Rare Car Archive

Makes › Bugatti France › Type 18 "Black Bess" (Roland Garros car) · Rare production · 1913 Ultra Rare

Bugatti
Type 18 "Black Bess" (Roland Garros car)

5-litre chain-drive sports car; the Louwman car (first owner Roland Garros, later Ivy Cummings) is the fourth of circa seven

Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.

Bugatti Type 18 "Black Bess" (Roland Garros car) (Wikimedia Commons: Bugatti Type 18 "Roland Garros" or "Black Bess" by Labourdette 1913 (chassis 0474))
Bugatti Type 18 "Black Bess" (Roland Garros car) (Wikimedia Commons: Bugatti Type 18 "Roland Garros" or "Black Bess" by Labourdette 1913 (chassis 0474))
Photo: Alf van Beem · Public domain
7BuiltIndependently researched
0Chassis documentedin this archive
?SurvivingNot yet verified
Contents
  1. 01Overview
  2. 02Production & history
  3. 03Specifications
  4. 04Colours & options
  5. 05Individual cars
  6. 06Reference

01Overview

At a glance

Built
7 Built
Years
1913
Engine
Four-cylinder · 5,000 cc / 5 LFactory: 5 L
Power
74.6 kW / 101 PSFactory: 100 hp · converted
Top speed
Not yet verified
Body
Not yet verified
Designer
Coachwork by Henri Labourdette
In this archive
Not yet verified
Surviving
Not yet verified

Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.

Why it matters

Black Bess is one of only about seven examples of Bugatti's big five-litre Type 18, an unusually large car for a marque then known for small machines. Its chain of owners – the aviator Roland Garros and the racing driver Ivy Cummings – makes it one of the best-documented Edwardian Bugattis.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Model rarityUltra Rare 7 · Built1
Specification rarityNot yet assessed
Colour rarityNot yet assessed
Individual rarityNot yet assessed
Historical rarityNot yet assessed
Survival rarityNot yet assessed

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

  • Bugatti Type 18 "Black Bess" (Roland Garros car) (Wikimedia Commons: Bugatti Type 18 "Roland Garros" or "Black Bess" by Labourdette 1913 (chassis 0474))Bugatti Type 18 "Black Bess" (Roland Garros car) (Wikimedia Commons: Bugatti Type 18 "Roland Garros" or "Black Bess" by Labourdette 1913 (chassis 0474))
    Photo: Alf van Beem · Public domain
  • Bugatti Type 18 "Black Bess" (Roland Garros car) (Wikimedia Commons: Bugatti Type 18 "Roland Garros" or "Black Bess" by Labourdette 1913 (chassis 0474))Bugatti Type 18 "Black Bess" (Roland Garros car) (Wikimedia Commons: Bugatti Type 18 "Roland Garros" or "Black Bess" by Labourdette 1913 (chassis 0474))
    Photo: Alf van Beem · Public domain
  • Bugatti Type 18 "Black Bess" (Roland Garros car) (Wikimedia Commons: Bugatti Type 18 "Roland Garros" or "Black Bess" by Labourdette 1913 (chassis 0474))Bugatti Type 18 "Black Bess" (Roland Garros car) (Wikimedia Commons: Bugatti Type 18 "Roland Garros" or "Black Bess" by Labourdette 1913 (chassis 0474))
    Photo: AlfvanBeem · CC0 1.0
  • Bugatti Type 18 "Black Bess" (Roland Garros car) (Wikimedia Commons: Bugatti Type 18 "Roland Garros" or "Black Bess" by Labourdette 1913 (chassis 0474))Bugatti Type 18 "Black Bess" (Roland Garros car) (Wikimedia Commons: Bugatti Type 18 "Roland Garros" or "Black Bess" by Labourdette 1913 (chassis 0474))
    Photo: AlfvanBeem · CC0 1.0

02Production & history

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

What is countedFigureBasisStatus
Total model productioncirca, Type 18 series 71 Factory production Independently researched

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Built in 1913, the car was delivered that September to French aviator Roland Garros, a friend of Ettore Bugatti, who in the same year flew non-stop across the Mediterranean. Garros became a fighter pilot in 1914 and was killed in action in 1918. In 1922 the car went to British racing driver Ivy Cummings, who named it 'Black Bess' after Dick Turpin's horse. It now belongs to the Louwman Museum.

Variants

How each version differs from the standard Type 18 "Black Bess" (Roland Garros car).

No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

03Specifications

Technical specifications

Engine

Engine familyNot yet verified
Engine codeNot yet verified
LayoutFour-cylinder2 Independently researched
Displacement 5,000 cc / 5 LFactory: 5 L2 Independently researched
BoreNot yet verified
StrokeNot yet verified
Compression ratioNot yet verified
Fuel systemNot yet verified
Power 74.6 kW / 101 PSFactory: 100 hp · converted2 Independently researched
Power atNot yet verified
TorqueNot yet verified

Transmission & drivetrain

GearboxNot yet verified
Gears32 Independently researched
Driven wheelsRear-wheel drive2 Independently researched

Chassis, body & dimensions

ChassisNot yet verified
Front suspensionNot yet verified
Rear suspensionNot yet verified
BrakesNot yet verified
SteeringNot yet verified
Body constructionNot yet verified
Wheelbase 2.3 mFactory: 2.3 m2 Independently researched
LengthNot yet verified
WidthNot yet verified
HeightNot yet verified
Front trackNot yet verified
Rear trackNot yet verified
Kerb weightNot yet verified
Dry weightNot yet verified

Performance

Maximum speedNot yet verified
0–100 km/hNot yet verified
Fuel tankNot yet verified

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

04Colours & options

Factory colours & interiors

Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Factory options & codes

Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

05Individual cars

Chassis register

Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Competition history

Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

Auction & sale history

Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.

See one in person

Museums where an example of this car can be seen.

No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.

06Reference

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The Louwman car carries Henri Labourdette coachwork and still has its original 1913 leather upholstery on two bucket seats staggered one behind the other so driver and passenger do not obstruct each other.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

  1. 1
    Bugatti Type 18 Sports Two-seater 'Black Bess' – Louwman Museum Level B
    • 7 circa, Type 18 series
    Accessed 2026-11-11
  2. 2
    Bugatti Type 18 Sports two-seater 'Black Bess' Level B Louwman Museum
    • 5.0-litre, four-cylinder
    • 5.0-litre
    • 100 hp
    • Three gears
    • Rear-wheel drive
    • wheelbase 2.3 m
    Accessed 2026-11-11

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