Bugatti Royale
The Bugatti Type 41, better known as the Royale, is perhaps the most extreme luxury car ever built. It was enormous, with a 4300 mm (169.3 in) wheelbase and 6.4 m (21 ft) overall length. It weighed approximately 3175 kg (7000 lb) and used a massive 12.8 L (12763 cc/778 in³) straight-8 engine.
Everything about the Royale was magnificent. Its cast "Roue Royale" wheels measured 610 mm (24 in) in diameter and were works of art in their own right. All six Royales still exist, and each wears a different body. Only one, however, was built as a limousine. The true town car body used (open in front, closed in back) was designed to be chauffeur-driven, with long sweeping front fenders amplifying the overall length. It is unusual in that it features no headlights — the buyer decided that he would not be driven in it after dark.
The massive engine, perhaps the largest fully-realized automobile engine ever made, produced 205 to 223 kW (275 to 300 hp). 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 carburettor was needed.
The Royale was launched just as the world economy began to sour. Just six were built between 1929 and 1933, with just three sold to external customers. The remaining three were kept inside the company, including one which would become the personal car of Ettore Bugatti for the remainder of his days. The unused engines were pressed into service in locomotives on the French national railways.
The Royale has become legendary, like the Atlantic. In 1991, Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza, sold his Royale for US$8,000,000, which was actually less than the £5.5 million he purchased it for.