The Bugatti La Voiture Noire is a one-of-one coachbuilt grand tourer and the most expensive new car ever sold, commanding approximately $19 million including taxes. Unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show to mark Bugatti's 110th anniversary, La Voiture Noire is an act of mourning as much as a masterpiece: it was created as a tribute to the lost Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic, Jean Bugatti's personal car, which disappeared during the Second World War and has never been found.
Why Is La Voiture Noire the Most Expensive New Car Ever?
No other production or limited-series car has matched La Voiture Noire's sale price. While its Chiron platform is shared with a car available from around $3 million, the bespoke hand-crafted body, the singular commission and the mythological backstory place it in a category entirely its own. According to the official Bugatti La Voiture Noire page, every surface was individually sculpted and finished by hand in Bugatti's Molsheim atelier, with the commission taking years to complete. The identity of the buyer has never been officially confirmed.
W16 Engine: Quad-Turbo Power and Six Exhaust Pipes
La Voiture Noire is powered by Bugatti's legendary 8.0-litre quad-turbocharged W16 engine producing 1,500 PS (1,479 hp) and 1,600 Nm (1,180 lb-ft) of torque, sent to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The performance figures are Chiron-grade: 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds and a top speed above 420 km/h (261 mph). Most visually arresting is the rear bodywork, which integrates six individual exhaust pipes, a sculptural decision that serves both the theatrical and the acoustic, delivering a sound signature unlike any other modern production car.
Design: Soft Lines in Honour of the Atlantic
Where the Chiron is angular and muscular, La Voiture Noire is deliberately fluid. Long, sweeping surfaces reference the pre-war Atlantic's sculptural aesthetic while using contemporary materials and aerodynamic engineering. The prominent central spine that runs from the front hood to the tail mimics the riveted fin of the original Atlantic, now rendered in carbon fibre. Bugatti described the interior at launch as draped entirely in Cognac leather from floor to headliner, though full images of the cabin were withheld. As Robb Report noted in their coverage, La Voiture Noire's eventual appearance at auction would make it one of the most significant collector car events in history.
For those drawn to Bugatti heritage and coachbuilt rarity, explore the Bugatti Baby II Junior Electric Car and the limited PG x Bugatti Bike Carbon Bicycle. Browse more extraordinary machines in the Cars collection at TheArsenale, where hypercars, concepts and bespoke commissions coexist, and discover the Delage D12 F1-Inspired Hypercar for another example of the intersection between racing lineage and ultimate road performance.
