By Kien M. Lee | Editor-at-Large

"Les Legendes de Bugatti" are six special editions of its 16.4 Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse model created in celebration of the legends who have played a crucial role in the car manufacturer's history.

With the fifth model of its "Les Légendes de Bugatti" Edition, Bugatti pays tribute to the  Type 18 "Black Bess" which was one of the first ever street-legal super sports cars in automotive history.

The Type 18 was one of the most important Bugattis of the pre-war era, both ahead of its time and in a league of its own thanks to its impressive technical features.

With a 4-cylinder in-line engine and five litre capacity, the vehicle was capable of producing over 100 PS. It had a top speed of 160 km/h (100 mph), a feat deemed virtually unachievable during those times, the Type 18 was a true racing thoroughbred and the fastest road vehicle around.


Driven in races by company founder Ettore Bugatti himself, the vehicle secured a win in its class in the all-important 1912 Mont Ventoux hill climb. Bugatti had limited the production run for this model to just seven vehicles and sold them to an extremely select group of customers.

One of these customers was the famed and celebrated French aviation pioneer Roland Garros, who successfully crossed the Mediterranean in an airplane in 1912 after racking up a host of successes at a variety of aviation events.

It was Ettore’s victory at Mont Ventoux which drew Garros' attention to the Type 18. A lover of speed through and through, Garros was looking for a car which would enable him to travel as fast on land as he could in the air. In counting Garros amongst his customers, Ettore Bugatti had landed a major marketing coup.
Bugatti delivered the two-seater bearing the vehicle identification number 474 to Garros on 18 September 1913.

This Type 18, later named after the English racehorse "Black Bess" is one of only three of the seven vehicles still remaining.

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Bugatti 16.4 Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse "Jean Pierre Wimille" Legend Edition: Read Story

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Today, it can be found in the Louwman Museum, a private collection on show at The Hague in the Netherlands. Evert Louwman has kindly made the historic Type 18 "Black Bess" specially available for the world premiere of the current "Black Bess" Legend Vitesse at the Beijing Motor Show which opens on 20 April.

As is the case with all of the Legend vehicles, the "Black Bess" is based on the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse. Its 1,200 PS, 8 litre W16 engine achieves an unparalleled torque of 1,500 Nm at 3,000–5,000 rpm, and can accelerate from 0–100 km in 2.6 seconds.

With a maximum speed of 408.84 km/h with the roof down, the Vitesse is the fastest production roadster ever built.

It is priced at €2.2 million with only 3 available for sale.