beautiful and super cars

The Bugatti type 41 known as Bugatti Royale was produced in 1927-1933. Made only 6 from originally planned 25, Bugatti Royale is now one of the rarest cars in the world. Bugatti firstly intended to sell the Royale cars to royalties, as the cars’ name suggests. However, even royalties could not afford to buy such luxurious cars in time of Great Depression. Only 3 of 6 cars finally managed to find their buyers, none of them were royalties.

The Royale is a large luxury car with a 4.3 m (169.3 in) wheelbase and 6.4 m (21) length. It weighs about 3175 kg (7000 lbs) and uses a 12.7 L (12 763 cc/778 in ³) straight-8 engine.

By comparison, the Royale is about as heavy as a large, modern commercial pickup and a Ford Super Duty F-450, but it is about 10% longer. In the modern Rolls-Royce Phantom is compared, it is more around 20% and more than 25% heavier.

Design

The Type 41 was invented by Bugatti as an answer to the comments of an English lady who compared his cars unfavorably with those of Rolls-Royce.

The prototype had a nearly 15-liter engine. The production version, the stroke of 150 mm (5.9 in) reduced to 130 mm (5.1 in) has a capacity of 12.7 liters.  The engine is a large block was built, and (4.5 ft. APX. (1.4 m) long x 3.5 m (1.1 ft) high), is one of the largest automotive engines ever made, producing 205-223 kW (275-300 hp). His eight-cylinder, 125 mm (4.9 in) drilled and with a stroke of 130 mm (5.1 in), each displaced more than the engine of the contemporary Type 40 touring car. (Two intake points: a trap) IT 3 valves per cylinder and had a centrally positioned single overhead camshaft driven. Nine camps were given for reliability, but only own a carburetor was needed. The engine was an aero-engine designed for the French Air Ministry, but never in this configuration is based.

The chassis was understandably great, with a conventional semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension system on front. On the back of the forward-looking Bugatti Elliptic quarterfinals by means of half set in front of the rear adds Massive pads were mechanically operated by cables. The brakes were effective, but without the power assistance required considerable energy of the driver. The car cast “Roue Royale” wheels measured 610 mm (24 inches) in diameter.

Reflecting some traditional forms of the time, whalebone knobs were presented for the driver, while the steering wheel was covered with walnut.

All Royales were built in different and unique bodies with a sculpture of an  elephant on the top of the radiator. The elephant sculpture was made by Ettore’s brother, Rembrandt Bugatti.

Production

In 1928 Ettore Bugatti claims that “this year will be King Alfonso of Spain got its Royale,” but the Spanish king was deposed without ever having it, and the first of the Royales to find a customer was not delivered until 1932. The Royale which its basic chassis was priced of $ 30,000, was launched as the world economy collapsed in the year of 1930. Six Royales were built during 1929-1933, with only three sold to external customers. Ironically, none of the buyer was a royal. Bugatti even refused to sell one of the Royale to King Zog of Albania, claiming that “The man’s table manners are beyond belief!”

All six production Royales still exist (the prototype was destroyed in an accident in 1931) today. Each chassis has a different body and some have been rebodied several times.

41.110 – Coupe Napoleon

- The first car is chassis number 41.110
- Known as the Coupe Napoleon.
- This car was the larger 14.7-liter prototype engine.
- It was originally a Packard body, but was rebodied by Weymann as a two door car. At various stages it was also slipped into other bodies.
- The Coupe Napoleon was used by Ettore Bugatti, and in his later life was his own car. It remained in the possession of the family, kept at their castle Ermenonville chateau. The car was finally sold due to financial difficulties in 1963 to a Bugatti obsessive Fritz Schlumpf.
- Crashed by Ettore Bugatti in 1930 or 1931 when he fell asleep while driving home from Paris to Alsace, a major renovation was then needed.
- Stored with 41.141 and 41.150 in the Second World War at the home of the Bugatti family Ermenonville to avoid being claimed by the Nazis.
- Sold by L’Ebe Bugatti in the early 1960s to the Schlumpf brothers.
- Located in the Musée National de l’Automobile de Mulhouse in addition to 41,131 which the Schlumpf brothers had bought from John Smurf Shakespeare.

