Ettore Bugatti's monumental folly — a 12.8-litre, 6.4-metre-long automobile intended for royalty.
The Type 41 'Royale' was Bugatti's intended ultra-luxury flagship — a 12,763cc straight-eight chassis of 14 feet wheelbase intended to be sold to monarchs. Only six were built between 1927 and 1933; none was sold to royalty, and the depression killed the project. The surviving cars carry coachwork by Weinberger (Cabriolet), Park Ward (Limousine), Binder (Coupe de Ville), Kellner (Coupe) and others; one, the Esders Roadster, was rebodied in period by Henri Binder as the Coupé de Ville. All six are accounted for and most are in museum or institutional ownership.
Among the most ambitious cars ever built; finite production and museum-class status define the market.
| Variant | Years | Production | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coupe Napoleon | 1929 | Not separately recorded | Ettore Bugatti's personal car (chassis 41100); rebodied more than once in period. |
| Esders Roadster (replica) | — | Not separately recorded | Chassis 41111, rebodied in period by Henri Binder as the Coupé de Ville; a modern reconstruction of the roadster body exists at Mulhouse. |
| Weinberger Cabriolet | 1931 | Not separately recorded | Now Henry Ford Museum, USA. |
| Kellner Coupe | 1932 | Not separately recorded | Sold at auction in 1987 for £5.5 million. |
| Park Ward Limousine | 1933 | Not separately recorded | Chassis 41131; now in the Musée National de l'Automobile, Mulhouse. |
| Binder Coupe de Ville | 1932 | Not separately recorded | Chassis 41111; owned by Volkswagen AG. |
| Berline de Voyage | 1929 | Not separately recorded | Chassis 41150; sold with the Kellner Coupé to Briggs Cunningham in 1950. |
For pre-war and vintage cars such as the Bugatti Type 41 Royale, provenance is paramount. Chassis and engine number matching, period coachbuilder records, factory build sheets where available, continuous ownership documentation, original handbooks and any competition or concours history are the foundation of value. Identity is everything — each of the six cars is individually documented and recognised.
The 12.8-litre straight-eight is operated only by specialists who have worked on the surviving cars; the engine architecture was later adapted to railcar use. A pre-purchase inspection by a recognised marque specialist should include compression and leak-down testing, magneto and ignition checks, chassis straightness and frame survey, axle and steering wear assessment, brake system review (mechanical or hydraulic per period), and an extended road test on varied terrain to expose carburation, cooling and gearbox issues that only emerge under sustained running.
Pre-war coachwork is rarely truly original after a century of use. Establish whether the body is original to the chassis (period photographs, build records, coachbuilder plates), whether it has been re-bodied at any point, and the standard of any restoration. Quality of timber framing, ash health, panel beating and paint depth are all critical. Concealed structural rot, re-bodies presented as original, and 'tribute' cars built on later or unrelated chassis must be priced accordingly.
Six cars exist; private transactions are extremely rare and almost always between major institutions or top-tier collectors. For vintage cars, event eligibility — Mille Miglia, Goodwood Revival, Pebble Beach, VSCC events, Le Mans Classic — can underwrite a substantial proportion of market value. Verify FIA/FIVA papers, period race history where claimed, and the car's standing with the relevant marque registry before purchase.
No verified public auction results are currently available for this model. We publish sale figures only from examples we have confirmed against auction house records, and will update this guide as results appear.
Defines the absolute top of the collector-car market. Liquidity is essentially nil.
Our view, not advice. This section is Car Collector International's editorial judgement on where this model sits in the collector market, based on the production, specification and market data set out in this guide. It is not a recommendation to buy or sell and it is not investment advice. Values can fall as well as rise.
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The valuation figures in this guide are for research purposes only and do not constitute financial or investment advice. See our full disclaimer.
