If you happen to find yourself in the same neighborhood as The Londoner Hotel this holiday season, you may want to take a look at their Christmas display. There, in a giant glass box, you will find a breathtaking Bugatti La Voiture Noire. When introduced in 2019, the one-off Bugatti La Voiture Noire was the most expensive production vehicle in the world with an $18 million price tag. But, of course, the La Voiture Noire did not hold the title for long as it was soon overthrown by the Rolls-Royce Boat Tail, which raised the bar to $28 million.
Nevertheless, the Bugatti La Voiture is an engineering masterpiece inspired by the iconic Type 57 SC Atlantic to celebrate the brand’s 100th anniversary. The La Voiture Noire is based on the current Chiron with a redesigned body made entirely out of carbon fiber. Under the hood beats a massive 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine producing an eye-widening 1,479-hp and 1,180 lb.-ft of torque. However, the car parked in the glass box in front of The Londoner Hotel is not the production model. Instead, this is a pre-production example used by Bugatti for display purposes.
The pre-production Bugatti La Voiture Noire features the same multi-million-dollar bodywork minus the W16 engine and five-star luxury interior. The car moves under its own power using an electric motor as seen in a video posted by TheTFJJ. So while the production vehicle is an engineering marvel, this pre-production model is an automotive sculpture built to be admired. The car will be on display through the holiday season, so if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and press your face against the glass like a kid looking into a toy store.
For more about Bugatti, check out this classic 1994 Bugatti EB 110 GT.