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One-of-a-kind Bugatti Chiron Profilee sells for over $10 million at auction

The one and only Bugatti Chiron Profilee has become the most expensive new car ever sold at an auction. RM Sotheby's sold it in Paris for precisely ˆ9,792,500 including the buyer's premium, a sum that represents approximately $10.8 million at the current conversion rate. For context, the Profilee makes the standard Chiron (which is sold-out) look like a bargain. Bugatti charged about $3 million for it, meaning the anonymous collector who took home the one-off car could have bought three regular Chiron models instead. With that said, we're not 100% surprised by the result: in addition to being a unique car, the Profilee stands out as the last W16-powered car available from Bugatti. Bugatti didn't envision the Profilee as a one-off; far from it. The model was developed with limited production in mind as a toned-down version of the Pur Sport that puts a bigger focus on touring than on handling. Changes such as wider front air dams, a bigger grille, and a small rear wing with a hollow middle section change the coupe's aerodynamic profile, and Bugatti also tweaked the steering and suspension systems. Shorter ratios in the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission make the Profilee the quickest evolution of the Chiron. Production should have been capped at 30 units globally, but Bugatti canned the project after it filled all of the available Chiron build slots. There's no word on who bought the Chiron Profilee or where it's off to, so keep your eyes peeled at the next cars and coffee gathering. Related video:

New limited-edition Bugatti rumored for Pebble Beach

The Supercar Blog has heard from its VIP sources that Bugatti has a new special-edition offering planned for debut at Pebble Beach. The Molsheim brand enjoys playing to its deep-pocketed crowd at the annual Northern California fest, having introduced the special edition $5.8M Divo there last year, and regularly hosting Grand Tour driving events around the concours. TSB didn't get details on the coming model, but it was told that part of its production run has already been sold. In 2017, ex-Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Durheimer said the identity of a Chiron successor would need to be answered by this year, after spending 2018 exploring different ideas. Current brand CEO Stephan Winkelmann has spoken broadly about his intention for the automaker and vaguely about what kinds of models could come. He's repeatedly nixed the idea of a Bugatti SUV and said sedans constitute "a segment that is losing momentum," so a four-door wouldn't be worthwhile. And although he has said the brand "still [has] a lot of plans" for the W16 engine, he most recently mentioned a more affordable, electric daily-driver, perhaps something that would sit on a brand new platform. Whatever gets the green light as a second model, its primary task is to increase Bugatti's volume. If a report in Automobile from last September is accurate, we should expect three Chiron-based trims to show before the production run ends: a go-faster SS, a Superleggera, and a targa Aperta. Winkelmann has also said he doesn't want to do an Aperta version of the Chiron; still, we're left with nearly every option open for the rumored debut at Pebble. TSB says Bugatti is working to unveil two new cars per year. The La Voiture Noire was one, the Pebble Beach car could be the second, and there's another rumor of a third car to come at the Grand Tour drive. Just two months away from the event, it's likely we'll start getting glimpses before a reveal on the lawn.

Sounds like Bugatti is about to debut a 57 SC Atlantic-inspired design

In early February, a rumor popped up that Bugatti was bringing an extremely special multi-million-dollar one-off custom to the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. This week, Bugatti put out a teaser on social media that hinted at a new 57 SC Atlantic-inspired design. Could the two be related, or are automotive enthusiasts in for two major surprises? Maybe we've been watching too much "True Detective" and have the itch to put clues together, but a peculiar timeline has begun to take shape surrounding what's to come next for Bugatti. On Feb. 12, we picked up a report from The Supercar Blog that said ex-VW boss Dr. Ferdinand Piech had ordered a one-off Bugatti that cost about $18 million and would debut in Geneva. On Feb. 18, Bugatti began a social campaign that celebrated the 80th birthday of the famed 57 SC Atlantic, highlighting each of the four examples that were built. The Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic is one of the most mystical cars in automotive history and the star in the Hollywood movie OVERDRIVE. To find out more about its real life story, stay tuned! #Overdrive #Bugatti #BugattiAtlantic #Type57SC #BugattiHistory #Bugatti110Ans pic.twitter.com/RRhttBc6mI — Bugatti (@Bugatti) February 18, 2019 On Feb. 24, Bugatti publicly wondered if the design of the 57 SC Atlantic could be reinterpreted in the modern automotive landscape. Jean Bugatti's 57 SC Atlantic cannot be re-created, but what do you think? Can we translate its design language into the 21st century? #Bugatti #BugattiAtlantic #Type57SC #BugattiHistory #Bugatti110Years #Bugatti110Ans #JeanBugatti #BugattiDesign #BugattiDesignLanguage pic.twitter.com/HUKPQAkCUq — Bugatti (@Bugatti) February 24, 2019 And today, Feb. 25, Bugatti posted an interview with Deputy Design Director Etienne Salome in which he added a couple more hints. He starts by saying, "When the team and myself started to design this car," which suggests the Atlantic-inspired car is indeed real. He goes on, referencing Jean Bugatti: "How would he translate the timeless beauty and the elegance of his own private Atlantic onto a modern-day Bugatti?" Bugatti's Deputy Design Director Etienne Salome tells us, what it would need to revive the 57SC Atlantic in the 21st century. #Bugatti #BugattiAtlantic #Type57SC #BugattiHistory #BugattiStory #Bugatti110Years #Bugatti110Ans #JeanBugatti pic.twitter.com/zoHagIElSP — Bugatti (@Bugatti) February 25, 2019 The second piece of information there could be taken literally or figuratively.