After partying on the coin of credulous patsies for a few years, they were arrested and the cars seized by the Las Vegas police. From there, several cars, including our subject, were sent to auction to be liquidated with the goal of recovering some of the alleged $57 million owed to defrauded victims.
Regardless of its history, the Chiron Pur Sport presented at The Quail is a fine example. It was delivered to its original owner in Miami (where else?) in white over red leather and Alcantara, with “extensive carbon-fiber accents.” While 1,900 miles may be on the high side for cars like this, the Chiron appears to be well kept and ready for whatever the new owner wants to do with it.
ROI gone AWOL
For a model as exclusive as the Chiron, comparable sales are quite plentiful. In March 2024, Broad Arrow Auctions sold a 393-mile Pur Sport for $4m (SCM# 6964017) and in May 2024 Bring a Trailer brokered the sale of a 5,400-mile Pur Sport for $4.1m. The high-water mark for the Chiron line is a one-of-one 2022 Profilée with 396 miles, which RM Sotheby’s sold for $10.7m in Paris in 2023 (SCM# 6957265), though “garden-variety” Chirons have been selling for around $3m. There have been a spate of no-sale Chirons with high bids in the upper $2m range, so if you really want one, you need to be ready to spend at least $3m.
All of this means our subject car sold squarely where it should have. A more-special-than-most Chiron in good shape should pull about $4m. Notably, all the seized hypercars at this sale were offered at no reserve, drawing considerable attention, and making this sale price even more representative of the car’s actual market value.
What the numbers do not show, however, is a great deal of appreciation over the original sales price from five years ago. Furthermore, most cars selling in this rarefied space are doing so on commission-based sales, be it from auction houses or specialty dealers, which takes a further cut from the proceeds. And don’t even begin factoring in the heady maintenance and insurance costs while you own it. So while you’re not likely to lose money on a Chiron bought at market rates, you probably won’t see much by the way of gains either. For now, anyway.
After partying on the coin of credulous patsies for a few years, they were arrested and the cars seized by the Las Vegas police. From there, several cars, including our subject, were sent to auction to be liquidated with the goal of recovering some of the alleged $57 million owed to defrauded victims.
Regardless of its history, the Chiron Pur Sport presented at The Quail is a fine example. It was delivered to its original owner in Miami (where else?) in white over red leather and Alcantara, with “extensive carbon-fiber accents.” While 1,900 miles may be on the high side for cars like this, the Chiron appears to be well kept and ready for whatever the new owner wants to do with it.
ROI gone AWOL
For a model as exclusive as the Chiron, comparable sales are quite plentiful. In March 2024, Broad Arrow Auctions sold a 393-mile Pur Sport for $4m (SCM# 6964017) and in May 2024 Bring a Trailer brokered the sale of a 5,400-mile Pur Sport for $4.1m. The high-water mark for the Chiron line is a one-of-one 2022 Profilée with 396 miles, which RM Sotheby’s sold for $10.7m in Paris in 2023 (SCM# 6957265), though “garden-variety” Chirons have been selling for around $3m. There have been a spate of no-sale Chirons with high bids in the upper $2m range, so if you really want one, you need to be ready to spend at least $3m.
All of this means our subject car sold squarely where it should have. A more-special-than-most Chiron in good shape should pull about $4m. Notably, all the seized hypercars at this sale were offered at no reserve, drawing considerable attention, and making this sale price even more representative of the car’s actual market value.
What the numbers do not show, however, is a great deal of appreciation over the original sales price from five years ago. Furthermore, most cars selling in this rarefied space are doing so on commission-based sales, be it from auction houses or specialty dealers, which takes a further cut from the proceeds. And don’t even begin factoring in the heady maintenance and insurance costs while you own it. So while you’re not likely to lose money on a Chiron bought at market rates, you probably won’t see much by the way of gains either. For now, anyway.
Specific to this sale, the limited-edition 2021 Chiron Pur Sport (pronounced “pure sport”) is a factory lightweight, shedding 110 pounds through less sound deadening, lighter seats, the deletion of some electo-hydraulic active aero complexity and injudicious use of 3D-printed titanium components. It’s also got a stiffer suspension, close-ratio gearbox, and a humongous fixed rear wing to make it a “handling” car — as if the other versions weren’t. But bring your neck brace, because the Chiron Pur Sport will rocket from 0–60 mph in 2.3 seconds, and its tested top speed is 217 mph.
