Top 10 most expensive Bugatti cars

What is the most expensive Bugatti?

Not surprisingly, the most expensive is also one of the rarest Bugatti models ever made. As is often the case, scarcity equals value. The model in question is the 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic which sold for a rumoured US$35 million in 2010.

The 57SC Atlantic is one of the most sought-after vintage cars, with the French brand only building four examples of this stunning looking and state-of-the-art (for the time) coupe.

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Aside from this record-breaking example, the other three Atlantics all have a story. One of the quartet was lost during World War II and has never been found. One was bought by fashion designer Ralph Lauren in the 1980s for an undisclosed sum (but before prices rose sharply). And the final example was badly damaged in a train crash and the rebuilt version is considered a replica by serious collectors and investors.

The 57SC Atlantic is one of the most sought-after vintage cars.

What is the average price of a Bugatti?

Put simply, if you’re asking how much is a Bugatti, then you can’t afford one. The current line-up consists of two models, the Mistral for US$5.38m ($8.1m) and Bolide for US$4.30m ($6.5m).

The Bugatti Mistral wears a price tag of US.38m (.1m).

Why are Bugattis so expensive?

The Volkswagen Group owns the French brand, which can trace its roots back to 1909 when the car company was founded by Italian-born designer, Ettore Bugatti; although the current iteration of the brand is technically separate from that.

Under Volkswagen ownership, Bugatti has been established as one of the most premium brands in the world, with a focus on building the fastest and most luxurious vehicles possible. The Veyron was the first of these ‘super sports cars’ and featured an all-new, and very complex, W16 quad-turbocharged engine which allowed it to hit a top speed of 407km/h.

Since then the brand has released the Chiron and a series of special editions based on the same architecture and using the W16 engine, including the Divo, La Voiture Noire, Centodieci and the latest model, the Mistral roadster and Bolide track-only hypercar.

The Veyron was the first of these ‘super sports cars’ and featured an all-new, and very complex, W16 quad-turbocharged engine.

How do Bugatti cars compare to other luxury car brands in terms of price range?

Bugatti sits at the upper echelon of luxury car prices, beyond even the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren. Bugatti’s current range is only for the wealthiest car buyers who have no trouble dropping millions on a car they will likely only drive a few times each year.

The top 10 most expensive Bugattis

* Note, all prices are listed in US dollars, for the sake of consistency, and reflect the price at the time of sale and do not adjust for inflation.

1. 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic - US$35m

The Type 57SC Atlantic is a car collector’s dream.

Ettore Bugatti made his name making beautiful and very fast cars. The Type 59 Grand Prix car would form the basis of this remarkable coupe, providing a sporty chassis and straight-eight engine. But it’s the aluminium body and its trademark ‘dorsal seam’ that mark out the Atlantic.

While Ralph Lauren reportedly bought his privately and before prices reached this level, the owner of this 1936 example - chassis no. 57374 - had to pay a heavy premium for this rare machine at a 2010 auction. The exact sale price is not known, but it’s believed somewhere between US$30-40m exchanged hands, with some reports claiming it was US$38m.

The buyer was never officially revealed, but the car was displayed at the museum of renowned collector, Peter W. Mullin, until his death early in 2024 led to the closure of the museum.

The combination of striking design, cutting edge technology for the era and the sheer rarity makes the Type 57SC Atlantic a car collector’s dream.

2. 1932 Bugatti Type 41 Royale ‘Coupé de ville Binder’ - US$20m

Volkswagen reportedly bought the Coupé de ville Binder for USm for historical and promotion reasons.

A name can tell you a lot about a car. For example, you know a car is worth a lot of money when it has a name. This model is officially known as the Type 41 but is better known as the Royale, as Ettore Bugatti had aspirations of selling his opulent coupe to Europe’s royal families. He had a plan to build 25 but only found six buyers, which was bad news for Ettore at the time, but is good news for owners now.

This particular 1932 example, chassis no. 41111, was originally fitted with a two-seat body designed by Jean Bugatti, Ettore’s son, but eventually was rebodied by renowned coach builder, Henri Binder; thus earning its famous name.

Legend has it the car was stored in the Paris sewers during World War II and ended up in the United States by the 1960s. It then passed through several hands, including the head of Domino’s Pizza.

In 1999 to celebrate its ownership of the brand, Volkswagen reportedly bought the Coupé de ville Binder for US$20m for historical and promotion reasons.

3. 2019 Bugatti La Voiture Noire - US$18.9m

The striking all black machine features the same 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 as the Chiron.

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The owner of the new La Voiture Noire has never been officially revealed.

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Earlier we mentioned that there is a missing fourth example of the Type 57SC Atlantic. That one was painted black and became known as La Voiture Noire - French for ‘The Black One’ - before it met its mysterious fate.

So in 2019 when the company created a one-of-a-kind special edition, based on the Chiron, it revived the name. The striking all black machine features the same 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 as the Chiron but it’s housed in a unique body which makes it stand out - even amongst the world’s most special supercars.

The owner of the new La Voiture Noire has never been officially revealed. Some outlets reported soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo bought it, but he denied this. Former Volkswagen chairman, and grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, Ferdinand Piëch was not only the owner of the car but actually commissioned Bugatti to build it. This would seem logical, given it was Piëch who was in charge of Volkswagen Group when it revived the French brand.

