Mystery surrounds $160 million Bugatti Atlantic ‘La Voiture Noire’ find
The near-mythical black Bugatti Atlantic disappeared as the Nazis closed in on France more than 80 years ago. Now, claims it has been found and shipped to the USA for restoration have surfaced online.
An employee at a high-profile US restoration facility has sensationally claimed the world’s most valuable and enigmatic vehicle on four wheels has been found in an abandoned barn – but experts and historians remain dubious.
In late 1936, legendary French car maker Bugatti began work on a fighter plane-inspired sports coupe for the wealthiest of Europe’s exclusive elite, officially named the Type 57SC Atlantic.
Just four were built, and three – all of which were sold to customers – are accounted for today.
However, an elusive fourth – nicknamed La Voiture Noire, or ‘the black car’ (shown below) – was kept by Jean Bugatti, the son of company founder Ettore Bugatti, and disappeared under a shroud of mystery as the Nazis tightened their grip on Europe.
Records show the vehicle was squirrelled away for safekeeping on a train headed to Bordeaux in 1938, in anticipation of the impending invasion of France which ultimately came in 1940.
However, from there the trail goes cold, and it’s unclear if it ever arrived at its intended destination.
Developing a near-mythical status as a lost Nazi treasure in the years since, the vehicle has widely been widely referred to as an ‘automotive Amber Room.’
The Volkswagen Group – which now owns the Bugatti marque – estimates, if found and sold today, the two-seater could be worth in excess of €100 million ($AU160 million).
And that brings us to today.
Earlier this week in a now deleted social media post, Reddit user r/RIP_MY_MAIN_ACCOUNT published the
below photos with the caption: “This was found in a barn in France.”“The entire car has been verified by historians [as the La Voiture Noire], but politics has stopped it [from being shown to the public just yet.]
“The car never reached the destination it was supposed to on the train, it had actually been kept a secret and disassembled at the house of a close friend of Ettore [Bugatti] due to Ettore’s death.
“Two years after the war he never had the chance to go back and collect the car so there it sat for decades simply a shell with its parts in a barn.”
When Drive approached the individual for comment, they claimed they were unable to provide any further information as doing so may jeopardise their professional reputation – all before deleting their account.
Subsequently, a spokesperson for the Connecticut-based restoration company where the vehicle is now located said: “Unfortunately the photos were posted by an intern without authorisation to do so … At this time, we cannot confirm nor deny the claims.”
If the Reddit submissions are accurate, this would represent the most significant automotive find in history.
However, that’s an exceedingly big if …
Three Bugatti experts – located in Australia, Europe, and the United States – told Drive the photos likely do not show the lost vehicle, but instead a high-quality unfinished modern replica (potentially built on a legitimate Bugatti chassis).
“The consensus is that it is not what it is claimed to be. [It doesn’t look like a] 57S chassis,” a spokesperson for the Bugatti Club Australia said.
“The firewall looks original – and has a chassis plate which would be revealing.”
So if not the La Voiture Noire, what is it?
If the vehicle is built on a legitimate Type 57 chassis (similar to the 57S, but riding higher off the ground) – which the bronze identification plate on the firewall suggests is plausible – it is likely still exceedingly valuable, as just 710 were built and significantly fewer than that are known to still exist today.
Drive is continuing to follow this story, and will update with any new developments.
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