The Pur Sport had a starting price of $3.6m, and it only got more expensive from there, depending on how bespoke you wanted yours to be. Just 60 of the Pur Sport version were produced in total.
Sin City scandal
So, how did this Bugatti end up being offered at auction with no reserve? The story befits the car. Apparently, a Las Vegas couple sold investors on the idea that they could score a big payday by investing in various hypercars. They claimed to have even bigger fish ready to buy the cars at top dollar. The rest of the story writes itself, with the couple using the money to buy cars and live large, then never quite getting around to selling them.
After partying on the coin of credulous patsies for a few years, they were arrested and the cars seized by the Las Vegas police. From there, several cars, including our subject, were sent to auction to be liquidated with the goal of recovering some of the alleged $57 million owed to defrauded victims.
Regardless of its history, the Chiron Pur Sport presented at The Quail is a fine example. It was delivered to its original owner in Miami (where else?) in white over red leather and Alcantara, with “extensive carbon-fiber accents.” While 1,900 miles may be on the high side for cars like this, the Chiron appears to be well kept and ready for whatever the new owner wants to do with it.
ROI gone AWOL
For a model as exclusive as the Chiron, comparable sales are quite plentiful. In March 2024, Broad Arrow Auctions sold a 393-mile Pur Sport for $4m (SCM# 6964017) and in May 2024 Bring a Trailer brokered the sale of a 5,400-mile Pur Sport for $4.1m. The high-water mark for the Chiron line is a one-of-one 2022 Profilée with 396 miles, which RM Sotheby’s sold for $10.7m in Paris in 2023 (SCM# 6957265), though “garden-variety” Chirons have been selling for around $3m. There have been a spate of no-sale Chirons with high bids in the upper $2m range, so if you really want one, you need to be ready to spend at least $3m.
All of this means our subject car sold squarely where it should have. A more-special-than-most Chiron in good shape should pull about $4m. Notably, all the seized hypercars at this sale were offered at no reserve, drawing considerable attention, and making this sale price even more representative of the car’s actual market value.
What the numbers do not show, however, is a great deal of appreciation over the original sales price from five years ago. Furthermore, most cars selling in this rarefied space are doing so on commission-based sales, be it from auction houses or specialty dealers, which takes a further cut from the proceeds. And don’t even begin factoring in the heady maintenance and insurance costs while you own it. So while you’re not likely to lose money on a Chiron bought at market rates, you probably won’t see much by the way of gains either. For now, anyway.
The specs are as impressive as you would expect for a true hypercar. The VW-based quad-turbo W16 engine is mostly exclusive to Bugatti, though Bentley and Audi both produced concept cars with the same engine. The Chiron makes about 1,500 horsepower from its 8 liters, fed to all four wheels through a 7-speed twin-clutch manumatic gearbox.
Specific to this sale, the limited-edition 2021 Chiron Pur Sport (pronounced “pure sport”) is a factory lightweight, shedding 110 pounds through less sound deadening, lighter seats, the deletion of some electo-hydraulic active aero complexity and injudicious use of 3D-printed titanium components. It’s also got a stiffer suspension, close-ratio gearbox, and a humongous fixed rear wing to make it a “handling” car — as if the other versions weren’t. But bring your neck brace, because the Chiron Pur Sport will rocket from 0–60 mph in 2.3 seconds, and its tested top speed is 217 mph.
The Pur Sport had a starting price of $3.6m, and it only got more expensive from there, depending on how bespoke you wanted yours to be. Just 60 of the Pur Sport version were produced in total.
Sin City scandal
So, how did this Bugatti end up being offered at auction with no reserve? The story befits the car. Apparently, a Las Vegas couple sold investors on the idea that they could score a big payday by investing in various hypercars. They claimed to have even bigger fish ready to buy the cars at top dollar. The rest of the story writes itself, with the couple using the money to buy cars and live large, then never quite getting around to selling them.
After partying on the coin of credulous patsies for a few years, they were arrested and the cars seized by the Las Vegas police. From there, several cars, including our subject, were sent to auction to be liquidated with the goal of recovering some of the alleged $57 million owed to defrauded victims.
