Seven Iconic, Most Collectible Bugatti Vehicles

The Type 35 is one of the most successful race cars in history, with over 1,000 victories to its name. Its lightweight design, advanced engineering, and characteristic horseshoe grille made it a symbol of Bugatti’s engineering excellence. The original Type 35 was powered by a 2L 3-valve SOHC inline-8 engine with 90hp paired to a 4-speed manual transmission. The Type 35C with a Roots supercharger developed 128hp, while the Type 35TC (aka Type 35B) paired a stroked 2.3L engine from the Type 35T with a supercharger to develop 138hp. Today, cars with a proven racing history are extremely valuable.

The Type 41, known as the Royale, was the final word on luxury in the 1920s. It was powered by a massive 12.8L 3-valve SOHC inline-8 engine with just under 300hp paired to a 3-speed manual transmission. The weighty cast iron engine has an integrated cylinder head. Interestingly, it has only three main bearings and a single carburetor. The Royale featured a gigantic chassis and was the largest vehicle on the road at the time. In the late 1920s, it already carried a base price tag of $30,000. Unsurprisingly, only six were built and four were sold, making the Royale one of the rarest and most expensive Bugattis. Two of them can be seen at the Musee National de l’Automobile in France alongside a third replica built with original Bugatti parts.

The Type 55 was a sports car that combined the chassis of the Type 54 Grand Prix car with a more refined road-going body. It was powered by a detuned 2.3L 2-valve DOHC inline-8 engine from the Type 51 paired to a 4-speed manual transmission. It came with a Roots supercharger and developed 130hp. Designed by Jean Bugatti, The Type 55 is one of the most beautiful and rarest Bugatti road cars, with only 38 produced. Its racing pedigree and design make it a collector’s favorite.

The Type 57 was a gorgeous grand tourer designed by Jean Bugatti. The Type 57SC was a lowered variant with a supercharger, as the “S” and “C” stood for “Surbaissé” and “Compresseur”. The Type 57SC Atlantic is often considered one of the most beautiful cars ever made. With its distinctive teardrop shape and riveted seams, it was an Art Deco masterpiece. Its power came from a supercharged 3.3L DOHC inline-8 engine. Only four were built, making it incredibly rare and valuable. The most significant unit was chassis No. 57453 La Voiture Noire. It was Jean Bugatti’s personal favorite and has been estimated to be worth over $100 million. However, it is unknown whether the car survived the war.

After the death of Jean and Ettore Bugatti, the brand withered. Italian entrepreneur Romano Artioli acquired the brand in 1987 and hired the best Italian engineers and designers to work on a new car, which would become the EB110. Among them were Marcello Gandini and Paolo Stanzani, the main brains behind legendary Lamborghinis such as the Miura, Espada, and Countach.

The result was a mid-engine hyper car powered by a 3.5L quad-turbo V12 that sends power to all four wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission. The EB110 GT had 553hp, while the Super Sport developed 603hp, more than the Lamborghini Diablo of the time. It featured Gandini’s trademark scissor doors and in all ways that mattered was more Lamborghini than Lamborghini. The car was named after Ettore Bugatti for his 110th birthday. The EB110 was a technological marvel of its time and was one of the fastest cars of the 1990s. 

In the 2000s, Volkswagen again revived the Bugatti brand with the Veyron EB 16.4 in memory of Bugatti’s main racing driver Pierre Veyron from the 1930s. It was powered by an 8L quad-turbo W16 engine that sends power to all four wheels via a 7-speed DCT. The base model had 987hp, while the Veyron Super Sport and Grand Sport Vitesse, which was the roadster variant, had 1183hp or 1200PS. While the car was rather heavy and the engine inefficient, it was the fastest production car of its time. With fewer than 50 units produced, the Veyron Super Sport is already becoming a modern classic.

The Chiron was an evolution of the Veyron, this time in memory of Louis Chiron, another racing driver of Bugatti from the 1930s. While the base model had 1479hp, the Super Sport version developed 1578hp or 1600PS. With limited production numbers, cutting-edge technology, and immense power, special editions like the Chiron Super Sport and its variants are expected to be particularly valuable in the future. Standard models, however, will be hindered by relative high production numbers on the collector’s market.