Thursday 19th November 1987

London dealer, Nicholas Harley paid £5.5 million for a 1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale Sports Coupe at an auction held by Christies at the Royal Albert Hall, London. The Bugatti Royale was an incredible display of wealth. Built more like a train than a car, the Royale had a 12.7-litre straight-eight and weighed 3,175 kilograms. Designed to be the most luxurious car ever, even royalty struggled to cough up the asking price for the Bugatti and of the six built, only three were sold.