Regardless of its history, the Chiron Pur Sport presented at The Quail is a fine example. It was delivered to its original owner in Miami (where else?) in white over red leather and Alcantara, with “extensive carbon-fiber accents.” While 1,900 miles may be on the high side for cars like this, the Chiron appears to be well kept and ready for whatever the new owner wants to do with it.
ROI gone AWOL
For a model as exclusive as the Chiron, comparable sales are quite plentiful. In March 2024, Broad Arrow Auctions sold a 393-mile Pur Sport for $4m (SCM# 6964017) and in May 2024 Bring a Trailer brokered the sale of a 5,400-mile Pur Sport for $4.1m. The high-water mark for the Chiron line is a one-of-one 2022 Profilée with 396 miles, which RM Sotheby’s sold for $10.7m in Paris in 2023 (SCM# 6957265), though “garden-variety” Chirons have been selling for around $3m. There have been a spate of no-sale Chirons with high bids in the upper $2m range, so if you really want one, you need to be ready to spend at least $3m.
All of this means our subject car sold squarely where it should have. A more-special-than-most Chiron in good shape should pull about $4m. Notably, all the seized hypercars at this sale were offered at no reserve, drawing considerable attention, and making this sale price even more representative of the car’s actual market value.
What the numbers do not show, however, is a great deal of appreciation over the original sales price from five years ago. Furthermore, most cars selling in this rarefied space are doing so on commission-based sales, be it from auction houses or specialty dealers, which takes a further cut from the proceeds. And don’t even begin factoring in the heady maintenance and insurance costs while you own it. So while you’re not likely to lose money on a Chiron bought at market rates, you probably won’t see much by the way of gains either. For now, anyway.
The Bugatti Chiron was made to be a collector car from the first stroke of the pen. When it was announced as the successor to the Veyron, the first 200 units were already pre-sold and the ink was long dry before the first example ever rolled out of the factory in Molsheim, France. Every single Chiron made was immediately sold, usually right into the garages of the world’s wealthiest collectors. At a base price of $2.8m and change for a theoretical basic Chiron, that’s not surprising.
The specs are as impressive as you would expect for a true hypercar. The VW-based quad-turbo W16 engine is mostly exclusive to Bugatti, though Bentley and Audi both produced concept cars with the same engine. The Chiron makes about 1,500 horsepower from its 8 liters, fed to all four wheels through a 7-speed twin-clutch manumatic gearbox.
Specific to this sale, the limited-edition 2021 Chiron Pur Sport (pronounced “pure sport”) is a factory lightweight, shedding 110 pounds through less sound deadening, lighter seats, the deletion of some electo-hydraulic active aero complexity and injudicious use of 3D-printed titanium components. It’s also got a stiffer suspension, close-ratio gearbox, and a humongous fixed rear wing to make it a “handling” car — as if the other versions weren’t. But bring your neck brace, because the Chiron Pur Sport will rocket from 0–60 mph in 2.3 seconds, and its tested top speed is 217 mph.
The Pur Sport had a starting price of $3.6m, and it only got more expensive from there, depending on how bespoke you wanted yours to be. Just 60 of the Pur Sport version were produced in total.
Sin City scandal
So, how did this Bugatti end up being offered at auction with no reserve? The story befits the car. Apparently, a Las Vegas couple sold investors on the idea that they could score a big payday by investing in various hypercars. They claimed to have even bigger fish ready to buy the cars at top dollar. The rest of the story writes itself, with the couple using the money to buy cars and live large, then never quite getting around to selling them.
After partying on the coin of credulous patsies for a few years, they were arrested and the cars seized by the Las Vegas police. From there, several cars, including our subject, were sent to auction to be liquidated with the goal of recovering some of the alleged $57 million owed to defrauded victims.
Regardless of its history, the Chiron Pur Sport presented at The Quail is a fine example. It was delivered to its original owner in Miami (where else?) in white over red leather and Alcantara, with “extensive carbon-fiber accents.” While 1,900 miles may be on the high side for cars like this, the Chiron appears to be well kept and ready for whatever the new owner wants to do with it.
