The only Bugatti Chiron Profillet sold at auction for a record $10.7 million.
A true one-off Bugatti has broken the record for the highest bid for a new car at auction.
That car is the Bugatti Chiron Profillet, which the French performance brand unveiled last month. It was sold at the RM Sotheby's auction in Paris on Wednesday for 9,792,500 euros ($10.77 million), including buyer's premium.
This is double the pre-auction estimate, which is good because Bugatti plans to donate a portion of the proceeds to charity. It also breaks the previous record for new cars sold at auction, which was $7 million paid for the 500th Ferrari LaFerrari in 2016. The title for the highest price paid for a car sold at auction goes to a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhout coupe, which sold for 135 million euros ($148.5 million) in 2022.
Like most one-off cars, the Chiron Profillet was developed with an eye toward offering multiple examples. It was developed in response to Bugatti customers' requests for a more modest and elegant version of the hard-core, track-focused Chiron Pure Sport, which was launched in early 2020. However, demand for Chirons in general was higher than expected, and the entire production quota of 500 units of this hypercar was filled before the Chiron Profillet was introduced to the market.
The Chiron Profillet that was sold was actually a pre-production unit that was legalized for public road use in Europe. Because it was a pre-production unit, it was not included in the 500-unit production run of the Chiron.
A distinctive feature of the car is a small ducktail spoiler, which, along with a modified front lip spoiler, helps the Profillet generate sufficient downforce (the Chiron Pure Sport has a huge 1.5 m wide rear wing). The car takes its name from the rear spoiler. It was a reference to one of Jean Bugatti's first creations, the Type 46, nicknamed the Super Profillet, which had a rear section with a unique flick to the tail.
Power came from the familiar quad-turbo 8.0-liter W-16, tuned to deliver the same 1,480 hp as the Pürsport. The Profillet accelerates from 0-62 mph in 2.3 seconds, 0-124 mph in 5.5 seconds, and reaches a top speed of 236 mph, faster than the Pur Sport. Its top speed is 217 mph.