41.111 – Coupe de Ville Binder

- The second car built, but the first one to find customer, chassis no.41.111.
- Known as the Coupe de Ville Binder.
- Sold in April 1932 to French clothing manufacturer Armand Esders. It was Ettore’s eldest son, Jean, who fashioned the car with a dramatic two-seater open body with extravagant, full wings and an old fashioned rumble seat room without headlights. In this form it was known as the Royale Esders Roadster.
- Acquired by the French politician Paternotre, the car was rebuilt in the Coupe de Ville style by Henri Binder. Since then, it is known as Coupe de Ville Binder.
- Never be able to reach the King of Romania because of the break of World War 2, it was the hidden from the Nazis by storing it in the sewers of Paris.
- Recently found its way to the United Kingdom after the second World War, and was subsequently purchased by Dudley C. Wilson of Florida in 1954. After his death in 1961, the car went to banker Mills B. Lane of Atlanta in 1964 in the Harrah Collection in Reno, Nevada.
- Sold in 1986 to California, collectors, homeowners and Air Force Reserve Major General William Lyon, he offered the car in 1996 Barrett-Jackson private auction, where he refused an offer of $ 11,000,000; the car was sold at $ 15 million.
- In 1999, the new owner of the Bugatti brand, Volkswagen AG, purchased the car for a reputed $ 20,000,000. Now used as a vehicle to promote the brand, it travels to several museums and other attractions.

41.121 – Weinberger Cabriolet

- The third car is the chassis no.41.121.
- Known as the Weinberger Cabriolet.
- Sold in 1932 to build on the German obstetrician named Joseph Fuchs, the body manufacturer in Munich Ludwig Weinberger him an open convertible. Painted in black and yellow color, the car was sent to Dr. Fuchs in May 1932.
- As political tensions rose in the pre-war Germany, Fuchs moved to Italy then Japan, before finally moved to New York around 1937, bringing the Royale with him.
- Charles Chayne, then head of General Motors later found the car in a junkyard in New York to buy it for $ 400 in 1946.
- Chayne customized the car so it became more road-friendly. It was completed in 1947: a brand new intake manifold with four carburetors, replacing the original single carb setup, a new color scheme of the oyster white with a dark green cover and convertible roof.
- In 1957, after using the car for 10 years, the car was donated by Chayne to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, where it still lies.

41.131 – Limousine Park Ward

- No.41.131 chassis as the Park Ward saloon known at home in the Musée National de l’Automobile de Mulhouse
- The fourth car is the chassis no.41.131
- Known as the car or limousine Foster Park Ward
- Sold to Englishman Captain Cuthbert W. Foster, heir to a large department store in Boston USA, through his U.S. mother in 1933.
- Foster had a limousine body on the car of Park Ward, in the style of 1921 made Daimler he had ever owned.
- Acquired in 1946 by the British Bugatti seller Jack Lemon Burton, who was forced to replace the tires with large piece of artillery which made him to remove the skirting from the fenders.
- Sold in 1956, the American collector John Shakespeare who at that time had the largest Bugatti collection.
- As the effect of financial problem in 1963, Shakespeare sold his all collection to a willing buyer, Fritz Schlumpf.
- Part of the Schlumpf Collection.
- Located in the Musée National de l’Automobile de Mulhouse.

41.141 -Kellner car

- The fifth car, the chassis no.41.141.
- Known as the Kellner car.
- Not sold, owned by Bugatti.
- L’Ebe Bugatti sold it 41,150 in 1950 to the American Le Mans racer Briggs Cunningham in exchange for a small but unspecified amount of money, plus a few new General Electric refrigerators, will not be available in postwar France.
- After closing his museum in 1986, in 1987 the car was directly sold by Christie’s of the Briggs Cunningham’s collection of 5.5 million pounds, or U.S. $ 9,700,000 at the Royal Albert Hall, the Swedish real estate magnate Hans Thulin
- The car was offered for auction in 1989 by Kruse in Las Vegas, Ed Weaver car to attempt to keep $ 11,500,000, which was rejected by Thulin, was $ 15,000,000. The collapse of its empire Thulin sold the car in 1990 for a reported $ 15,700,000 in the Japanese conglomerate Meitec Corporation and its modern building basement, before the sale for 10 million euros of Bonhams & Brooks offered by private treaty in 2001 stayed .
- Owner is not known.

41.150 – Berline de Voyage

- The sixth car, the chassis no.41.150.
- Known as the Berline de Voyage.
- Not sold, owned by Bugatti.
- L’Ebe Bugatti sold it with 41.141 and 41.110 in 1950 to the American Le Mans racer Briggs

Cunningham in exchange for a small but unspecified amount of money, plus a few new General Electric refrigerators.
- Upon their arrival in the United States sold 41,150 Cunningham, which was went to the Harrah Collection. The car then auctioned in 1986 where Jerry J. Moore paid $ 6,500,000 to get it, he kept it for one year and then sold the car to Tom Monaghan at $8.1 million.
- In 1991, Berline de Voyage was sold to Domino’s Pizza’s founder, Tom Monaghan for $8,000,000.
- The car was then sold to Blackhawk Collection in Danville, California.