Sitting at the pinnacle of the Bugatti range, the La Voiture Noire has finally completed the development and testing phases, and it’s now being prepped for shipping.
The Molsheim automaker has confirmed that it will soon be delivered to its mysterious owner, described as “a Bugatti enthusiast”, who paid €11 million, before tax, or around $13.5 million at today’s exchange rates.
An ode to the Type 57 SC Atlantic developed and driven by Ettore Bugatti’s son, Jean, who named it ‘La Voiture Noire’, French for ‘The Black Car’, this is a true bespoke creation. The idea came to Achim Anscheidt, the brand’s Design Director, more than two decades ago, but they found it hard to materialize. Until the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, when they presented it to the world as a concept.
“We were rather in awe of the idea of developing the La Voiture Noire”, Anscheidt said. “No other vehicle in the long history of Bugatti has acquired the same legendary status as the Type 57 SC Atlantic (which disappeared without trace before WWII) and has become so synonymous with the brand. We had a great deal of respect for this historical responsibility, as well as for the customer.”
Despite being based on the Chiron, the La Voiture Noire ate around 65,000 engineering hours in total, or 7.4 years. Is features a custom carbon fiber body with numerous elements inspired by Jean’s long-gone car. The exterior is obviously finished in black, whereas for the cockpit, they opted for Havana Brown grain leather, basing their choice on the historic model. Polished and turned aluminum inlays decorate various parts of the interior, and the driving modes can be selected from the rosewood switch.
Anscheidt describes it as “the ultimate dream car for long distances”, while President Stephan Winkelmann referred to it as “the ultimate GT” when it broke cover two years ago.
And don’t think of it only as being extremely comfortable, but ultra-fast too. It uses the same quad-turbo 8.0-liter W16 engine as its modern brethren, which develops 1,500 PS (1,479 HP / 1,103 kW) and 1,600 Nm (1,180 lb-ft) of torque.
An ode to the Type 57 SC Atlantic developed and driven by Ettore Bugatti’s son, Jean, who named it ‘La Voiture Noire’, French for ‘The Black Car’, this is a true bespoke creation. The idea came to Achim Anscheidt, the brand’s Design Director, more than two decades ago, but they found it hard to materialize. Until the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, when they presented it to the world as a concept.
“We were rather in awe of the idea of developing the La Voiture Noire”, Anscheidt said. “No other vehicle in the long history of Bugatti has acquired the same legendary status as the Type 57 SC Atlantic (which disappeared without trace before WWII) and has become so synonymous with the brand. We had a great deal of respect for this historical responsibility, as well as for the customer.”
Despite being based on the Chiron, the La Voiture Noire ate around 65,000 engineering hours in total, or 7.4 years. Is features a custom carbon fiber body with numerous elements inspired by Jean’s long-gone car. The exterior is obviously finished in black, whereas for the cockpit, they opted for Havana Brown grain leather, basing their choice on the historic model. Polished and turned aluminum inlays decorate various parts of the interior, and the driving modes can be selected from the rosewood switch.
Anscheidt describes it as “the ultimate dream car for long distances”, while President Stephan Winkelmann referred to it as “the ultimate GT” when it broke cover two years ago.
And don’t think of it only as being extremely comfortable, but ultra-fast too. It uses the same quad-turbo 8.0-liter W16 engine as its modern brethren, which develops 1,500 PS (1,479 HP / 1,103 kW) and 1,600 Nm (1,180 lb-ft) of torque.