Bugatti has never made a subtle car. Now, even by the elite manufacturer’s standards, the French carmaker has outdone itself.
During this year Geneva Motor Show, the one-of-a-kind La Voiture Noire was unveiled. It’s touted as the most expensive new car of all time with a price of $18.9 million.
Inspired by the Type 57 SC Atlantic, the La Voiture Noire references Bugatti’s heritage in its design. Constructed from carbon fiber and coiffed in a deep black finish, the one-off hypercar was handcrafted. It has a 16-cylinder, 1,479 horsepower, 1,180 lb-ft of torque, a top speed of 261 mph and with six exhausts.
“Every single component has been handcrafted and the carbon fiber body has a deep black gloss only interrupted by the ultrafine fibre structure. This is a material that has been handled perfectly,” said Bugatti designer Etienne Salomé. “We worked long and hard on this design until there was nothing that we could improve. For us, the coupé represents the perfect form with a perfect finish.”
At the heart of Bugatti’s new creation is the company’s iconic 8.0-liter, 16-cylinder quad-turbo engine. Being based on the Chiron means the La Voiture Noire’s engine produces
The La Voiture Noire, made to celebrate Bugatti’s 110th anniversary, is designed to recall the Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic of the 1930s. Only four were made and are among the most valuable cars in the world.
Hagerty Insurance, a company that monitors collector car values, only three Type 57 SC Atlantic icons remained, one called La Voiture Noire — the black car.
They can be worth more than $50 million, according to Hagerty Insurance, a company that tracks collector car values. One of those cars became known as “La Voiture Noire” which means simply, the black car. Only three are known to survive.
The new La Voiture defines the motto of company founder Ettore Bugatti: “If it is comparable, it is no longer Bugatti.”
The most expensive car ever sold was the Tour de France-winning 1963 Ferrari 250 GT. It was purchased in June by David MacNeil, chief executive of the automotive accessory maker WeatherTech, for a reported $70 million.
And just in case you’re consider the just-unveiled new Bugatti, it’s already been sold to annoymous buyer.
Article Last Updated: March 5, 2019.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
