Come February 2009, a long forgotten but rare Bugatti sportscar parked in an English garage for half a century will be out their to fetch nearly 6 million pounds at the forthcoming Retromobile car show auction in Paris. Believe us, the discovery was nothing short of finding an old Picasso or an unknown Beatles tape tucked away in your uncle’s attic.
The story is that a surgeon abandoned this rare Bugatti in the 1950s. It was only in 2007, that the car was discovered all over again by the doc’s nephew after he had kicked bucket. Now, this newphew was an engineer and he soon found that only 17 models of the Type 57S Atalante of Bugatti were ever made. For the uninitiated, the Bugatti marque is famed for its speed and handling and was a frequent race winner in the 1920s and 1930s. Word is that the 57S Atalante was one of its most successful models, each one made by hand with unique details.
Touted as one of the original supercars, this Bugatti can touch 210 kilometers per hour when most cars could barely reach 50. By the way, the first owner of this Bugatti 57S was none other than the British aristocrat and racing enthusiast Earl Howe who also later became the first president of the British Racing Driver’s Club. One more reason to participate in the grand Bugatti auction next month, eh?
Via newcartoronto