Just when you thought the world of autocratic automobiles couldn’t possibly get any more exciting, the very latest supercar – the Bugatti La Voiture Noire – smashed all previous records by commanding a price of US$18 million.

Luxuriously crafted and exotically created by France’s Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S, a Volkswagen group subsidiary, it is now officially the most expensive new car ever sold. At least part of its value is down to the fact that it is a genuine one-off, with no take two planned for this most memorable of motors.

Undoubtedly the most remarkable motor vehicle to have been crafted in the 21st century to date, the genuinely magnificent La Voiture Noire comes equipped with a massive 8-litre quad-turbocharged 16-cylinder engine capable of delivering up to 1,500 bHp.

Describing the “aesthetic feast” that is La Voiture Noire, Bugatti president Stephan Winkelmann said: “We are paying tribute to a long tradition, to France and the creative work of Jean Bugatti. At the same time, we are transferring extraordinary technology aesthetics and extreme luxury to a new age.”