Bugatti Legends Type 41 LA Royale – A Royal Vehicle

In the 1920s, Bugatti created the most luxurious car in the world

Molsheim With the Type 41 Royale, in 1926, Bugatti presented the strongest, largest and most luxurious automobile in the world, characterized by 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' - the royal.

With a wheelbase of 4.3 meters and a length of over six 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 setup. Company founder Ettore Bugatti invested a lot of time and money into the development and went all in.

Aircraft Engine as a Blueprint for the Royale Drive

Everything about the vehicle was unique: an aircraft engine that company founder Ettore Bugatti designed in 1927 on behalf of the French government served as blueprint for the drive - at that time with a displacement of 14.7 litres and 300 hp. Under the long hood, a 12.8 litre inline eight-cylinder worked in the production vehicles, also with about 300 hp. It managed to accelerate the vehicle, which could weigh up to 3.5 tons (depending on the body), to around 200 km/h. The engine remained discreetly in the background: the maximum output was only 1800 revolutions. A dry sump lubrication system pumped 23 litres of oil to the required points, 43 litres of coolant oil kept the temperature in balance. A vertical shaft connected the crankshaft and camshaft together, the long crankshaft sat on nine plain bearings. The extraordinary drive needed space; to open the bonnet, two fitters were needed to unlock and fold up the extra-long bonnet.

A multi-plate dry clutch that was shifted via a three-speed gearbox transmitted the power to the rear wheels. Bugatti doubled the quarter elliptical suspension on the axles in order to achieve more comfort. Solid alloy wheels with slots ensured that the large brake drums did not overheat. The 200 litre tank ensured enough range.

The first prototype was built in 1926, but it was based on a longer wheelbase and a larger engine with a displacement of 14.7 litres. It wasn't until 1932 that Bugatti sold the first Royale to the Parisian industrialist Armand Esders. An extremely elegant roadster body by Jean Bugatti sheathed the eight-cylinder above the drive. Since Armand Esders only wanted to drive his vehicle during the day, the Roadster did not have headlights – giving it a more elegant look. Three other vehicles with different bodies went into customer hands. Overall, a Cabriolet, a Pullman limousine, a travel limousine with a folding top and a two-door limousine were built in the few years to come. In the Coupé Napoleon, the passenger communicated with the driver via an electrical intercom.

The Royale is the only Bugatti vehicle to have a hood ornament. It features a dancing elephant, designed by Ettore's deceased brother Rembrandt Bugatti, a well-known artist and sculptor.

Despite its extraordinary features, the Royale did not go on to be an economic success. The global economic crisis and its aftermath made prospective buyers hold back. Up until 1933, six models of the super-car were built, only four of them were sold. Ettore Bugatti would be chauffeured with a Royale – or drove it himself. His wife also preferred a Royale as a means of transport. All vehicles still exist today, including two in the Cité de l'Automobile, Schlumpf Collection, in Mulhouse, France, and one at the Bugatti Headquarters in Molsheim. Each one of the six Royale vehicles can be considered as one of the most exclusive and expensive vehicles in the world. If one of them were ever auctioned, it could be the most expensive car in the world.

Other Royale Engines for Express Trains

Although Bugatti didn't manage to sell many Royales, its construction was still a success. Bugatti modified the eight-cylinder engines that had already been produced, to use them for a new project - as units of motor coaches for express trains for the French railways. In just nine months, Bugatti developed an express train based on the huge engines.

From 1935 to 1958 these engines were used in the new four-axle rail multiple unit that Bugatti developed for the ETAT state railway, known today as SNCF. Depending on the version, an SNCF XB 1000 required two to four of these huge motors with an output of 200 hp each. During the first test runs, a train reached 172 km/h - making it the first modern high-speed train. The SNCF ordered a total of 79 of these rail vehicles with the Royale engines, conducting extreme power without vibrations.

by Bugatti

Cabriolet

Ettore Bugatti planned to build twenty-five of these Type 41 Bugatti Royales. They were built for royalty, but even royalty wasn't prepared for such an exotic and elegant automobile during the Great Depression. Bugatti was able to sell only six. Today, the Bugatti Royale is the ultimate status symbol. They are one of the biggest, rarest, most desirable cars in the world.

