The 1937 Bugatti 57S originally owned by Earl Howe is displayed in the Bonham's auction room at Olympia, London in 2008 ahead of it's sale in the Bonham's "Retromobile" sale in Paris on February 7, 2009.
The car has been stored in a barn for the last 50 years and is in original condition so is expected to be of major interest when it reaches auction.
(AFP/File
/Leon Neal)
Rare Bugatti untouched for 50 years could fetch millions
Thu Jan 1, 2009
LONDON
(AFP)
– A rare Bugatti supercar left to gather dust in an English garage for half a century could fetch millions when it goes under the hammer next month, a report said Thursday.
Experts believe the car -- one of just a handful ever made -- could fetch as much as six million pounds (6.2 million euros, 8.7 million dollars) when it is auctioned at the Retromobile car show and sale being organised by Bonhams in Paris in February.
Harold Carr, a surgeon, apparently abandoned the rare Bugatti in his lock-up in northeastern Newcastle after buying it in the 1950s.
When the reclusive Carr died in 2007, his nephew found the Type 57S Atalante when he cleared out the garage and was amazed to learn that just 17 of the model were ever made.
His nephew, an engineer from Newcastle who wishes to remain anonymous, told the city's Evening Chronicle newspaper: "We just can't believe it.
"It's worth so much because he hasn't used it for 50 years. It was one of the original supercars. When it was built it could reach 130 miles (210 kilometres) per hour when most cars could only do 50.
"Of course we're delighted and we're going to make sure the money is shared out among the family."