When it was revealed at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, the ‘La Voiture Noire’ made news for becoming the highest-priced new car ever. The people who attended the show and had the fortune to see the(then) newest Bugatti one-off supercar, all mentioned the remarkable and nearly impenetrable blackness of the car among the sea of lights around it in the hall.
The Bugatti pays homage to the Type 57SC Atlantis, which were one of the early models that the car maker's founder had come out with. Being one of the most expensive one-offs there's a lot in store when we look at the Bugatti La Voiture Noire.
Let’s take a look at more details regarding the car, its inspiration, and the person who bought it.
The Inspiration and Story Behind the La Voiture Noire
Bugatti’s most expensive car ever is built to pay homage to the beautiful and artistically designed Type 57SC Atlantic. A follow-up of the Aerolithe, a concept car made of aeronautical grade magnesium alloy, only four Type 57SC Atlantics were ever made. Out of those four, the second Atlantic made, specifically chassis number #57453, was Bugatti founder Ettore Bugatti’s eldest son Jean Bugatti’s personal car. He fondly named it ‘La Voiture Noire’, french for “The Black Car”. In 1938, the car disappeared mysteriously from the workshops in Molsheim when it was getting ready to be shipped to Bordeaux, France. The modern car pays tribute to the original Type 57SC with a similar aluminum centerline design for its wheels.
The Design of the "Black Car"
Ever since VW revitalized Bugatti in the 21st Century, the pursuit of achieving aerodynamics in a car like no other has seemed to be among their top priorities. Their newest shows not an exception, but an improvement. The Chiron, which this one is based on, was already a fine piece of work in terms of balancing downforce, rerouting air to the big W16 in the back, generating enough grip and traction to make the car be able to go more than 250 MPH (that too only limited by the tires).
But even with that, the folks at Bugatti had to come up with a lot of minor redesigns in order to handle the turbulence caused by the front wheels that messed up the channeling of air to the engine in the rear. With the La Voiture Noire, designer Frank Heyl says they came up with an even better idea with this go around. The new concept car diverts the laminar airflow into a higher spot for more effective routing to the beefy W16.
Another feature that is taken up from its inspiration, the Type 57 Atlantic, is the exhaust design. Just like the 1930’s grand tourer, this modern car has six straight exhaust tailpipes. The wheels have gone through a change from its debut in 2019 to the final product made the year after. According to Frank Heyl, they will be engineered to follow the load path of spokes. And the wheels will be 3D printed with a very efficient design aiming to minimize the material for maximum weight reduction.
Paired with a single-piece body, tail lights running seamlessly across the body, and the wide rear bumper accompanied by six diffusers and six exhaust pipes, the La Voiture Noire wins the Design Award at the Villa d'Este.
The interior of the car is a subject of intrigue as well. At the Geneva Motor Show unveil, the windows were tinted heavily. The reason for that was to keep the interior design hidden until their customer had finalized it. Speaking of the customer, we now know that he is none other than one of the world’s most successful and accomplished soccer players, Christiano Ronaldo. Exclusivity played a big part in the sale of the car. Exclusivity to the point that Bugatti went to the customer with just a sketch of the design of the concept. The idea was 100% Bugatti’s, but since it is a one-off model, the customer gets to enjoy the freedom to create specific detailing with them. That’s why the windows were blacked out during the unveiling. Because the car did not have an interior at that time. The designers were in constant communication with the buyer to ensure he gets it just the way he wants it. And for $18.7 Million, the customer should get what he wants.
What's Inside the Hood?
The La Voiture Noire shares the same engine with the Chiron. While it may not launch the car as fast as a Koenigsegg Jesko or an SSC Tuatara, it will be definitely faster than the base Chiron due to its lighter weight and better aerodynamics. The engine here is Bugatti’s own 1,500 HP quad-turbo W16. The engine makes 1,180 lb-ft of torque, and it is enough to launch the car from 0-60 MPH in 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 261 MPH. Though it all points towards the primary goal of ultimate straight-line performance seen with Bugatti’s mass-produced but still rare vehicles, that is not the case here.
Just like how the Divo was made to trade top speed for better cornering, this one is made to trade straight-line high-end performance for a more refined touring car experience. Going at almost 300 mph was not why this car was built. This can be counted as another one of the car’s inspirations from the Type 57SC’s Gran Turismo ride.
The future looks bright for Bugatti as it plans to sell two custom-made cars every year. Another project that they have affirmed is that their next limited series car will be somewhere between the Divo and the La Voiture Noire. Also, it has been rumored that Bugatti is also planning to make several production models of a Chiron that have been modified to the technology and features of the La Voiture Noire for a lower price tag. Whatever Bugatti reveals next, we are sure the world will be waiting eagerly to know about it.