Bugatti Type 41 Royale Esders Roadster, Turquoise & Teal

Ettore Bugatti conceived the Type 41 Royale for kings and heads of state, and the economics of the early 1930s meant only six were ever built: 4.3 metres between the axles and a 12.7-litre straight-eight that made its roughly 300 PS at under 2,000 rpm. Chassis 41.111 was the first Royale delivered to a customer. Armand Esders, a Parisian clothing manufacturer, bought it in 1932 for 700,000 francs, and Ettore's son Jean, then 23, drew him a two-seat roadster more than six metres long. Esders meant to drive only by day, so Jean left off the headlamps entirely. The chassis was later rebodied by Binder as a coupé de ville, and a recreation of Jean's roadster is kept at the national motor museum in Mulhouse.

This model is finished in two-tone turquoise and deep teal, the darker shade running along the wings and sweeping up behind the doors, over cream leather. The bonnet side panels fold up to reveal the long straight-eight with its machine-turned panels; the doors open; the cockpit has a wooden dashboard with a cluster of dials, a wood-rimmed four-spoke wheel and teal carpets edged in white. In the tail a second, dickey-seat cockpit opens with its own small screen, and the spare rides on the back. True to the original, there are no headlamps, just the horseshoe grille and a slim bumper. It is built at 1:18.