- ‘La Perle Rare’ is a one-off Bugatti Mistral created by the brand’s Sur Mesure division.
- Exterior features a 4white-and-gold flowing livery carried through to the wheels and cabin.
- Mistral is limited to 99 units globally and represents the final Bugatti powered by the W16 engine.
Bugatti’s Sur Mesure division has delivered another one-off, and this time it’s less about numbers and more about nuance.
The latest creation is the Mistral ‘La Perle Rare’, a bespoke roadster finished in an intricate white-and-gold livery designed to emphasise what Bugatti describes as a “sculptural, flowing aesthetic”.
The base coat is a pearlescent white, overlaid with hand-applied gold lines that sweep across the bodywork in organic curves, a process requiring extensive masking and taping to achieve the liquified effect.
The theme continues on the diamond-cut alloy wheels, which wear a matching gold-and-white treatment created using a bespoke paint mix.
Art inside and out
Step into the cabin and the palette doesn’t soften. White leather dominates, offset by flowing gold accents across the door panels to mirror the exterior’s movement. Warm ambient lighting and machined aluminium trim add depth without overpowering the scheme.
As with most Sur Mesure commissions, the details tell the real story.
The iconic “Dancing Elephant” motif, originally sculpted by Rembrandt Bugatti and first used on the Type 41 Royale, is stitched into the seatbacks and appears again on the door sills and within the gear selector’s clear insert.
‘La Perle Rare’ script is applied to the centre tunnel, engine cover and even the underside of the active rear wing.
The last of the W16
Mechanically, nothing changes, and that’s hardly a compromise. The Mistral is powered by a quad-turbocharged 8.0-litre W16 producing 1178kW. It is the final Bugatti to feature the brand’s legendary W16 engine, and top speed is quoted at over 418km/h.
Just 99 Mistrals will be built globally, each already spoken for. Bugatti has not disclosed the price of this one-off, though the standard Mistral was announced at around US$5 million (currently around NZ$8.35 million) before personalisation.
For collectors fortunate enough to secure one, ‘La Perle Rare’ is less transport and more rolling artwork, proof that at this level, performance is expected, but individuality is priceless.
