This Bugatti Type 41 Royale was the brainchild of Ettore Bugatti--and also a hugely expensive misstep in the history of his firm. In the 1920s, Bugatti was expecting to get a contract from the French military to build 16-cylinder aircraft engines. The contract never materialized, but Bugatti felt he could use half that engine, a straight eight, to form one of the most amazing luxury cars in history.

A mere six Royale's were produced and two were never sold, staying instead with the Bugatti estate.In 1987,the car was sold for a record £5.5 million at London's Royal Albert Hall before an audience of 4,000 enthusiasts.Now the present anonymous owner--believed to be Japanese--has commissioned Bonham & Brooks in London to offer the Bugatti Royale for resale to anyone willing to pay the asking price which is estimated to be $10-12 million.