Is the Bugatti La Voiture Noire Street Legal?

The Bugatti La Voiture Noire, built for speed, comfort, and ultimate luxury, is an ode to a rich history in sports car making. In 1909 when the founder of Bugatti, Ettore Bugatti, designed his first ever Bugatti model he created an undying motto, always reminding people “If it is comparable, it is no longer Bugatti”. For over a hundred years now, Bugatti has not fallen short of delivering excellence, class, and an incomparable product. They have built every new automotive on this motto and the Bugatti La Voiture Noire does not fall short.

The La Voiture Noire, translated to “The Black Car” was first unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2019 in honor of Bugatti’s 110th birthday. This one of a kind French super car redefines luxury for the one percent. Offering updated exterior and interior designs while still holding true to the Bugatti DNA. Due to its iconic background and deep history, this one of a kind Bugatti comes with the most expensive price tag of any new production vehicle – $19 million to be exact (1). But even after paying the price for the rare collectors item, will the new owner be able to take it to the streets? Is the Bugatti La Voiture Noire street legal? Here are some facts you may now know about “The Black Car”.

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Yes – It Will Be Street Legal

To answer your question, the super car will be road-legal when the keys are handed to the new owner. But just because its street legal doesn’t mean we will be seeing it on the road anytime in the near future. First unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland, the La Voiture Noire rolled out as a concept car rather than the finished prototype. Bugatti plans to keep working on their masterpiece in the coming months with plans to hand it over to the new owner sometime in 2022. They are currently finishing up the motor and interior design, and making a few final tweaks in order to make it fully street legal. To find out more about where Bugatti’s are made, click here.

Although presented just last year, the infamous Bugatti La Voiture Noire was sold before the concept cat even made its grand entrance in Switzerland. Only available to the most elite Bugatti owners, the La Voiture Noire was auctioned off to a group of hand selected and long time customers. Its lucky new owner, whose name is being kept anonymous, has paid the hefty price tag for the rare Bugatti collector’s item and the reputation that comes with it. Once the La Voiture Noire has been completed, the anonymous new owner will be handed the keys to the most expensive new production car in the world, and the value will only increase from there. While the beautiful black car may be street legal, this is hardly a car you will ever find on the streets. In fact, the anonymous owner will most likely keep the Bugatti La Voiture Noire as a part of their personal collection rather than taking the risk of driving it around.

La Voiture Noire Tips its Hat to History

To understand why the Bugatti La Voiture Noire comes with such a heavy price tag, we must first take a little deep dive into the history of this car. In the 1930’s, Bugatti released the iconic Type 57 Atlantic model which paved the way for many incredible Bugatti models today. Born out of the Type 57, the Type57SC Atlantic was an ultra-rare, highly exclusive Bugatti model with only four ever created (2). Of those four, each Type57SC was carefully customized to fit the personality of the owner, making each Type57SC different from each other. One of those gorgeous models was the personal car of Jean Bugatti, Ettore Bugatti’s son. Jean’s Type57SC Atlantic was an all black car which he nicknamed, La Voiture Noire. Many say that Jean was the only one to ever sit behind the wheel of this particular Bugatti, with the exception of a handful of close race driver friends.

In the late 1930’s around the time of World War II, Jean Bugatti had the La Voiture Noire shipped to Bordeaux when Germany invaded to keep it in a safer location. Once the keys were handed over, the car was never seen again. The mysterious disappearance of the iconic Bugatti Type57SC Atlantic is one that stumps car enthusiasts today. Many say it was scrapped for parts at that time, while others hope it is collecting dust somewhere in an abandoned French barn, waiting to be discovered. Either way, the Bugatti La Voiture Noire was created in remembrance of the original Type57SC Atlantic and is designed with similar influences, paying its respects to its deep rooted history.

 

Why So Pricey?

While the Bugatti La Voiture Noire seems to be a beautiful ode to a mysterious story, what about this black car makes it so pricey? Aside from there only being one produced, which makes it extremely exclusive, the La Voiture Noire also comes with some top of the line amenities that you can’t find in any other sports car on the road. Bugatti has always delivered the fastest street legal cars with the highest quality materials and level of comfort, and the Bugatti La Voiture Noire is a beautiful example of this.

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The new La Voiture Noire comes with an incredible 1,500 horsepower, quad-turbo W-16 engine, and 1,180 pound foot of torque. What’s more is that it can reach 0-60mph in only 2.5 seconds with top speeds of 261mph, and incredibly quick jump in speed. The interior will be completely hand stitched with the highest quality materials and unique design. The interior will also stay true to the classic Bugatti design with some unique influences that will pay tribute to the original lost Type57SC Atlantic. The new design with forward, futuristic curves, classic Bugatti DNA, and old world influences make for incredibly sought after, one of a kind collector’s item. As Bugatti continues to create and produce the new La Voiture Noire, we can expect to hear updates on the design, and quite possibly who the anonymous new owner may be.