--- title: Bugatti Type 41 Royale · HICONIUM description: "The Royale comprises six surviving chassis with distinct coachwork and histories. Its 12.8-litre straight-eight makes peak power at 1'800 rpm and moves as much as 3.5 tonnes. Each is a specific car, not a model average." canonical_url: https://hiconium.dev/vehicles/bugatti/type-41-royale image: https://hiconium.dev/og/vehicle/bugatti/type-41-royale.png --- > HICONIUM · Index: https://hiconium.dev/llms.txt · Every page: append `.md` or send `Accept: text/markdown`. > Path: [Home](https://hiconium.dev/) › [Vehicles](https://hiconium.dev/models) › [Bugatti](https://hiconium.dev/manufacturers/bugatti) › Type 41 Royale > On this page: [The price and the proof](#the-price-and-the-proof) · [Model readouts](#model-readouts) · [Documented sales](#documented-sales) · [A production plan broken by the Depression](#overview-heading) · [Technical specifications](#technical-specifications) · [Powertrain](#powertrain) · [Chassis](#chassis) · [The people behind the car](#the-people-behind-the-car) · [Ettore Bugatti](#ettore-bugatti) · [Jean Bugatti](#jean-bugatti) · [Rembrandt Bugatti](#rembrandt-bugatti) · [Member instruments](#member-instruments) ![A black Bugatti Type 41 Royale, front three-quarter view on a black-honey field with chandelier glow](https://hiconium.dev/images/cars/bugatti-type-41-royale/hero-wide-2560.jpg) # Type 41 Royale Six chassis, no repetition The Royale comprises six surviving chassis with distinct coachwork and histories. Its 12.8-litre straight-eight makes peak power at 1'800 rpm and moves as much as 3.5 tonnes. Each is a specific car, not a model average. 1927 to 1933 · 6 built · Molsheim ## The price and the proof Indicative road-car band $25M–$45M · 1 documented road sales · 1 recorded sales on file. Modeled values are not observed sales. Nothing here is investment advice. Confidence: estimate. The estimate rests on one well-documented 1987 public sale, subsequent private ownership and the fact that all six cars are individually significant. There is no repeat modern public market from which to compute a robust band. Editorial USD estimate for an intact Royale with accepted chassis and coachwork history. Each of the six must be valued separately. Valuation method and source rules: [HICONIUM standards](https://hiconium.dev/standards). Observed auction results across the wider market: [Market terminal](https://hiconium.dev/market). ### Model readouts Synthetic model · insufficient ledger. model v1 · seed bugatti-type-41-royale. Compound annual growth is modeled price CAGR; S&P 500 is a price index without dividends. Forecast quantiles are not investment advice. | Window | This car* | S&P 500 | Gold | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1Y | +5.7% | +18.8% | +21.9% | | 5Y | +1.8% | +11.4% | +17.6% | | 10Y | +4.2% | +13.3% | +11.8% | | Series | Deepest drawdown | Window | | --- | --- | --- | | This car* | -22.3% | May 2007 → Mar 2009 · recovered Sep 2010 | | S&P 500 | -50.8% | Oct 2007 → Mar 2009 · recovered Mar 2013 | | Gold | -47.3% | Dec 1987 → Jul 1999 · recovered Dec 2005 | | Horizon | P10 | P50 | P90 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | +6M | $31'405'695 | $34'254'847 | $37'362'478 | | +12M | $31'395'101 | $34'983'867 | $38'982'864 | | +24M | $31'429'287 | $36'488'782 | $42'362'755 | ### Documented sales 1 recorded. Every public sale on this file, newest first. Amounts keep the recorded currency. Source links appear only when the catalog stores a public auction-lot URL. | Date | Chassis / label | Class | House | Venue | Amount | Currency | Basis | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1987-11-19 | Christie's · Royal Albert Hall, London · basis not stated | Road | Christie's | Royal Albert Hall, London | $9'764'585 | USD | basis not stated | [https://www.hagerty.com/valuation-tools/past-sales/1931-bugatti-type_41/41141/7421f82c-691c-4bcc-9efb-e2934e1ff0f2](https://www.hagerty.com/valuation-tools/past-sales/1931-bugatti-type_41/41141/7421f82c-691c-4bcc-9efb-e2934e1ff0f2) | The 1987 ledger amount is the USD figure reported by Hagerty for the Christie's result; the original transaction was £5.5 million. ## A production plan broken by the Depression Ettore Bugatti intended to build about 25 cars for heads of state and industrial families. The prototype used a 14.7-litre engine; the production chassis carried a 12.8-litre straight-eight and arrived at more than six metres in length. The first customer car was sold to Armand Esders in 1932 with a headlamp-free roadster body by Jean Bugatti. Only three further cars were sold before production ended, while the Bugatti family retained the remaining chassis. Each of the six has its own body sequence, custodians and conservation history. The last transparent public benchmark for the model is the Kellner-bodied chassis 41141 sold by Christie's in 1987. | Highlight | Detail | | --- | --- | | Every surviving car is different | Bugatti supplied chassis and running gear; Bugatti, Kellner, Weymann, Weinberger, Binder and Park Ward bodies defined the individual cars. Coachwork and chassis history must be named in every valuation. | | Four sold, six survive | The Depression stopped the planned run and only four Royales reached customers in period. Bugatti retained two, and all six completed cars survive. | | The engines went by rail | Bugatti redirected surplus Royale engines into high-speed railcars for the French state railway. The rail programme used the same large straight-eight in two- and four-engine installations. | | Label | Value | | --- | --- | | Built | 6 | | Sold new | 4 | | Survive | 6 | | Length | over 6 m | | Fuel tank | 200 L | ## Technical specifications ### Powertrain | Label | Value | Note | | --- | --- | --- | | Engine | 12.8L inline-eight | production cars; the prototype used 14.7 litres | | Power | about 300 PS at 1'800 rpm | factory historical figure | | Cylinder head | Overhead cam, three valves per cylinder | | | Ignition | Two spark plugs per cylinder | | | Lubrication | Dry sump | 23 litres of oil | | Gearbox | 3-speed manual | | ### Chassis | Label | Value | Note | | --- | --- | --- | | Wheelbase | 4.3 m | | | Length | over 6 m | varies by coachwork | | Weight | up to 3.5 tonnes | varies by coachwork | | Suspension | Doubled quarter-elliptic springs | | | Brakes | Mechanical drums | | | Fuel capacity | 200 litres | | ## The people behind the car ### [Ettore Bugatti](https://hiconium.dev/people/ettore-bugatti) Founder and chief engineer · Bugatti ![Portrait of Ettore Bugatti](https://hiconium.dev/images/cars/bugatti-type-41-royale/people/ettore-bugatti.jpg) Conceived the Type 41, its chassis and the production 12.8-litre straight-eight. ### [Jean Bugatti](https://hiconium.dev/people/jean-bugatti) Coachwork designer · Bugatti ![Portrait of Jean Bugatti](https://hiconium.dev/images/cars/bugatti-type-41-royale/people/jean-bugatti.jpg) Designed the Esders Roadster and Coupé Napoléon bodies used on two Royale chassis. ### [Rembrandt Bugatti](https://hiconium.dev/people/rembrandt-bugatti) Sculptor · Bugatti family ![Portrait of Rembrandt Bugatti](https://hiconium.dev/images/cars/bugatti-type-41-royale/people/rembrandt-bugatti.jpg) Created the dancing elephant sculpture adapted as the Royale's radiator ornament. ## Member instruments A HICON Bid is a confidential expression of buying interest on this file. It is not a binding purchase, and HICONIUM holds no funds. [Sign in](https://hiconium.dev/sign-in) to place one. Garage files for an owned chassis are member records and are not listed here. [How membership works](https://hiconium.dev/membership).