Bugatti. Boy!

[Lookin]

An eccentric British doctor, who passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 89, had this classy number tucked away in his garage, undriven for a nearly a half century. Dr. Carr was a bit of a pack rat, and his heirs recently found the car with 26,284 miles on the odometer, and 99% of its original parts intact. It could easily fetch $7,000,000 when it's auctioned off in Paris next week.

 

...

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/01/01/article-0-02ECF52D000005DC-946_468x286.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/01/01/article-1103849-02ECF518000005DC-257_468x349.jpg

1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante found in Dr. Carr's garage

 

...

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/01/01/article-0-02ECF544000005DC-229_468x251.jpg

In earlier days, one of only seventeen ever built

 

At a time when other cars were beetling along at 50 miles an hour, this beauty topped out at 130. Its 3.3 liter engine and four-speed manual gearbox hustled it to 60 miles an hour in 10 seconds.

 

 

Of course, times have changed, and so have Bugatti's. Signor Ettore and his son have both passed on, and the marque is now owned by Volkswagen. Their current offering is priced at a mere $1,500,000.

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Bugatti_Veyron.JPG/800px-Bugatti_Veyron.JPG

Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4

 

There's a seven-speed transmission now, matched to a 1000 horsepower 8.0 liter engine. In the ten seconds it took the Type 57S to reach 60 miles an hour, the EB 16.4 will get you to 100. Keep your foot on the gas, and you'll top out at just over 250 miles an hour. But not for long. At that speed, the tires will last only fifteen minutes. But that's OK. You'll run out of gas after twelve.

 

And when you do need a new set of tires, they'll run you around $25,000.

 

Bugatti Boy extra.

[KMEM]

I grew up thinking these were cool (the original series of Bugatti's). Wonderful find, especially for the heirs, but also for the collecting world.

 

The space shuttle lands at about 250 mph but, come to think of it, they only use those tires once.

 

Best regards,

KMEM

[JT Brooklyn]

Lookin..Very interesting...Beautiful Auto..I'm wondering why one of the Restored Models has the same Plate Number as the Original that was in a Garage for over 60 Years?

 

On the SPEED Channel they run the Collector Car Auctions from Arizona.

They have some real Beautie's from the past, usually from the 50's.

[whipped guy]

"I'm wondering why one of the Restored Models has the same Plate Number as the Original...?"

 

Possible simple explaination JT... The photo is of the same model... not of the actual vehicle found in the garage... I would assume... but then again the photo labled as a restored version could be of the actual vehicle.

[+ ArVaGuy]

>"I'm wondering why one of the

>Restored Models has the same Plate Number as the

>Original...?"

>

>Possible simple explaination JT... The photo is of the same

>model... not of the actual vehicle found in the

>garage... I would assume... but then again the photo labled as

>a restored version could be of the actual vehicle.

>

 

It looks to me as if they have cleaned and polished the actual vehicle to ready if for auction. Removing that dust likely adds about a million bucks to the final sale price.

 

I wonder if Jay Leno will buy it. That's one heck of a prize to add to a serious collection.

[Lookin]

JT, 'cause I screwed up and didn't do enough research before posting. (And on this site, of all places!) http://www.clipartof.com/images/emoticons/xsmall2/184_red_cheeks.gif It turns out that both of the "restored" models are actually the same car that was found in Dr. Carr's garage. The one with the EWS73 plate is the same car, although at a time when it had fog lights installed. And the one with the 1127-W5 plate is also the same car as it left the Bugatti factory with fog lights and a different bumper.

 

The good doctor was an inveterate tinkerer and worked on his own cars, often with a rubber tube around his head. This kept the grease out of his hair, and amused the neighborhood children. It's not clear if he or one of the car's other owners made the front-end changes. And, since the car was raced at one time, it's entirely possible there was some minor damage along the way.

 

Sorry for the bum info, guys, and my haste in getting this post together. It also turns out that the Paris auction is next month, rather than next week. Here's a Wikipedia link if you're interested in knowing more about this old-time stud magnet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti_57s_car_found_in_2008

 

(I was wondering about Jay Leno too. This is definitely a collector's car. It turns out that, of the seventeen made by Bugatti, fifteen of them are still around.)

[JT Brooklyn]

Lookin. Thanks for the Additional Info. IF I read correctly only 17 of these "Awesome Auto's" were manufactured. IF this is the last Model to indeed survive, I am quite sure they will get their asking Price. Most could not afford the Insurance Premiums, never mind the SALE Price! ;-)

[Luv2play]

I am puzzled why Wikipedia states in the first sentence that the Bugatti is a French automobile. Surely it is Italian. I know it raced in Le Mans but even that is in Belgium, isn't it? Am I confused or what? :+

[Lookin]

You're not alone. Ettore Bugatti was Italian, born in Milan, but he got around. He designed cars for a German company and for Peugeot before, at the age of 28, he set up his own company in the Alsace region. During those years, Alsace was sometimes German, sometimes independent, and finally French. So Bugatti, the man, was Italian, while Bugatti, the company, was French. His cars were raced under the French colors.

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Bugatti_Typ_35C_Grand_Prix_Racer_1926.jpg