Bugatti's Latest One-Off Shows How Far The Mistral Design Can Go

Developed with a long-time collector, the 'Fly Bug' showcases Bugatti’s Sur Mesure program at its most intricate.

Bugatti W16 Mistral

Photo by: Bugatti

By: Roland Hildebrandt

Translated by: Jeff Perez

May 3, at 10:00am ET

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the breakdown

The one-off Bugatti Mistral 'Fly Bug' was inspired by a dragonfly.
It wears color-shifting blue paint and custom patterns inside and out.
Highly detailed, fully bespoke design pushed to new limits.

A "normal" Bugatti? In this economy? That’s basically not a thing. With the W16 Mistral "Fly Bug," Bugatti is pushing its Sur Mesure customization program to its limit with another true one-off. It’s part of a set of four closely related cars developed alongside one of the company’s long-time collectors.

All four builds take inspiration from nature, and the "Fly Bug" continues that theme. It follows earlier cars in the collection like the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, Chiron, and Divo.

This time, the idea revolves around the dragonfly. The design captures its lightness, movement, and intricate detail. The concept came together through close collaboration between the collector and Bugatti’s head of design, Frank Heyl.

From there, Bugatti’s CMF (Color, Materials, Finish) team in Berlin refined everything. Experts across different areas worked together to create a design that feels unique but still fits seamlessly with the rest of the collection.

Standout Details

One defining feature on the exterior is a new ellipse pattern that flows across the body. It becomes tighter toward the rear, blending into the darker air intakes. It’s an evolution of patterns used on the earlier cars.

The car is finished in a custom color called "Dragonfly Blue," which shifts between blue and turquoise depending on the light—similar to a dragonfly’s wings. Even the wheels are matched to the color, despite the challenges of different materials and finishes.

Bugatti W16 Mistral

Photos by: Bugatti

Bugatti W16 Mistral

Photos by: Bugatti

Inside, the theme continues. There’s a newly developed layered material that combines patterned leather over Alcantara, creating a subtle 3D effect. The ellipse motif reappears on the door panels, carefully adapted to fit each surface. For the first time, Bugatti has applied this pattern to both the main door panel and the armrest, which wasn’t easy from a manufacturing standpoint.

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Another tricky detail was integrating the Bugatti Macaron badge into the side design. It’s the first time it’s been embedded within a graphic pattern, which required extremely precise scaling and placement. The shifter also features the "Dancing Elephant," a nod to Rembrandt Bugatti and the brand’s artistic roots.

Motor1's Take: Bringing the "Fly Bug" to life took months of work. This level of detail and customization required tight coordination between design, engineering, and production. The result is a true one-off—both a standalone piece and part of a larger, carefully curated collection that shows just how far Bugatti can go with bespoke design.

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