In brief
- Bugatti sold La Voiture Noire for 11 million euros excluding tax, a price announced by the manufacturer itself on 5 March 2019 at the Geneva Motor Show. This represented approximately 12.4 million dollars at the exchange rate at the time.
- Bugatti presented it then as the most expensive new car of all time. It is a one-off model, built for a single client.
- 8-litre W16 engine, 1,500 hp and 1,600 Nm, six exhaust pipes as a tribute to the Type 57 SC Atlantic.
- After two years of development, the car was delivered to its owner, Bugatti announced on 3 June 2021. Their name has never been confirmed.
Unveiled for Bugatti’s 110th anniversary, La Voiture Noire is one of the rare one-off models for which the manufacturer itself announced the price. An hypercar made entirely of black carbon, paying homage to the most legendary lost Bugatti. Here is its exact price, what it includes, and its place among the most expensive new cars in the world.
How much does La Voiture Noire cost?
In its press release of 5 March 2019, published in Molsheim and Geneva, Bugatti indicated that the one-off model was sold to a brand enthusiast for 11 million euros before tax, making it, according to the manufacturer, the most expensive new car of all time. This is a direct sale price announced by the manufacturer, not an auction price or an estimate.
The other figures circulating are easily explained: 13.2 million euros corresponds to the same price with VAT at 20%, and higher figures are not based on any announcement from Bugatti. In dollars, 11 million euros represented around 12.4 million at the March 2019 rate.
La Voiture Noire in figures
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Bugatti, Molsheim (Alsace) |
| Unveiling | Geneva Motor Show, 5 March 2019 |
| Units | 1, one-off model |
| Engine | 8-litre W16, 1,500 hp (1,103 kW), 1,600 Nm |
| Exhaust | six tailpipes, as a tribute to the Type 57 SC Atlantic |
| Bodywork | exposed carbon fibre “Black Carbon Glossy” |
| Interior | Havana Brown grained leather, aluminium inserts |
| Development | two years, with a dedicated test vehicle |
| Delivery | announced by Bugatti on 3 June 2021 |
| Price | €11,000,000 excluding tax (Bugatti announcement, March 2019) |
The tribute to a lost Bugatti
The name refers to one of automotive history’s mysteries. Jean Bugatti, son of founder Ettore, designed the Type 57 SC Atlantic, of which only four units were produced between 1936 and 1938, three of which still exist. The one he drove himself, nicknamed “La Voiture Noire”, vanished shortly before the Second World War, likely during its evacuation from Alsace. Bugatti describes it as the automotive equivalent of the Amber Room.
To reinterpret it, the designers revisited the dorsal seam running along the bodywork, the extended front, and the six exhaust pipes. Each headlight features over 25 individually milled light elements, the radiator grille is 3D-printed, and the rear light strip is a single seamless piece. The heart remains the 8-litre W16, the brand’s iconic engine whose story we trace in the end of the W16 at Bugatti.
Still a record for a new car?
In our ranking of the most expensive cars in the world, La Voiture Noire holds fourth place among new cars. Three auction sales have surpassed it: the Ferrari Luce “Tailor Made” Chassis 0, sold for 40 million dollars by RM Sotheby’s in August 2026 to benefit the Ferrari Foundation, the Ferrari Daytona SP3 599+1, 26 million dollars in 2025, and the Gordon Murray S1 LM No. 1, 20,630,000 dollars in November 2025. It remains the most expensive new car whose direct sales price was announced by the manufacturer. Rolls-Royce, for its part, does not publish any prices for its Boat Tail and Droptail, despite the figures circulating. To find out more, read our article on the Rolls-Royce Coachbuild Collection.
The price today
La Voiture Noire has never been resold publicly, and Bugatti has never confirmed the identity of its owner. Unique, created by a manufacturer that documented its every stage, it escapes any standard market valuation: its value would only be revealed during a resale, at auction or through a private transaction.
Prices verified and updated on 13 October 2026. Sources: Bugatti (press releases of 5 March 2019 and 3 June 2021), RM Sotheby’s, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
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