Article: Holiday Snaps - Part 3

[Steve Holmes]

The thing that really struck me about this room in the museum is that virtually every car here would get an instant invite to Pebble Beach, or any other high-end show that only allows the best of the best. But the cars in this room are essentially playing a supporting role, and the way the room is laid out makes this quite clear.

Ettore Bugatti planned to build 25 Royales. These were the largest, most expensive, and most luxurious cars in the world in the late 1920s and early '30s. Here are some specs: They're over 21 feet in length, weigh over 3 tons, and have a 12.7 litre straight-8 engine. They are mighty machines, the ultimate of motor cars, and aimed specifically to be sold to royalty and other people of great wealth and importance.

In the end, only 6 were produced. And the Schlumpf collection has 2 of them! They're both displayed in the center of the room, on special stages so they're raised up above the other cars. All the other cars are positioned around them, further underlining their importance.

The most important of the pair, and of all the Royale's built, is chassis 41100, the magnificent Coupe Napoleon. This is essentially a two owner car. It started life with different body work than what it has now. The first owner was Ettore Bugatti, who used it as his personal car before crashing it early in its life, after which it was rebodied as the Coupe Napoleon. It remained in the Bugatti family until 1963, when financial difficulties forced them to sell. Fritz Schlumpf was the buyer.

Its hard to put into words just how spectacular this car is. It really has a presence about it. My crappy photos don't do it justice.

How much would it be worth?