ROI gone AWOL
For a model as exclusive as the Chiron, comparable sales are quite plentiful. In March 2024, Broad Arrow Auctions sold a 393-mile Pur Sport for $4m (SCM# 6964017) and in May 2024 Bring a Trailer brokered the sale of a 5,400-mile Pur Sport for $4.1m. The high-water mark for the Chiron line is a one-of-one 2022 Profilée with 396 miles, which RM Sotheby’s sold for $10.7m in Paris in 2023 (SCM# 6957265), though “garden-variety” Chirons have been selling for around $3m. There have been a spate of no-sale Chirons with high bids in the upper $2m range, so if you really want one, you need to be ready to spend at least $3m.
All of this means our subject car sold squarely where it should have. A more-special-than-most Chiron in good shape should pull about $4m. Notably, all the seized hypercars at this sale were offered at no reserve, drawing considerable attention, and making this sale price even more representative of the car’s actual market value.
What the numbers do not show, however, is a great deal of appreciation over the original sales price from five years ago. Furthermore, most cars selling in this rarefied space are doing so on commission-based sales, be it from auction houses or specialty dealers, which takes a further cut from the proceeds. And don’t even begin factoring in the heady maintenance and insurance costs while you own it. So while you’re not likely to lose money on a Chiron bought at market rates, you probably won’t see much by the way of gains either. For now, anyway.
16-cylinder sledgehammer
The Bugatti Chiron was made to be a collector car from the first stroke of the pen. When it was announced as the successor to the Veyron, the first 200 units were already pre-sold and the ink was long dry before the first example ever rolled out of the factory in Molsheim, France. Every single Chiron made was immediately sold, usually right into the garages of the world’s wealthiest collectors. At a base price of $2.8m and change for a theoretical basic Chiron, that’s not surprising.
The specs are as impressive as you would expect for a true hypercar. The VW-based quad-turbo W16 engine is mostly exclusive to Bugatti, though Bentley and Audi both produced concept cars with the same engine. The Chiron makes about 1,500 horsepower from its 8 liters, fed to all four wheels through a 7-speed twin-clutch manumatic gearbox.
Specific to this sale, the limited-edition 2021 Chiron Pur Sport (pronounced “pure sport”) is a factory lightweight, shedding 110 pounds through less sound deadening, lighter seats, the deletion of some electo-hydraulic active aero complexity and injudicious use of 3D-printed titanium components. It’s also got a stiffer suspension, close-ratio gearbox, and a humongous fixed rear wing to make it a “handling” car — as if the other versions weren’t. But bring your neck brace, because the Chiron Pur Sport will rocket from 0–60 mph in 2.3 seconds, and its tested top speed is 217 mph.
The Pur Sport had a starting price of $3.6m, and it only got more expensive from there, depending on how bespoke you wanted yours to be. Just 60 of the Pur Sport version were produced in total.
Sin City scandal
So, how did this Bugatti end up being offered at auction with no reserve? The story befits the car. Apparently, a Las Vegas couple sold investors on the idea that they could score a big payday by investing in various hypercars. They claimed to have even bigger fish ready to buy the cars at top dollar. The rest of the story writes itself, with the couple using the money to buy cars and live large, then never quite getting around to selling them.
After partying on the coin of credulous patsies for a few years, they were arrested and the cars seized by the Las Vegas police. From there, several cars, including our subject, were sent to auction to be liquidated with the goal of recovering some of the alleged $57 million owed to defrauded victims.
Regardless of its history, the Chiron Pur Sport presented at The Quail is a fine example. It was delivered to its original owner in Miami (where else?) in white over red leather and Alcantara, with “extensive carbon-fiber accents.” While 1,900 miles may be on the high side for cars like this, the Chiron appears to be well kept and ready for whatever the new owner wants to do with it.
ROI gone AWOL
For a model as exclusive as the Chiron, comparable sales are quite plentiful. In March 2024, Broad Arrow Auctions sold a 393-mile Pur Sport for $4m (SCM# 6964017) and in May 2024 Bring a Trailer brokered the sale of a 5,400-mile Pur Sport for $4.1m. The high-water mark for the Chiron line is a one-of-one 2022 Profilée with 396 miles, which RM Sotheby’s sold for $10.7m in Paris in 2023 (SCM# 6957265), though “garden-variety” Chirons have been selling for around $3m. There have been a spate of no-sale Chirons with high bids in the upper $2m range, so if you really want one, you need to be ready to spend at least $3m.
