Ever since he started building cars, Ettore Bugatti dreamed of creating the ultimate, no compromise luxury car. Finally in 1926, with his company in the red and with Europe reaching a new post-WW1 prosperity, Bugatti created his dream fifteen-liter, 300 hp engine - one he believed was suitable for the car he desired to build.

Bugatti dreamed his luxury car would absolutely eclipse the best cars of Europe –- Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, Hispano Suiza and all other premier marques. Bugatti wanted his car to be built for the very richest of customers and in particular for Kings and Queens. From this, Bugatti chose to name his car the “Royale.”

Eventually only six Royales were built, well short of the 25-car run Bugatti had quietly hoped for. In part, due to their excessive price tags, only three of the Royales were ever sold. Ironically, none of the Royales were ever owned by a King or Queen. By the way, the enormous Bugatti Royale has the distinction of having the longest wheelbase of any production car.

With a price tag set at $45,000, this car, the Berline de Voyage was never sold. By default it became Ettore Bugatti’s personal car and also the last Royale produced. The Bugatti-built body on this car was made completely of wood, with hundred of small blocks used with veneer panels to form the contours.

All six Bugatti Royales still exist. Although a Royale has not publicly traded ownership in many years, they are among the most valuable cars on the planet. In 1991, the last time any Royale was publicly traded, this car sold for $8m – a value below pre-auction estimates. (It is rumored that this car did not run at the time, due to a blown head caused when the owner overheated the engine at a Florida race track. I don’t know if this rumor is true.)

Also notable, for many decades, this car was one of two Royales housed in the legendary Bill Harrah Collection. It was brought to the United States by American race car driver and enthusiast Briggs Cunningham who in 1951 used cash and two refrigerators to acquire this car as well as the 1931 Royale Kellner Coupe. In war-torn France, major appliances were in very short supply. An oversized 20-year old car held less value.

This car is now thought to be owned by a collector in the San Francisco Bay Area. Last time I saw it, the car was purring beautifully. Therefore, if the engine had been blown, it has now been fixed.