Bugatti Royale
The Bugatti Type 41, better known as the Royale, is a large luxury car built from 1927 to 1933 with a 4.3 m (169.3 in) wheelbase and 6.4 m (21 ft) overall length. It weighs approximately 3,175 kg (7,000 lb) and uses a 12.763 litre (778 cu in) straight-eight engine. For comparison, against the Rolls-Royce Phantom VII (produced from 2003 to 2017), the Royale is about 20% longer, and more than 25% heavier. This makes the Royale one of the largest cars in the world. Furthermore, with the limited production run and the premium nature of the vehicle, it is also both one of the rarest and most expensive vehicles in the world.
| Bugatti Type 41 | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Bugatti |
| Also called | Bugatti Royale |
| Production | 1927–1933 7 produced, 1 destroyed |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Luxury car |
| Body style | Berline, coupé, cabriolet, roadster, brougham, coupé de ville |
| Layout | Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 12,763 cc (12.8 L; 778.8 cu in) straight-8 |
| Transmission | 3-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | ~4.3 m (169.3 in) |
| Length | ~6.4 m (252.0 in) |
| Width | ~2.0955 m (82.5 in) |
| Curb weight | ~3,175 kg (7,000 lb) |
Ettore Bugatti planned to build twenty-five of these cars and sell them to royalty as the most luxurious car ever, but even European royalty were not buying such things during the Great Depression, and Bugatti was able to sell only three of the seven made (six still exist, one destroyed in wreck). Still, the engines were re-used successfully in newly constructed high-speed railcars for the French National Railway (SNCF).