All of this means our subject car sold squarely where it should have. A more-special-than-most Chiron in good shape should pull about $4m. Notably, all the seized hypercars at this sale were offered at no reserve, drawing considerable attention, and making this sale price even more representative of the car’s actual market value.
What the numbers do not show, however, is a great deal of appreciation over the original sales price from five years ago. Furthermore, most cars selling in this rarefied space are doing so on commission-based sales, be it from auction houses or specialty dealers, which takes a further cut from the proceeds. And don’t even begin factoring in the heady maintenance and insurance costs while you own it. So while you’re not likely to lose money on a Chiron bought at market rates, you probably won’t see much by the way of gains either. For now, anyway.
Today’s high-end hypercar market is flooded with choices, and new limited-edition models keep interest strong. But with so many options available, they aren’t always sure-fire investments.
16-cylinder sledgehammer
The Bugatti Chiron was made to be a collector car from the first stroke of the pen. When it was announced as the successor to the Veyron, the first 200 units were already pre-sold and the ink was long dry before the first example ever rolled out of the factory in Molsheim, France. Every single Chiron made was immediately sold, usually right into the garages of the world’s wealthiest collectors. At a base price of $2.8m and change for a theoretical basic Chiron, that’s not surprising.
The specs are as impressive as you would expect for a true hypercar. The VW-based quad-turbo W16 engine is mostly exclusive to Bugatti, though Bentley and Audi both produced concept cars with the same engine. The Chiron makes about 1,500 horsepower from its 8 liters, fed to all four wheels through a 7-speed twin-clutch manumatic gearbox.
Specific to this sale, the limited-edition 2021 Chiron Pur Sport (pronounced “pure sport”) is a factory lightweight, shedding 110 pounds through less sound deadening, lighter seats, the deletion of some electo-hydraulic active aero complexity and injudicious use of 3D-printed titanium components. It’s also got a stiffer suspension, close-ratio gearbox, and a humongous fixed rear wing to make it a “handling” car — as if the other versions weren’t. But bring your neck brace, because the Chiron Pur Sport will rocket from 0–60 mph in 2.3 seconds, and its tested top speed is 217 mph.
The Pur Sport had a starting price of $3.6m, and it only got more expensive from there, depending on how bespoke you wanted yours to be. Just 60 of the Pur Sport version were produced in total.
Sin City scandal
So, how did this Bugatti end up being offered at auction with no reserve? The story befits the car. Apparently, a Las Vegas couple sold investors on the idea that they could score a big payday by investing in various hypercars. They claimed to have even bigger fish ready to buy the cars at top dollar. The rest of the story writes itself, with the couple using the money to buy cars and live large, then never quite getting around to selling them.
After partying on the coin of credulous patsies for a few years, they were arrested and the cars seized by the Las Vegas police. From there, several cars, including our subject, were sent to auction to be liquidated with the goal of recovering some of the alleged $57 million owed to defrauded victims.
Regardless of its history, the Chiron Pur Sport presented at The Quail is a fine example. It was delivered to its original owner in Miami (where else?) in white over red leather and Alcantara, with “extensive carbon-fiber accents.” While 1,900 miles may be on the high side for cars like this, the Chiron appears to be well kept and ready for whatever the new owner wants to do with it.
ROI gone AWOL
For a model as exclusive as the Chiron, comparable sales are quite plentiful. In March 2024, Broad Arrow Auctions sold a 393-mile Pur Sport for $4m (SCM# 6964017) and in May 2024 Bring a Trailer brokered the sale of a 5,400-mile Pur Sport for $4.1m. The high-water mark for the Chiron line is a one-of-one 2022 Profilée with 396 miles, which RM Sotheby’s sold for $10.7m in Paris in 2023 (SCM# 6957265), though “garden-variety” Chirons have been selling for around $3m. There have been a spate of no-sale Chirons with high bids in the upper $2m range, so if you really want one, you need to be ready to spend at least $3m.
All of this means our subject car sold squarely where it should have. A more-special-than-most Chiron in good shape should pull about $4m. Notably, all the seized hypercars at this sale were offered at no reserve, drawing considerable attention, and making this sale price even more representative of the car’s actual market value.
