A Royal Vehicle—The Bugatti Type 41 “Royale”

With the Type 41 Royale, in 1926, Bugatti presented the strongest, largest and most luxurious automobile in the world, characterized by then unimaginable power and opulent equipment. For Ettore Bugatti, the Royale was the culmination of his creation. A vehicle that knew no competitors in terms of performance, quality and image. A vehicle for emperors, kings and queens. Simply put, “Royale” in every way.

With a wheelbase of 4.3 meters and a length of over 6 meters, the Royale was the largest, most powerful and most magnificent car ever built in Molsheim. With a price of at least 100,000 Reichsmarks, it was around three times as expensive as similar limousines from other manufacturers and exceeded the price of other Bugatti vehicles about 10 times. Selected customers received the chassis with the drive and grille. As was customary at the time, independent and famous body construction companies such as Kellern & Cie, Weymann, Binder, Bugatti, Weinberger and Park Ward took care of the set up. Company founder Ettore Bugatti invested a lot of time and money into the development and went all in.