Those old touring cars are huge. This one had a massive 12.7L 8-cylinder engine that produced almost 300 hp. That was an astonishing amount of power for 1932, when the Ford Model A had 40 hp. But we can get that much power out of a 2.3L engine these days.

The Bugatti Type 41, better known as the Royale, is a large luxury car built from 1927 to 1933 with a 4.3 m (169.3 in) wheelbase and 6.4 m (21 ft) overall length. It weighs approximately 3175 kg (7000 lb) and uses a 12.7 L (12763 cc/778 cu in) straight-eight engine. For comparison, against the modern Rolls-Royce Phantom (produced from 2003 onward), the Royale is about 20% longer, and more than 25% heavier. This makes the Royale one of the largest cars in the world.

Ettore Bugatti planned to build twenty-five of these cars, sell them to royalty and to be the most luxurious car ever. But even European royalty was not buying such things during the Great Depression, and Bugatti was able to sell only three of the six made.

The Bugatti Royale in this particular photo was designed and styled by Jean Bugatti, son of Ettore Bugatti. The car was especially designed for Dr.Armand Esders, a clothing manufacturer, who ordered a car without any headlights as this would impair the beautiful design.

Base model then was listed at $30,000, (just under 1/2 million dollars today).

3 of 6 of them are actually in museums. Another one of them is owned by VW (which currenty owns Bugatti). The other two are owned by private owners, one of which often shows it publicly. In 1985, all 6 appeared together in Pebble Beach, CA.