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Could this Bugatti fetch £6 million?

Sunday, January 4th, 2009

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An ultra-rare Bugatti hidden away in a barn could fetch up to £6 million, when it goes under the hammer next month.

The 1937 Bugatti Type 57S, originally owned by Earl Howe, is to be sold by Auction at Retromobile 2009 in Paris, France.

One of only 17 built, the Bugatti’s existence has only been known to a handful of people during the last 50 years.

The appropriately named Dr Harold Carr acquired it in 1955 from Lord Ridley, the then owner.

Dr Carr drove the car for the first few years but in the early 1960s it was parked in his garage where it remained for nearly 50 years, until Dr Carr’s death in 2007.

The T57S is being sold on behalf of the family of Dr Carr, and will be offered with an extensive file of correspondence documenting its fascinating history.

As well as a celebrity ownership record, it has a continuous and chronicled history; and it has exceptional originality retaining original chassis, engine, drivetrain and body.

It even has what appears to be a remarkably low mileage with an odometer reading of just 26,284.

James Knight, International Head of Bonhams’ motoring department said: “I have known of this Bugatti for a number of years and, like a select group of others, hadn’t dared divulge its whereabouts to anyone.

“It is absolutely one of the last great barn discoveries, and we at Bonhams are honoured to have been selected to handle its sale.”

The passion for collecting the 57S has passed from the luminaries of the 1930s, such as Malcolm Campbell to the great collectors of the twenty-first century, with the most passionate – Ralph Lauren among them – possessing more than one, and very few ever parting with them.

Historians state six racing or prototypes were built before production of the 57S began in earnest, but even throughout its three year run a mere 17 Atalantes were constructed.

The streamlined Atlantic was carefully honed into a svelte coupe with the derived named Atalante, and this proved to be the design of choice to grace these chassis. source

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