After a gap of five years, Bugatti returned to setting new world speed records. The Bugatti Mistral smashed the record for the world’s fastest roofless car by hitting a top speed of 282mph. The world record was previously held by the Hennessey Venom GT Spyder, which managed to hit a top speed of 265.6mph in 2016. Driven by Andy Wallace, Bugatti’s official test driver, the record-breaking run took place on the 7.64-mile oval track at the ATP Automotive Testing Facility in Papenburg, Germany.
The W16-powered limited edition Bugatti completely obliterated the record by bettering it by almost 20mph. What makes the record-setting run even crazier is that the French hypercar manufacturer achieved the feat on a rainy day. Not only was the tarmac damp, making it very scary to hit such speeds, but the moisture-laden air also made it extra challenging to cut through it and set a new world record.
However, there’s another thing that made the landmark event more special. Instead of using a special test vehicle, Bugatti set the record with a customer car. According to the French marque, it was the first time in its history that the customer of the vehicle was in attendance to witness a record-breaking event. But there’s a good reason why Bugatti made this exception. After all, the record-setting Mistral belongs to the owner of the Singh Collection, a jaw-dropping private collection that is majorly comprised of historically important Bugattis and Ferraris.
More importantly, this mystery individual from India owns each of the Bugatti world record cars: the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse World Record Edition, and Chiron Super Sport 300+. Last year, the VVIP Bugatti patron and the three record-setting cars were welcomed at the automaker’s home in Molsheim to celebrate the brand’s legacy.
Interestingly, Bugatti has kept the identity of this long-term customer a secret. However, we were able to spot this individual in the YouTube video by TopGear that documented his record-setting event.
The entire Bugatti team in attendance that day, including Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac, can be seen wearing a special jacket in the official pictures and the YouTube video. However, the mystery customer stands out with a jacket with his last name, “Singh,” embroidered in orange at the front. This makes it the first time the person behind the Singh Collection has been photographed with his prized possession.
In the TopGear video, Rimac revealed that the customer’s son at the Goodwood Festival of Speed suggested the record-breaking attempt. Instead of making a special edition, Bugatti built one special version for the customer, priced at €14 million (about $14.8 million). But that’s not all! After Wallace had set the world record, he took the customer on another high-speed run, almost reaching the same speed and unofficially setting the record for the fastest-ever passenger ride.
Bugatti Mistral – the swansong of the legendary Bugatti W16
Bugatti Mistral is a Chiron-based limited edition roadster that was introduced in 2022. Limited to just 99 units, the Mistral is a highly collectible piece of automotive history as it the last model to feature Bugatti’s legendary quad-turbocharged W16 engine. Furthermore, the open-top hypercar is also the first and only convertible version from the Chiron era. At the heart of the Mistral is the 8.0-liter W16 engine, which is tuned to deliver 1,578 horsepower. This is the same powerplant found in the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, making the Mistral one of the most powerful roadsters ever built.
