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Chassis:
The first Royale customer was clothing manufacturer Armand Esders. He had Bugatti fit a two-door roadster coachwork, penned by Jean Bugatti. Considering the size of the chassis, the 2+2 body was surprisingly elegant. No lights were fitted as Esders never drove at night. This Royale came closest to becoming royal property as reputedly the King of Romania had the car rebodied by Henri Binder with a coupe de ville style bodywork. The design was very similar to the Coupe Napoleon body on Ettore's own Royale. Due to the outbreak of the War, the King never took delivery of the car. It survived the second world war, hidden in the sewers of Paris. When peace returned it was sold to England and eventually ended up in the Harrah collection in the United States.
In 1986 the Binder bodied Royale was bought by Californian collector General William Lyon. He offered the car during the 1996 Barrett-Jackson, where he refused an offer of $11 million; the reserve was set at $15 million. The new owner of the Bugatti brand, Volkswagen, bought the car in 1999 for a reputed $20 million in 1999. There were no sewers around to keep the car from the Germans this time. Using the many spares available, the Schlumpf Collection has built an exact replica of the Esders Roadster. It is on display at the Musee National de l'Automobile in Mulhouse, France, along with two of the six original cars. The Binder Coupe de Ville is shown above at the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed where the Royale's eigthieth anniversary was celebrated.
| Chassis details |
| Last known location |
Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. |
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Type 41 Royale Binder Coupe de Ville
