Bugatti Royale
| Bugatti Type 41 | |
|---|---|
Coupé Napoléon | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Bugatti |
| Also called | Bugatti Royale |
| Production | 1927–1933 |
| 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 | ~2.1 m (82.7 in) |
| Curb weight | ~3,175 kg (7,000 lb) |
The Bugatti Type 41, better known as the Royale, is a large ultra-luxury car built by Bugatti 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. With a production run of just seven vehicles, it is both one of the rarest and most expensive.
Ettore Bugatti planned to build twenty-five of these cars and sell them to royalty as the most luxurious car ever, but the Great Depression undermined his effort: only three of the seven made were sold; six still exist, with one wrecked in a crash. Unused engines were installed in newly constructed high-speed railcars for the French National Railway (SNCF).