Rare 1937 Bugatti Supercar Found

[DelSlow]

LONDON – It was the equivalent of finding an old Picasso or an unknown Beatles tape hidden away in your uncle's attic.

Relatives of Dr. Harold Carr found an extremely rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante — a Holy Grail for car collectors — as they were going through his belongings after his death.

The dusty two-seater, unused since 1960, didn't look like much in the garage in Gosforth, near Newcastle in northern England.

But only 17 were ever made, and when it's cleaned up and auctioned in Paris next month, experts believe it will fetch at least 3 million pounds ($4.3 million) and possibly much more.

Bugatti once represented the height of motoring achievement. The supercar was so ahead of its time it could go up to 130 mph (209 kph) when most other cars topped out about 50 mph (80 kph).

This particular car is even more valuable because it was originally owned by Earl Howe, a prominent British race car driver, and because its original equipment is intact, so it can restored without relying on replacement parts.

"It has all the finest attributes any connoisseur collector could ever seek, in one of the ultimate road-going sports cars from the golden era of the 1930s," said James Knight, head of the international motoring department at Bonhams, which will auction the car Feb. 7.

Knight and a small number of Bugatti enthusiasts knew of Carr's proudest possession, but not the eight relatives who inherited Carr's estate.

The orthopedic surgeon, who died at age 89, was described by relatives as an eccentric hoarder who never threw anything out. He also left behind an Aston Martin, which was sold, and a Jaguar sports car that was scrapped because it was in such poor condition.

The Bugatti marque is famed for its speed and handling and was a frequent race winner in the 1920s and 1930s. The 57S Atalante was one of its most successful models, each one made by hand with unique details.

The company founded in 1909 by Ettore Bugatti collapsed in the 1940s after a long string of racing victories.

The rights to the legendary Bugatti name were purchased in 1998 by Volkswagen, which has built the Bugatti Veyron, one of the world's fastest and most expensive cars.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090103/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_supercar

[Rexwagon]

Gay Thread

[DelSlow]

lol k Derrick.

[Rexwagon]

DelSlow;253937 wrote:
lol k Derrick.

its spelt Darrick, u dick face. lol

[DelSlow]

Meh, like anyone cares

[Rexwagon]

no one seems to care about your gay thread either.

[DelSlow]

Oh noes FFM doesn't like my thread

[Rexwagon]

lol. o willy lol

[capitlj]

Could you imagine. A family member dies you start going through their stuff and find... a Bugatti!!!

[Slowica]

if only my dead relatives would leave something like that lol

[no_slow_clap]

sweeeeet.

[assasain]

i want to find a bugatti in my parents belongings lol... thats pretty cool

[bubba]

capitlj;254037 wrote:
Could you imagine. A family member dies you start going through their stuff and find... a Bugatti!!!

Wish I had relatives like that, lol

[wishinsky]

ya not to much on old cars and shit but boy if my relatives had a car like that and they died i would be pretty excited about 3mill and not so much about the car... ya i would auction it

[treimche]

I'd still much rather have the relatives than a car, or $3 million.

[HandoEX]

wishinsky;254357 wrote:
ya not to much on old cars and shit but boy if my relatives had a car like that and they died i would be pretty excited about 3mill and not so much about the car... ya i would auction it

3 million pounds....$4.3 million! Wow, what a find!

[00Accord]

I was watching "Chasing Classic Cars" and the people from Christie's found one in a garage too. Eerily similar story. That one sold for $800,000 or so and was in very good shape, just really dusty from sitting in a barn for 40 years.

[DrifterExtreme]

i still wounder why people let these cars just sit.

is it old age, illness, idk why you would just not care about such a car. it is not like this is just another old ass ford or some shit.

[no_slow_clap]

^^^ true story

[inspector01]

DrifterExtreme;254436 wrote:
i still wounder why people let these cars just sit.

is it old age, illness, idk why you would just not care about such a car. it is not like this is just another old ass ford or some shit.

Agreed, its not like some old CRX, or 4 dr EF, or EG hatch, or S2k that you can just let sit and rot away unfinished.....