Maverick Auto Tags

Ferrari Unveils Its First-Ever SUV—And It’s Stunning 😍

The $400,000 Purosangue boasts a 717-horsepower, V12 engine that bests recent competitors such as Aston Martin’s DBX 707 and Lamborghini’s Urus Performante.

Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the iconic Italian exotic carmaker that bears his name, purportedly vowed never to produce a four-door car. But in a shifting market where nearly 80% of vehicles purchased in America are now trucks, vans, and SUVs, even a venerable brand must adapt. Thus, Ferrari has just unveiled its first four-door, four-seat, four-wheel-drive vehicle. And though it doesn’t call it an SUV, that’s exactly what the $400,000 (estimated base price) Purosangue is.

Winging from the brand’s prancing horse Cavallino logo, the car’s name means thoroughbred in Italian. And with a rousing, 717-horsepower, V12 engine housed in its sharply angled snout, it should deliver on that promise, besting performance from recent competitors like the Aston Martin DBX 707, and the Lamborghini Urus Performante. As the only vehicle in this set with a naturally aspirated (nonturbo) V12, it is certain to do so with a sonorous wail. (A hybrid version, incorporating the powertrain from other existing Ferraris, like the 296 GTB or perhaps the SF90 Stradale, seems likely in the near future.)

The overall shape of the Purosangue is muscular and alluring, and very much in the clean, gorgeous idiom of current offerings like the brand’s Roma grand tourer. In order to maintain a smooth, uninterrupted sports car-like side profile, the Purosangue features integrated, rear-hinge “suicide” doors. These aid in rear passenger access, while keeping the overall wheelbase shorter, for a sportier appearance and sharper handling characteristics while driving. And the Purosangue presents a new interior concept, one without a central infotainment screen: just one for the driver (with integrated Apple CarPlay) and one for the passenger.

As Ferrari’s first entry into this vehicle category, the Purosangue promises to captivate the market. However, Ferrari has made it clear that this car is not meant to eclipse its sports car offerings, which more closely adhere to its glorious heritage. Ever iconoclastic and fiercely protective of brand identity, Ferrari says it will limit production of the Purosange to under 20% of overall sales. If it hasn’t sold out its first year’s production allotment already, we predict it will very soon.

2024 Bugatti Mistral Roadster Revealed as Brand's W-16 Sendoff

Basically a roofless Chiron with unique bodywork, the Mistral costs $5 million, but rich people already bought 'em all.

The Bugatti quad-turbo W-16 is an engineering masterpiece and a symbol of pure excess, but the end of the incredible engine is nigh. When Volkswagen Group ceded control of Bugatti to Croatian EV maker Rimac, it was a clear acknowledgment that the ultra-luxury brand's future will be fully electric. As the last model to feature the W-16, the new Bugatti Mistral—freshly unveiled at Pebble Beach during Monterey Car Week—is the car that signals that transition.

Although it carries a different name, the Mistral also completes the life cycle of the Bugatti Chiron, as it's essentially a convertible version of that hypercar, which hasn’t been offered until now. Only 99 Mistrals will be produced and priced at $5 million apiece, based on the current U.S. exchange rate. Bugatti says they're already sold out ahead of deliveries that are slated to start in 2024.

Although it's closely related to the Chiron, the Mistral is far more than a roofectomy. The design team gave it a radical new front end, one that evokes the predatory design language pioneered by two previous ultra-limited editions—the Bugatti Divo and the Bugatti La Voiture Noire. The Mistral is not a natural beauty, with fender-mounted lights and the trademark horseshoe grille at the end of an elongated snout. Still, it has more road presence than a parade float.

The Mistral’s cut-down windshield curves like a visor and matches up to shallow side panels. A roof isn't shown in any of the official images, but Bugatti told Car and Driver that the car will be offered with a temporary clip-in panel rather than a full top. The last open-topped Bugatti, the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, was effectively a targa with a lift-off roof section. The Mistral can be considered permanently converted. Behind the cockpit are twin raised intakes that channel air to the engine compartment while adding a ram effect. They are connected by a high-level spar. At the rear, the X-shaped taillight elements cross almost the entire width of the car and incorporate illuminated red Bugatti branding.

The engine is the existing 8.0-liter W-16, which features four turbochargers and produces 1578 horsepower. That's the same output as the Chiron Super Sport 300+ that set an outright production-car speed record in 2019. Power reaches the road through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel drive. Bugatti hasn't released detailed performance claims for the Mistral but did say the car will have a top speed of at least 260 mph. We’re also told the company wants the Mistral to “become the fastest roadster in the world." However, that would require officially beating the 254-mph record set by the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse in 2013.

The Mistral's interior design appears to be what's least changed from the Chiron, sharing the same dashboard, instrument cluster, steering wheel, and center console. At least this should make it a comfortable place to spend time, although a much breezier one compared with its coupe counterpart. The car shown at Pebble Beach wears a striking yellow and black color scheme that was inspired by the similarly roofless 1934 Type 57 Grand Raid. The latter had bodywork by coachbuilder Gangloff, and it's now part of the collection at the Louwman Museum in the Netherlands.

Bugatti’s W-16 was willed into existence by Ferdinand Piëch, one of the most famous and ambitious automotive engineers of all time. Piëch's goal was to create what he believed would be the most powerful engine ever fitted to a homologated road car, something that both the Veyron and Chiron achieved. With the end of the combustion era rapidly approaching, the 16-cylinder's position on top seems unassailable. Once production of the Mistral is complete, Bugatti will become an EV brand, albeit one that still makes ultra-luxury cars with ultra-high performance.