What the numbers do not show, however, is a great deal of appreciation over the original sales price from five years ago. Furthermore, most cars selling in this rarefied space are doing so on commission-based sales, be it from auction houses or specialty dealers, which takes a further cut from the proceeds. And don’t even begin factoring in the heady maintenance and insurance costs while you own it. So while you’re not likely to lose money on a Chiron bought at market rates, you probably won’t see much by the way of gains either. For now, anyway.
This car, Lot 195, sold for $3,965,000, including buyer’s premium, at Bonhams Cars’ Carmel, CA, auction, on August 15, 2025.
Today’s high-end hypercar market is flooded with choices, and new limited-edition models keep interest strong. But with so many options available, they aren’t always sure-fire investments.
16-cylinder sledgehammer
The Bugatti Chiron was made to be a collector car from the first stroke of the pen. When it was announced as the successor to the Veyron, the first 200 units were already pre-sold and the ink was long dry before the first example ever rolled out of the factory in Molsheim, France. Every single Chiron made was immediately sold, usually right into the garages of the world’s wealthiest collectors. At a base price of $2.8m and change for a theoretical basic Chiron, that’s not surprising.
The specs are as impressive as you would expect for a true hypercar. The VW-based quad-turbo W16 engine is mostly exclusive to Bugatti, though Bentley and Audi both produced concept cars with the same engine. The Chiron makes about 1,500 horsepower from its 8 liters, fed to all four wheels through a 7-speed twin-clutch manumatic gearbox.
Specific to this sale, the limited-edition 2021 Chiron Pur Sport (pronounced “pure sport”) is a factory lightweight, shedding 110 pounds through less sound deadening, lighter seats, the deletion of some electo-hydraulic active aero complexity and injudicious use of 3D-printed titanium components. It’s also got a stiffer suspension, close-ratio gearbox, and a humongous fixed rear wing to make it a “handling” car — as if the other versions weren’t. But bring your neck brace, because the Chiron Pur Sport will rocket from 0–60 mph in 2.3 seconds, and its tested top speed is 217 mph.
The Pur Sport had a starting price of $3.6m, and it only got more expensive from there, depending on how bespoke you wanted yours to be. Just 60 of the Pur Sport version were produced in total.
Sin City scandal
So, how did this Bugatti end up being offered at auction with no reserve? The story befits the car. Apparently, a Las Vegas couple sold investors on the idea that they could score a big payday by investing in various hypercars. They claimed to have even bigger fish ready to buy the cars at top dollar. The rest of the story writes itself, with the couple using the money to buy cars and live large, then never quite getting around to selling them.
After partying on the coin of credulous patsies for a few years, they were arrested and the cars seized by the Las Vegas police. From there, several cars, including our subject, were sent to auction to be liquidated with the goal of recovering some of the alleged $57 million owed to defrauded victims.
Regardless of its history, the Chiron Pur Sport presented at The Quail is a fine example. It was delivered to its original owner in Miami (where else?) in white over red leather and Alcantara, with “extensive carbon-fiber accents.” While 1,900 miles may be on the high side for cars like this, the Chiron appears to be well kept and ready for whatever the new owner wants to do with it.
ROI gone AWOL
For a model as exclusive as the Chiron, comparable sales are quite plentiful. In March 2024, Broad Arrow Auctions sold a 393-mile Pur Sport for $4m (SCM# 6964017) and in May 2024 Bring a Trailer brokered the sale of a 5,400-mile Pur Sport for $4.1m. The high-water mark for the Chiron line is a one-of-one 2022 Profilée with 396 miles, which RM Sotheby’s sold for $10.7m in Paris in 2023 (SCM# 6957265), though “garden-variety” Chirons have been selling for around $3m. There have been a spate of no-sale Chirons with high bids in the upper $2m range, so if you really want one, you need to be ready to spend at least $3m.
All of this means our subject car sold squarely where it should have. A more-special-than-most Chiron in good shape should pull about $4m. Notably, all the seized hypercars at this sale were offered at no reserve, drawing considerable attention, and making this sale price even more representative of the car’s actual market value.
What the numbers do not show, however, is a great deal of appreciation over the original sales price from five years ago. Furthermore, most cars selling in this rarefied space are doing so on commission-based sales, be it from auction houses or specialty dealers, which takes a further cut from the proceeds. And don’t even begin factoring in the heady maintenance and insurance costs while you own it. So while you’re not likely to lose money on a Chiron bought at market rates, you probably won’t see much by the way of gains either. For now, anyway.
