The magnificent car in the photograph is one of the most impressive masterpieces in automotive history. Only 7 units were ever produced, and today its price is astronomical.
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This series of cars is known as the **Bugatti Type 41 Royale**.
It was designed and built by Ettore Bugatti between 1927 and 1933, and the elegantly dressed man leaning against it is Jean Bugatti, Ettore's son and a co-designer of the car.
The car was fitted with a monstrous 12.7-liter engine originally intended for aircraft, and weighed more than 3 tons.
If you look closely at the photograph, you'll notice a small bronze sculpture of a dancing elephant on the front of the hood — an icon that became closely identified with the series.
Although 25 units were originally planned, the car was such a catastrophic commercial failure that only 7 were actually built (one of which was a prototype destroyed in an accident in 1931).
Each unit was individually designed by a different renowned coachbuilder, so no two are entirely alike.
Of the six surviving units, only three were ever sold — the rest remained in the hands of the Bugatti family.
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World War II was not kind to these cars.
Three of them were hidden behind a brick wall during the war, while another traveled to China, Canada, and New York as its owner fled the conflict around the world.
The original price of a single unit was $43,000 — the equivalent of 31 years' wages at the time.
In 2021, one such model sold for $22 million.
Despite being a commercial failure, its stunning and timeless design continues to inspire admiration to this day — and you can see one for yourself if you visit the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.