As we all know, when you choose to drive a luxury car, there is a lot that comes with it. High quality interior materials, outstanding performance and handling, over the top amenities that you may never need, and of course, a reputation. There is a luxury car for everyone, whether it’s Porsche, Lamborghini, or Ferrari, finding the one that fits your personality, driving needs, and budget price can be an exciting process. Hours of research, multiple test drives, and countless dealerships can ultimately help you choose your favorite emblem, such as The Spirit of Ecstasy, to drive loud and proud through your local streets. Since so much of our lives are spent in our cars driving to work, meetings, and appointments, having a classy automotive to transport us in speed and style may be the ultimate lifestyle upgrade.
When you start really digging in to the world of expensive luxury cars and everything that they offer, you will find that each car comes with high end options each fit to their specific customer market. You will also find speed and performance like you’ve never seen before, with hand stitched interiors, umbrellas hidden in the passenger doors, and sometimes even a red carpet that rolls out when you get out of the car. But some of us are looking to the top, wondering what the most expensive car on the market could be and how much one would have to shell out in order to live that life of luxury. It is $19 million dollars to be exact (1).
The Bugatti La Voiture Noire
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That’s right, the Bugatti La Voiture Noire came in like a dark knight as the most expensive car on the market in 2020 – with a price tag of only $19 million dollars. So what makes this French super car so special? And why is its price tag so hefty compared to even other Bugatti models on the market? For starters, this impressive sports car can be easily compared to its sister Bugatti Chiron. With the same quad-turbo W16 8.0-liter engine, 1,500 horsepower, and 1,600Nm, the La Voiture Noire closely mimics the style and technology of the Chiron, Chiron Super Sport, and Divo.
First unveiled in 2019, the Bugatti La Voiture Noire needed no flashy introduction (2). In fact, this car comes with a minimal, sleek signature Bugatti design, with a completely carbon-fiber black exterior. From the paint job to the wheels, even the windows are tinted with a black limo tint for privacy, giving this French super car a new, simplified look. The Bugatti La Voiture Noire did come with some updated exterior features including a full width LED brake light on the back and the infamous Bugatti name illuminated just below the break lights. On the front of the car, the horseshoe grill is much more pronounced, and the LED lights extend to the sides over the wheel arches, giving it a futuristic, but still minimal design and added safety features.
The interior has taken quite the update as well, while also sticking to the simplicity that we see on the exterior. The interior is completely black from the carpet, to the seats, and even the steering wheel, matching the sinister exterior. It is broken up but dark blue accents that run throughout the interior design. It also has taken on a more rounded aesthetic on the inside that can best be described as a ‘luxury race car’. The interior also features accents of chrome that have leaked their way in from the exterior, giving the whole car a great minimal and sleek design flow.
The Bugatti La Voiture Noire Inspiration
The inspiration for the Bugatti La Voiture Noire actually comes with a very interesting back story. In the 1930’s Bugatti introduce their Type 57, which paved a path for many incredible Bugatti’s styles including The Galibier four-door sedan, The Ventoux two-door sedan, The Atlanté two-door coupe, and The Stelvio convertible, each encompassing the Type 57 and unique body design to make them stand out from the rest. But then, Bugatti manufactured the Type 57SC Atlantics derived from a concept called Aérolithe – they were incredibly spectacular coupes and extremely advanced in technology for their time. What’s more is that they were also able to reach up to 125mph, setting the speed for one of the fastest street cars in the world during the 30’s, making the 57SC Atlantics truly one of a kind.
Bugatti only manufactured four of these beauties, each with a specific design to set it apart from the others. Of the four that were produced, the second one ever made was the most iconic and also Jean Bugatti’s personal car. He named it the La Voiture Noire, literally translated to ‘the black car’, and was the only one to ever drive it except for a select few close driver friends. Around 1938, however, the car mysteriously disappeared without a trace. The most famous theory is that since this was around the time of World War II, they believed the car was moved to a safer part of France once the German army began to invade Alsace. Others say that the car was given to a close friend in 1939 and later shipped to a in 1941. Either way, the infamous black car had completely vanished. Hypothetically, if Jean Bugatti’s lost Atlantic still existed today and had been hidden away in a secret location, it would now be worth an upwards of $113 million dollars today.
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The Bugatti La Voiture Noire is now an ode to the beautiful Type 57SC Atlantic that was lost in World War II. The new La Voiture Noire was built in loving memory of that car with every beautiful detail and history carefully woven into its new design to both preserve its memory and push it forward into a new future.
Will It Be for Sale?
Yes, with a steep price tag of $19 million dollars, this car will be on the market in the near future and will only increase in value from there. In honor of Jean Bugatti’s lost Atlantic, there will only be one Bugatti La Voiture Noire produced, making it an extremely exclusive deal and hot commodity for Bugatti enthusiasts. Even though it was first introduced to us in 2019, the Bugatti La Voiture Noire will not be street legal ready for its new owner until sometime in early 2022.
