New one-off Bugatti La Voiture Noire revealed at Geneva

Bugatti has built a one-off hypercar for the Geneva Motor Show. Called La Voiture Noire (The Black Car), the model celebrates Bugatti’s 110-year history, drawing design inspiration from the brand’s famous 1936 Type 57 SC Atlantic.

La Voiture Noire has already been sold to a Bugatti enthusiast for €11 million (around £9.5 million), claiming the title of the world’s most expensive new car.

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The special edition hypercar features a hand-crafted carbon fibre body which, according to Bugatti, borrows the Type 57’s elongated nose and distinctive C-pillars. However, unlike the iconic classic, the new one-off car remains mid-engined.

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A trim-piece running from the one-off model’s bonnet to its rear spoiler supposedly apes the dorsal fin fitted to the classic, whilst its A-pillars are masked by a floating windscreen.

It’s powered by the same eight-litre quad-turbo W16 as the Bugatti Chiron, albeit with the addition of a new six-tailpipe exhaust system. Power and torque figures stand at 1,479bhp and 1,600Nm, with performance being fed through a heavily revised version of the Chiron’s seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and all-wheel-drive system.

Bugatti has also completely reworked La Voiture Noire’s chassis and, whilst it shares some of the Chiron’s components, it’s been set up for comfy GT cruising rather than handling. As such, we’re expecting softer dampers and more heavily-assisted power steering.

Official performance figures are yet to be announced for La Voiture Noire. However, Bugatti has confirmed that its top speed will be lower and its 0–62mph time slower than the Chiron’s, due to the car’s revised gearing. The trade-off, Bugatti says, is superior in-gear acceleration and better passing power, making it easier to drive long distances.

What are your thoughts on Bugatti’s La Voiture Noire? Let us know in the comments section below…