Most expensive car ever built sells for $19M at Swiss auto show

March 5 (UPI) -- French automaker Bugatti unveiled the most expensive vehicle ever built at a show in Switzerland Tuesday to mark its 110th anniversary -- and it's already been sold.

The vintage sports car brand labeled the vehicle La Voiture Noire, which translates to "the black car," and was unveiled Tuesday at the Geneva International Motor Show. Just one was built.

The six-exhaust-pipe "hypercar" reflects the pinnacle of Bugatti's production line, the company said. The 8-liter engine has 16 cylinders and 1500 horsepower.

Bugatti, which i s now owned by Volkswagen, said the vehicle sold for about $19 million.

Though the new owner hasn't been named, several industry reports suggest former Volkswagen CEO Ferdinand Piech bought it.

Bugatti said the new owner is a "Bugatti enthusiast" who's "fascinated by the Atlantic."

"This is not only an engine but the heart of the vehicle and a technical masterpiece," Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann said in a statement. "There is no other car in the world with such an engine. It is not only extremely powerful but also beautiful to look at."

Bugatti said the supercar is reminiscent of Jean Bugatti's Type 57 SC Atlantic, which is described as "one of the most valuable classic cars in the world." Only four models were made between 1936 and 1938.

Bugatti stopped making mass-production vehicles in 1936, but occasionally builds modern specialty models like La Voiture Noire.