The Bugatti Type 41 (royale)

It rests now in the hands of a Japanese car lover who forked over the most money ever spent on one car – at least at that time. After Bugatti’s death the immense collection was inherited by Miles Collier, who decided to sell the Royale in 1987. Behind a protective wall, the 2 Royales survived WWII and found a spot after the war in the Cunningham Museum in California.

The Bugatti Type 41, better known as the Royale, was a large luxury car with a 4.3 m (169.3 in) wheelbase and 6.4 m (21 ft) overall length. It weighed approximately 3175 kg (7000 lb) and used a 12.7 L (12763 cc/778 in³) straight-8 engine.For comparison, the Royale is about as heavy as a large modern commercial pickup truck, such as a Ford Super Duty F-450, but it is about 10% longer. When compared to the modern Rolls-Royce Phantom, it is about 20% longer, and more than 25% heavier. Ettore Bugatti planned to build twenty-five of these cars, and sell them to royalty. But even European royalty was not buying such things during the Great Depression, and Bugatti was able to sell only three of the six made. Today a Bugatti Royale is both one of the largest and rarest cars in the world.

A total of 6 models were made, 4 of which were sold immediately and the last 2 were preserved by Bugatti himself in a private garage on his estate. The original Bugatti was built with a 12.7 L engine and had a going rate of $45,000, which would be around 520,000 € today. He had it built between the years of 1913 and 1939 according to his wishes – evidence enough for its class. This car, one of amazing beauty, belongs to Ettore Bugatti’s personal collection