Bugatti W16 Mistral La Perle Rare: Heritage Meets Beauty
The Bugatti W16 Mistral is the final curtain call for the legendary W16 engine. Only 99 were built, and all have been sold. Among those 99, 'La Perle Rare' is a one-of-a-kind commission that stands alone. A hypercar shaped by "elemental beauty."
The Commission
The project began at the August 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where Jascha Straub, Bugatti's Manager of Sur Mesure and Individualization, met the client behind the build. They drew inspiration from a pearl's shimmer and named the car 'La Perle Rare', French for "the rare pearl."
Sur Mesure, French for "tailored," is Bugatti's official customization program. It brings together Bugatti's designers and engineers to create one-of-a-kind cars far beyond any options list. The W16 Mistral starts at $5 million before any Sur Mesure work, and 'La Perle Rare' is estimated to have cost between $8 million and $9 million.
Exterior Design
Drawing from Bugatti's hand-painted 'Vagues de Lumiere' design language, Straub developed a two-tone composition that visually separates the upper and lower body.
Two entirely new colors were created for the commission: a warm gold-infused tone across the upper surfaces and a refined warm white along the lower body.
The signature dividing lines were achieved through an exceptionally intricate process, with meticulously hand-applied masking and weeks of careful painting supervised by the design team.
Diamond-cut wheels received a custom paint blend to mirror the same gold-and-white interplay found on the body.
Interior and Personalization
Inside, all carbon components were finished in white to establish a focused, jewel-like cockpit. Door panels feature alternating white and gold linework following sculpted concave surfaces, while machined aluminum trim elements throughout the cabin capture light with the same precision as the exterior. Warm ambient lighting further reinforces the pearl-inspired aesthetic.
Rembrandt Bugatti's iconic Dancing Elephant sculpture appears on both the gear selector casing and the exterior body panels. Rembrandt, the younger brother of company founder Ettore Bugatti, was a renowned animal sculptor, and his Dancing Elephant has been a symbol of the marque for over a century, once crowning the radiator of the legendary Type 41 Royale.
The name 'La Perle Rare', rendered in Straub's own handwriting, is embroidered along the central tunnel, engraved on the engine cover, and painted beneath the rear wing. The result is a vehicle that honors Bugatti's heritage while serving as a singular expression of one client's vision.
W16 Mistral 'La Perle Rare' - Media: Bugatti Newsroom
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