Chiron

Make
Bugatti
Segment
Coupe

Curated, an exotic car dealer based in Miami, has added the one-off Lotec C1000 to its inventory. This incredible but oddly styled machine has gone up for auction more than once in the past, and it has a backstory that's as intriguing as its oily bits. It's also a reminder that if you have the means to pay for it, you can have almost any car your heart desires.

Back in 1991, the C1000 was commissioned by a member of the AI Maktoum family, the ruling family in Dubai, for around $3.6 million. In today's money, that's around $7.2 million - or almost the cost of three new AMG One hypercars. Its commissioner wanted it to be the fastest car in the world and was clearly willing to spend as much as it took to make that happen.

Equipped with a 5.6-liter V8 engine from Mercedes-Benz, the C1000 was also twin-turbocharged, and the result was an output of 1,000 horsepower. At the time of its completion in 1995, that amount of power was unheard of. All of that power was somehow transferred to the rear wheels via a Hewland five-speed manual transmission, and the car has a top speed of 268 mph. Even today, that still qualifies it as one of the fastest cars in the world - even the Bugatti Chiron is limited to 261 mph. The 0-60 time was around three seconds.

Carbon fiber was used in the construction of the C1000's group C chassis and body, which would've done a fine job of keeping the weight down. It also has a slippery shape and an exceptionally low hood. Together with the rear wing, it looks like a very aerodynamic beast, and it must be to reach the speeds it's capable of. And, as strange as those rounded headlights may be, the car has aged remarkably well, considering it's approaching its 30th birthday.

In the interior, we can clearly see the exposed carbon fiber on the sills, along with the script that says it's "powered by Mercedes-Benz." Interestingly, Lotec - a German sports car maker that was founded in 1962 - switched to building aftermarket parts for Mercs and even Ferraris in the first half of the 1980s, so the Mercedes connection was there long before the C1000 was commissioned.

The speedometer sweeps all the way to 400 kph (over 248 mph). Assuming that the odometer reads in kilometers and not miles, the C1000 has covered only 2,576 km (around 1,600 miles).

Curated plans to document the history of this special car on its YouTube channel before it goes up for sale, where it will no doubt sell for a lofty price. That said, previous auctions from around eight years ago indicate that it isn't worth nearly as much as the original $3.6 million.