The ultra-rare, limited edition edition Bugatti Veyron that made waves on social media after being imported into Zambia earlier this week has been seized by the country’s Drug Enforcement Commission.
The car is believed to be worth more than R30 million and the businessman who bought it has not been officially identified.
The Bugatti appears to be a Sang Noir special edition Veyron, of which only 12 were ever made. It arrived on Monday at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport and pictures of the car went viral on social media soon after.
The commission said members of the public expressed concern over the expensive vehicle and what it was doing in the country.
“Following the concerns raised, the commission is making follow ups to ensure the purchase of the motor vehicle is not in breach of any money laundering laws,” said commission spokesperson Theresa Katango. “The vehicle has since been seized as investigations are being conducted”.
Zambians are stunned as $2 million Bugatti Veyron lands in Zambia https://t.co/CM0MKphZKX pic.twitter.com/krqzugHdsq
— OgeneAfrican (@OgeneAfrican) February 26, 2020
This is the first time that such an expensive vehicle has been brought into Zambia, a Revenue Authority official said on condition of anonymity.
The Bugatti with a dark side
The Veyron Sang Noir is powered by the French carmaker’s 8-litre, 16-cylinder quad-turbo petrol engine, which produces a mammoth 746kW and 1250Nm. The top speed is listed at 407km/h and the car screeches from zero to 160km/h in just 5.7 seconds.
According to Bugatti, the car was inspired by darkness:
“For the EB 16.4 Veyron Sang Noir, Bugatti experimented with darker shades and tonalities. Vincent van Gogh once said: ‘It often seems to me that the night is much more alive and richly coloured than the day.’ The Veyron Sang Noir takes this thought to heart,” Bugatti said on its website.
The iconic Type 57S Atlantic of the 1930s also provided inspiration for this special edition hypercar.
IOL, DPA & African News Agency
