Like all French masterpieces, there will only ever be one Bugatti La Voiture Noire and after being sold for £12m it has instantly become the most expensive new car of all time.

Bugatti revealed the car this week, a homage to Jean Bugatti’s iconic Type 57 SC Atlantic, and at the same time as unveiling they told the world that it had already been sold and there would only ever be one made.

The French supercar brand have been teasing their fans for weeks across social media, with sneak peaks and videos of La Voiture Noire, ahead of the official unveiling at this week’s Geneva Motor Show.

Featuring a 1479bhp 8.0-litre 16-cylinder engine, the new Bugatti is sure to get the petrolheads excited, but catch it while you can as this may be only a fleeting glimpse as it has been snapped up by a Bugatti enthusiast.

. "The true form of luxury is individuality. 'La Voiture Noire' is now at the cutting edge of automobile production. It is a sculptural beauty with unique technology, the ideal grand tourisme," says Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann.

"Our history is both a privilege and a responsibility - the responsibility for continuing the Bugatti heritage into the future. With "La Voiture Noire", we are paying homage to our heritage and bringing speed, technology, luxury and aesthetics forward to a new era.

"La Voiture Noire is a far more than a modern interpretation of Jean Bugatti's Type 57 SC Atlantic. It is a feast of aesthetics.”

The original Type 57 SC Atlantic was released in the early 1930s.

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