Bugatti Type 41 ‘Royale’ chassis number 41150, known as the ‘Berline de Voyage

Bugatti-Type 41-Royale-chassis-number-41150-Berline de Voyage

This is the biography of a single car – Bugatti Type 41 ‘Royale’ chassis number 41150, known as the ‘Berline de Voyage’

It is the story of one man’s determination to build the finest motor car that could possibly exist. Only six examples were created and all survive. And only this one, 41150, was clothed in a style closest to the heart of its creator, Ettore Bugatti.

The story starts with a letter.

Sent by Ettore Bugatti in 1913 to a valued friend, it set out for the first time his vision for a car that would surpass all others. A decade and a half would pass before that vision was realised, when the prototype ‘Golden Bug’ caused a sensation at the Nürburgring in 1928. The racing driver Tim Birkin, in his book Full Throttle, recorded the spectacle: “… before the start a commotion was observed among the great crowd, as if someone was trying to get through and finding

it hard. Gradually the throngs parted, as down the lane of inquisitive Germans came a wonderful golden car, and indeed reclined, like a Roman Emperor in Rome’s most apolaustic days, the creator in person, none other than the great, the sublime Ettore Bugatti. It was indeed to be a big event, when the Golden Bug attended it.” 

Firstly, this book reveals the astounding history of the Type 41: its conception and development, its unmatched engineering and the romantic history of its mascot. Moving to chassis 41150, it relates the origins of its ‘Berline’ style and reveals Ettore’s abiding love for this unique form, whether on horse-drawn carriages or on motor cars. The book presents a detailed history of this unique machine: its owners, its long hibernation within the Bugatti family, and its return to the most prestigious meetings and concours of the world. The story concludes with short histories of the five sister cars of 41150, and a fascinating insight into the Autorails – the record-breaking railcars, powered by multiple Royale engines, that kept the Bugatti company strong and profitable through the challenging times of the 1930s.