Bugatti unveiled the fifth car in its six-part Les Légendes de Bugatti series at the 2014 Beijing auto show. “Black Bess” celebrates a famous Type 18 Bugatti from the early 20th century, which was the fastest road car of its time.
The Type 18 was one of the most important cars of the pre-war era, according to Bugatti. It was powered by a 5.0-liter inline-four making about 98 hp and was reportedly good for 100 mph. Company founder Ettore Bugatti drove the car to a class win at the 1912 Mont Ventoux Hill Climb.
At that hill climb, noted aviator Roland Garros saw the car. Garros' claim to fame was crossing the Mediterranean in an airplane -- a big deal at the time -- and he wanted something that would allow him to travel as fast across land as he could in the air, so he became one of only seven Type 18 owners. His car, Black Bess, took its name from an English racehorse and is one of the three Type 18s that remain today. The car is on display at the Louwman Museum at The Hague in the Netherlands.
The modern Black Bess is based on the Grand Sport Vitesse version of the Veyron, meaning it has a 1,183-hp, 8.0-liter W16 engine that makes 1,106 lb-ft of twist. The sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) takes 2.6 seconds; top speed is 254 mph.
Black Bess is painted … black, then Bugatti adds gold-colored accents and some real 24-carat gold in the Bugatti horseshoe around the grille. Gold also covers the EB logo on the back and the center caps on the rims.
Inside, buyers get mostly beige leather, with contrasting Havana brown. The steering wheel and accent stitching are done in crimson. The door panels depict the Type 18, as well as Garros' airplane, a Morane Saulnier Type H.
So far, all of the Les Légendes series cars have been sold, and only three of these Black Bess examples will be produced. The cost to you is $3.45 million, converted from Euros.
Other Les Légendes series cars include the Rembrandt Bugatti, Jean-Pierre Wimille, Meo Costantini and Jean Bugatti.
