Bugatti Type 41 Royale
Bugatti celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2013 by bringing a true icon to the event in England. The 1932 Bugatti Type 41 Royale, the first Royale to be delivered to a customer, rolled out on the exhibition hall floor of "Cartier, Style et Luxe". This unmistakable two-seated roadster bore the chassis number 41111 with a body that was designed by Ettore Bugatti's son Jean. It was purchased by Armand Esders, a prêt-à-porter clothing manufacturer from Paris, in 1932 for 700,000 Francs - which was quite a whopping sum in those days. The original owner later sold the Royale to a new owner who had it modified to a closed coupé with a Coupé de Ville body designed by a coachbuilder in Paris.
The aspirations of the brand's founder Ettore Bugatti to build the most powerful and luxurious series-production vehicle the world had ever seen was long-anticipated prior to the development of the Bugatti Type 41 Royale. To achieve this, he came up with an 8-cylinder in-line engine with an overhead camshaft, a capacity of almost 15 litres and a monolithic head and engine block. The series-produced Type 41 Royale boasts a 12.7-litre engine with the 3 valves per cylinder - plus a maximum output of 300 PS at less than 2,000 revolutions per minute. It is a truly massive car, measuring almost 6.5m long, 4.3m across the wheelbase and weighing around 3 tonnes, and possessing a 190-litre tank. Topping all its features is the elegant radiator cap which defied typical models; this one depicted an elephant sculpture crafted by Ettore's brother Rembrandt Bugatti - symbolizing the timelessness of the Type 41 Royale.
Despite Ettore's dream to roll out 25 cars and market them to various royal families and heads of state, his ambition was hampered by the economic conditions of Europe and America at the time. Ultimately, only 6 vehicles were realized.
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