There's a fine line for hypercars. If it's too outrageous, they become cartoonish. Be too subtle, well, it's merely just super. Bugatti marked its 110th anniversary with the La Voiture Noire - a sleek jet-black rocket that's more Bruce Wayne's Sunday runaround than his alter-ego's attack-mode Batmobile. They are billing it as the most expensive new car ever - at €11 million, coincidentally a million euros for every decade. The 16-cylinder engine has six tailpipes and La Voiture Noire’s extravagant specs highlight the balancing act parent company Volkswagen is pulling off across its 12-brand empire. New chief Herbert Diess has sought to accelerate an overhaul to make the company more agile and rein in spending. The company says the car is “far more than a modern interpretation” of Jean Bugatti’s Type 57 SC Atlantic, an industry icon coveted by classic-car aficionados and the most famous work of the son of the company’s founder, Ettore Bugatti. The one-off has already been sold and speculation points to former VW chief executive and chairman Ferdinand Piech as the new owner. Mr Piech was known for his tough leadership and signed off on some of Bugatti's more exubrient development costs. He quit Volkswagen in acrimony in April 2015. While there’s no mention of Mr Piech in Bugatti’s statement, describing the new owner only as an “enthusiast” for the brand. Perhaps he is wise not to drive it off the forecourt.
