French hypercar manufacturer Bugatti has set a new world record yet again, but this time around it’s not related to speed. The one-of-one Bugatti Chiron Profilée was sold at an RM Sotheby’s auction for a jaw-dropping €9,792,500 (roughly $10.8 million). The auction price doesn’t include VAT; adding it will bring the price up to 12 million euros or over $13 million. Bugatti-Rimac CEO Mate Rimac posted pictures from the auction on various social media platforms announcing that the Profilée now holds the world record for the most expensive new car sold at auction. Interestingly, the one-of-a-kind Bugatti had a pre-auction estimate of between $4.55 million and $6 million; yet, we had already predicted that the final auction price will be much higher and the Profilée could set a new sale record.
The Profilée is the only other Chiron-based one-off hypercar Bugatti has ever built. Before this, the French marque had created the La Voiture Noire, which still holds the title for the most expensive new Bugatti ever made with a price tag of $18 million. However, the Profilée was never intended to be a bespoke model. Reportedly, Bugatti started the development work in 2020 with the intention to create a limited-production variant of the Chiron to bridge the gap between the regular Chiron and the Chiron Pur Sport.
However, all 500 examples of Chiron sold out faster than expected, even before Bugatti could finish developing the Profilée. But instead of canceling the project, the iconic French completed one example and turned it into a one-off creation. Now that it has sold for a record-smashing amount, we can say that it was a masterstroke.
(All images by RM Sotheby’s)
