CS.no

Jun
08
2009

The Classicist: Bugatti’s Bugatti & More on Offer at Pebble Beach

Filed under: Wheels, Auctions, Events, Sports, The Classicist

On August 15 - 16 Gooding & Company is holding its annual auto auction during the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The centerpiece of the sale is an incomparable piece of Bugatti history: marque founder Ettore Bugatti’s personal 1936 Type 57C Coupe (above), which is expected to fetch several million dollars. Bugatti factory employees originally assembled the car as a birthday present for Mr. Bugatti, and the car’s one-off coachwork is believed to be one of the last designs penned by his son, Jean Bugatti, before his death. It’s a truly unique piece of automotive history.

Deemed one of its most cherished automobiles, the Bugatti factory went to great lengths to protect the precious vehicle during World War II when its premises were in danger. After Ettore Bugatti’s death in 1947, the car continued to be maintained and stored at the Bugatti workshop in Molsheim, France, where it received upgrades as over the years. These included tailored interior accessories, a unique engine and transmission combination and other subtle technical improvements that distinguished it from any other Type 57.

Since leaving the Bugatti factory in the late 1950s, the precious vehicle has had only a few protective caretakers and remains one of the most correct and original Bugattis in existence, untainted by later restoration. The car is being sold without reserve, no doubt to encourage bidding. Last year at Gooding’s Pebble Beach sale a rare 1937 Type 57SC Atalante Coupe sold for $7.92 million, setting a record for the highest price ever paid for an automobile at auction in the U.S.A. It remains to be seen what effect the recession may have on the chances of this sale topping that feat.

Gallery: Pebble Beach 2009