The Bugatti Type 41, better known as the Royale, is one of the most extreme luxury cars ever built. It was enormous, with a 169.3-inch wheelbase and 21-foot overall length. It weighed 7,000 lbs and used a massive 12.7-liter straight-eight engine. Everything about the Royale was magnificent. Its cast 'Roue Royale' wheels measured 24 inches in diameter. All six production Royales still exist; each wears a different body, some having been re-bodied several times.

The massive engine (apx. 4.5 feet long x 3.5 feet high) produced 275 to 300 horsepower, and its cylinders, bored to 125 by 130 mm, each displaced more than the entire engine of the contemporary Type 40 touring car. It was a high-tech design, as well, with 3 valves per cylinder driven by a single overhead camshaft. Nine bearings were specified for reliability, but only a single custom carburetor was needed.

Only six Royales were built between 1929 and 1933, with just three sold to external customers. The second, displayed here, was owned by a German obstetrician, Dr. Josef Fuchs. It was built to exacting standards and above its radiator grill cap perched a replica of a Rembrandt Bugatti elephant sculpture. This Royale incorporates one of Jean Bugatti's most fantastic designs. The car surfaced in a New York junkyard in 1943 and was bought and restored by a General Motors executive, Charles Chayne. In 1958, he and his wife, Ester, donated it to the Henry Ford Museum.

Cabriolet

Everything about the Bugatti Royal is of the first magnitude. Its size, scarcity and value are extreme. Only six production chassis were built and all survive. Even among its Royale peers, however, the story of the Cabriolet that resides in the museum collection of The Henry Ford is uniquely intriguing.

The second production Royale built, was ordered by Dr. Joseph Fuchs, a German physician, and successful amateur racing driver. Dr. Fuchs had the 169.3-inch wheelbase chassis, which was delivered in 1931, bodied by Weinberger of Munich. Delivery of the completed Cabriolet occurred during 1932.

Shortly after Adolph Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933, Dr. Fuchs slipped away to Switzerland and soon traveled on to the lively open city of Shanghai, China. He had his massive Bugatti shipped to him there, but by 1937, the advance of Japanese troops into the south of China put the Doctor and his Royale on the move yet again.

Dr. Fuchs and Bugatti next traveled to Canada and then down to New York City. There, the 12.7-liter straight-eight engine in the Royale fell victim to the American winter of 1937-1938-water froze in the block, severely damaging and cracking it. Dr. Fuchs tried to sell his large, broken car, but there were no takers. Eventually, it ended up in a Bronx salvage yard.

During World War II, Charles Chayne, a General Motors executive engineer, found out about the Royale in the junkyard and rescued it in 1943. He began to repair the engine and restore the car after peace returned in 1946, completing the project just a year later. Chayne also installed a custom manifold with four Stromberg carburetors in place of the original single carburetor and converted the original mechanical brakes to a hydraulic system.

During its restoration, the exterior color was changed from the original black to oyster white. Chayne also replaced the interior, modifying it to make it more adaptive to his 6-foot, 3-inch frame.

In 1958, Chayne and his wife, Esther, donated the Royale Cabriolet to the Henry Ford Museum. The museum took actual possession in 1959 and the car has remained part of the collection there since. In May 2007, technicians from Classic & Exotic Services helped get the big car running for the first time in several years. It is rarely removed from display at the museum, so the opportunity to view it on the grounds of Meadow Brook Hall and to see and hear it run and drive, is indeed a treat of the first magnitude.

Coupe de Ville by Binder

The Type 41 Royale, with a chassis price of $30,000, was launched as the world slipped into the Great Depression. Just six of these cars were built between 1929 and 1933 and only three were sold to customers. All of the production Royales still exist today, although the prototype was destroyed in 1931. Each has a different body style, some having been re-bodied several times. This is the first of the production Royales. The car was ordered without headlights as its owner, textile industrialist Armand Esders, did not intend to drive at night! After Esders sold the car, the chassis received this new Coupe de Ville body built by Henri Binder in the style of the Coupe Napoleon that was owned by Ettore Bugatti himself.