16 on the roads of the Sierra Nevada. — Bugatti W16 on the roads of the Sierra Nevada. Pablo Morales

Imagen secundaria 2 - Bugatti W16 on the roads of the Sierra Nevada.

It is worth noting that, according to the Kilometre 77 website, the W16 Mistral is a 'roadster', because it does not have a convertible soft top. However, Bugatti offers a fabric "emergency roof" to be carried inside the car in case of unexpected rain.

So, according to the manufacturer, Bugatti has not simply cut the roof off a Chiron to create this model, but has adapted and redesigned the whole of the monocoque chassis to counteract the loss of rigidity.

Engineers also had to relocate some of the cooling inlets. For example, the air inlets have been positioned behind and above the seats, which also serve a protective function in the event of an accident.

Finally, the headlights have a design inspired by those of the Divo and La Voiture Noire, while the rear is clearly influenced by the styling of the Bolide prototype. The bodywork is all carbon fibre and can be ordered painted so that the fibres are visible. The wheels are 20-inch at the front and 21-inch at the rear and the tyres are Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R.

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