Bugatti’s ‘La Voiture Noire’ GT Is The Most Expensive Road Car Ever
Bugatti is no shrinking violet when it comes to pricing its cars, but this is another level. Behold the new, one-off La Voiture Noire and its pre-tax price of €11 million – that’s £9.45 million, or $12.46 million. Plus tax.
The French company has named this ultra-special car in its own language but you don’t need to be Hercule Poirot to translate it to “The Black Car,” an overwhelmingly bland name in English but one that connotes a lot more about image and status in its native tongue.
Naturally, it’s based on the Chiron, but it takes heavy inspiration from Jean Bugatti’s own Type 57 SC Atlantic, which was held as the very finest of Bugatti’s touring models at the time. Jean was the son of company founder Ettore Bugatti and had a huge hand in the direction of the business through the late 1920s and 1930s, assuming a director’s post in 1936.
He died in 1939, aged just 30. He was testing a race-winning Type 57 that could pass 135mph, and at high speed hit a cyclist who shouldn’t have been there but had squeezed through a fence. Jean’s car spun and hit a tree. Only four Type 57 Atlantics were made between 1936 and 1938, placing the known remaining three – all customised differently – among the most valuable classic cars in existence.
The Voiture Noire’s carbonfibre panels have been created specially for this car only. Painted in deep gloss black, they are designed to create more of a visual flow than on the Chiron and make it look like it’s all cut from a single block.
The engine, on the other hand, is unchanged. You get a healthy 1479bhp from the legendary 8.0-litre W16 behind the two seats. Six exhausts are a clear statement of power and presence.
The one aspect we’re not sure about is the painted tyre effect, extending the silver blades of the two-tone wheels out over the rubber. We’re not sure it’s classy enough for a Bugatti of any breed, but we adore the huge, pale blue brake calipers visible behind the spokes.
So now we know what it costs to get Bugatti to make you a one-off hyper-GT. Time to ask for a promotion and a pay rise.
Comments
Not sure why they’re claiming it’s the most expensive at “just” £9.5 mil. I asked a Rolls Royce guy on their stand at Goodwood about the Sweptail when that was still a new thing, and he told me that the press estimates of £15 million were too low. Either way, this is an absolutely incredible car - it’s good to see Bugatti pumping out these one-offs, definitely a good thing to come out of Winkleman becoming the boss.
6 exhaust pipes. I wonder if they’re all functional
Possibly some for battery cooling (if it’s a hybrid) and some for engine gases.
How is this 12.5 milion more expensive than 17.5 milion Pagani Zonda Barcetta? Crazy numbers…
Oh, so i paint the tyres of my motorcycle with white wall-paint and the tüv says i shouldn’t, but if Bugatti does it it’s fine? Stupid VAG, getting away with anything
11 million, 15 million, 16,7 million, these are all the prices I have seen now. WHAT IS THE ACTUAL PRICE?
actually I don’t really need to know because I can’t afford it anyway
Six exhausts to accomodate four-digit horses under the hood
hmmmm, i recognize those taillights.
oh yeah. they look very similair to the P1
Why can’t there just be a facepalm emoji? Cause I really need it right about now!
I’m sorry? You pity the person who will buy a one off bugatti chiron for 10 million? Let me get that right… Y
you feel sorry for them? Jesus H! This sites becoming more and more a place for bashing rich people than anything else these days. Moaning about auction prices for rare classics or certain future classics. Now bashing hyper car owners for pushing the envelope. Honestly it’s sad. These things are to be celebrated and adored by car fans. If you’re a jealous type I’d pick another hobby. Someone’s always going to do one better than you. Unless you have “the black car”!
(looks at sticker)(looks in wallet) tis but a scratch