4. 2023 Bugatti Chiron Profilée - US$10.7m

The Chiron Profilée is not only one of the most expensive Bugattis ever sold, it’s also one of the most expensive new cars ever.

In 2021 Bugatti Automobiles became part of a three-way joint-venture with Porsche and Croatian electric supercar company, Rimac. Now known as Bugatti Rimac, its future will focus on electric hypercars, which made the last Bugatti powered by the brand’s iconic W16 engine highly sought-after. 

Which is why this one-off special edition Chiron Profilée sold for such a staggering sum of money. Not only is it one of the most expensive Bugattis ever sold, it’s also one of the most expensive new cars ever.

5. Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante - US$10.3m

The beautiful bodywork of the Type 57SC Atalante was designed by Ettore’s son, Jean Bugatti.

Arguably this car (chassis no. 57523) is worth US$19m as it sold in 2013 for US$8.7m before then going under the hammer again in 2022 and fetching an even larger price. Making US$1.3m on a car you’ve owned for less than a decade sounds like a pretty good deal.

But it’s no wonder multiple people are willing to pay big dollars for this car. As the name suggests, the Type 57SC Atalante is closely related to the Atlantic at the top of our list. The beautiful bodywork was designed by Ettore’s son, Jean Bugatti, and it was a direct follow up to the Atlantic.

Part of the reason the price is lower than the Atlantic is that the company made more Atalantes, 17 in total. Which is hardly ‘mass production’ but relatively high volume in this part of the market.

6. 2019 Bugatti Centodieci - US$10m

The Chiron-based Centodieci oozes a retro style.

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Launched in 2019, only 10 lucky customers earned the right to hand Bugatti US$10m for this W16-powered party favour.

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This is another special edition built in limited numbers (do you sense a theme here?), this time a 110th birthday present to itself. Styled after the EB 110 supercar of the 1980s, which kept the company afloat during a long lean spell, the Chiron-based Centodieci oozed retro style.

Launched in 2019, only 10 lucky customers earned the right to hand Bugatti US$10m for this W16-powered party favour. For that money they got a piece of history that could run 0-100km/h in just 2.4 seconds, 0-200km/h in 6.1 seconds and 0-300km/h in a staggering 13.1 seconds. The top speed was limited to 380km/h - practically sluggish by modern Bugatti standards.

7. 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante - US$9.5m

The Bugatti Type 57S Atalante was sold in 2020 for US.5m.

Coming up just behind our last entry is another Atalante, but the story of chassis no. 57502 is even more remarkable. Originally owned by racing driver Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, in 1937 but it eventually ended up with a Dr Harold Carr by the mid-1950s. When it ran out of registration in 1960, Carr locked up the Bugatti in his garage and it stayed there until 2008.

Despite being very dusty and bit worse for wear after nearly 50 years in storage, it sold at auction in 2009, was the restored to its original glory and sold again in 2020 for US$9.5m.

8. 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport - US$7.1m

This particular 1932 example sold at a Bonhams Auction in 2020 for US.1m.

Before Jean Bugatti created the gorgeous Type 57 Atalante he produced the classically proportioned and timelessly elegant Type 55 Super Sport Roadster. Like so many Bugattis of this time period, the company used its Grand Prix racing entry of the time - the Type 51 - as the starting point. 

This meant a 2.3-litre in-line eight-cylinder engine with a supercharger, making a period-impressive 96kW of power. Of the 38 Type 55s produced, 23 featured bodies designed by Jean, while the remainder were sent to coachbuilders, popular at the time, for unique looks.

This particular 1932 example sold at a Bonhams Auction in 2020, proving not even a global pandemic can dampen the demand for these remarkable cars.

9. Bugatti Chiron Hermès - US$6.0m

The Bugatti Chiron Hermès is reportedly valued at US$6.0m.

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Upfront is a unique horseshoe-shaped grille made with an ‘H’ monogram.

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What do you get when you cross an expensive super sports car with one of the world’s leading, high-end luxury goods brands? The answer - an even more expensive super sports car.

The brainchild of car collector and California real estate agent, Manny Khoshbin, and a partnership between Bugatti and Hermès, this is a true one-of-a-kind car.

Starting with a standard Chiron the two companies spent three years selecting a unique shade of white exterior paint and just the right blend of leather and cashmere interior trims. There’s even a unique horseshoe-shaped grille made with an ‘H’ monogram.

The car is reportedly valued at US$6.0m, but Khoshbin has stated he wants to leave it to his son; who he even tried to name Ettore, but was denied by his wife… so he just had to settle for the car.

10. 2018 Bugatti Divo - US$5.8m

The Bugatti Divo has a top speed of 380km/h.

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Only 40 examples of the Divo were offered.

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The Volkswagen-owned version of Bugatti made its reputation going fast. The Veyron had a top speed of 407km/h and then the Chiron went faster, hitting a 489km/h max. So for the Divo the company decided to do something different and created a track-only car with a priority on handling.

That meant a new body and aerodynamic package with a bias on handling over outright top speed. So the Divo (named for 1920s Bugatti racer, Albert Divo) has a larger rear wing, bigger front splitter and totally reworked suspension.

What it does share in common with the Chiron (named for grand prix driver, Louis Chiron) is the quad-turbo W16 engine. That means a top speed of a still-impressive-for-any-other-brand of 380km/h. 

Only 40 examples of the Divo were offered and despite the US$5.8m asking price, all were snapped up quickly.