This car, Lot 195, sold for $3,965,000, including buyer’s premium, at Bonhams Cars’ Carmel, CA, auction, on August 15, 2025.
Today’s high-end hypercar market is flooded with choices, and new limited-edition models keep interest strong. But with so many options available, they aren’t always sure-fire investments.
16-cylinder sledgehammer
The Bugatti Chiron was made to be a collector car from the first stroke of the pen. When it was announced as the successor to the Veyron, the first 200 units were already pre-sold and the ink was long dry before the first example ever rolled out of the factory in Molsheim, France. Every single Chiron made was immediately sold, usually right into the garages of the world’s wealthiest collectors. At a base price of $2.8m and change for a theoretical basic Chiron, that’s not surprising.
The specs are as impressive as you would expect for a true hypercar. The VW-based quad-turbo W16 engine is mostly exclusive to Bugatti, though Bentley and Audi both produced concept cars with the same engine. The Chiron makes about 1,500 horsepower from its 8 liters, fed to all four wheels through a 7-speed twin-clutch manumatic gearbox.
Specific to this sale, the limited-edition 2021 Chiron Pur Sport (pronounced “pure sport”) is a factory lightweight, shedding 110 pounds through less sound deadening, lighter seats, the deletion of some electo-hydraulic active aero complexity and injudicious use of 3D-printed titanium components. It’s also got a stiffer suspension, close-ratio gearbox, and a humongous fixed rear wing to make it a “handling” car — as if the other versions weren’t. But bring your neck brace, because the Chiron Pur Sport will rocket from 0–60 mph in 2.3 seconds, and its tested top speed is 217 mph.
The Pur Sport had a starting price of $3.6m, and it only got more expensive from there, depending on how bespoke you wanted yours to be. Just 60 of the Pur Sport version were produced in total.
Sin City scandal
So, how did this Bugatti end up being offered at auction with no reserve? The story befits the car. Apparently, a Las Vegas couple sold investors on the idea that they could score a big payday by investing in various hypercars. They claimed to have even bigger fish ready to buy the cars at top dollar. The rest of the story writes itself, with the couple using the money to buy cars and live large, then never quite getting around to selling them.
After partying on the coin of credulous patsies for a few years, they were arrested and the cars seized by the Las Vegas police. From there, several cars, including our subject, were sent to auction to be liquidated with the goal of recovering some of the alleged $57 million owed to defrauded victims.
Regardless of its history, the Chiron Pur Sport presented at The Quail is a fine example. It was delivered to its original owner in Miami (where else?) in white over red leather and Alcantara, with “extensive carbon-fiber accents.” While 1,900 miles may be on the high side for cars like this, the Chiron appears to be well kept and ready for whatever the new owner wants to do with it.
ROI gone AWOL
For a model as exclusive as the Chiron, comparable sales are quite plentiful. In March 2024, Broad Arrow Auctions sold a 393-mile Pur Sport for $4m (SCM# 6964017) and in May 2024 Bring a Trailer brokered the sale of a 5,400-mile Pur Sport for $4.1m. The high-water mark for the Chiron line is a one-of-one 2022 Profilée with 396 miles, which RM Sotheby’s sold for $10.7m in Paris in 2023 (SCM# 6957265), though “garden-variety” Chirons have been selling for around $3m. There have been a spate of no-sale Chirons with high bids in the upper $2m range, so if you really want one, you need to be ready to spend at least $3m.
All of this means our subject car sold squarely where it should have. A more-special-than-most Chiron in good shape should pull about $4m. Notably, all the seized hypercars at this sale were offered at no reserve, drawing considerable attention, and making this sale price even more representative of the car’s actual market value.
What the numbers do not show, however, is a great deal of appreciation over the original sales price from five years ago. Furthermore, most cars selling in this rarefied space are doing so on commission-based sales, be it from auction houses or specialty dealers, which takes a further cut from the proceeds. And don’t even begin factoring in the heady maintenance and insurance costs while you own it. So while you’re not likely to lose money on a Chiron bought at market rates, you probably won’t see much by the way of gains either. For now, anyway.
