World’s Most Valuable Car, The 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic

The 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC was sold on Wednesday by Gooding & Company Auction House. Although they did not disclose the selling price, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the selling price was between $30-$40 million dollars, WOW! Below is the press release from Gooding & Company.

Gooding & Company, The internationally celebrated auction house that offers a wide range of services, including private and estate sales, is proud to announce that it has sold the unparalleled 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic To an undisclosed buyer. As the official broker for the Trust That formerly owned the Atlantic, Gooding & Company found a devoted connoisseur who will become the guardian of this treasured piece of automotive history. “I Am extremely pleased to have found the new buyer for the 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, One of the world’s most significant and valuable automobiles that has been in a private collection and rarely seen during the past four decades,” says David Gooding, President and founder of Gooding & Company. “It has been a great pleasure to work with the Williamson Family and Trust In this important endeavor.” Formerly The coveted pillar of the world renowned Williamson Bugatti Collection, the Atlantic was the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance best in Show car. The Atlantic Was an automobile derived from Bugatti’s Prototype Aerolithe Electron Coupé That caused a sensation when it was unveiled at the 1935 Paris Auto Salon. Bugatti Later built just three Atlantics, Each one different from the next, but this 1936 Car (chassis #57374) Is the first in the series and its historical significance, originality and restoration has been revered by enthusiasts throughout the world.

(Source: Gooding & Company)

Preview The Official Auction of Pebble Beach

 

If you’re in the market for a collector car, there will be no lack of options this weekend at the Monterey Peninsula as proceedings get under way for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Concorso Italiano, and a host of related events.  What began 59 years ago as one relatively modest exhibition of fine collector cars has burgeoned into an entire week of related events, races and auctions that has come to be a mainstay for every major collector car auction house.  While Bonhams proudly accompanies the ever-more-exclusive Quail Motorsports Gathering, RM Auctions maintains its reputation for volume and quality, and Russo and Steele continue to lead the muscle car bracket, one auctioneer has distinguished itself from the crowd with a growing reputation for the finest overall selection and its enviable affiliation with the Pebble Beach Concours as the official auction of Pebble Beach:  Gooding & Company.

 David Gooding’s event, a two night affair which is held a mere 200 yards from the 18^th hole fairway that hosts the Concours, will feature a stunning array of rare and desirable collector cars that range from prewar brass and classics to postwar vintage sports cars.  Particular attention has been paid to two cars that are expected to easily surpass the million dollar mark: a 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Special Coupe with one-off coachwork that was purportedly used as a personal car by Ettore Bugatti, and a 1935 Duesenberg Model SJ Roadster with a body that is regarded by many to be the finest coachbuilt Duesenberg ever produced by Pasadena-based Bohman & Schwartz.

 Sports car aficionados will be much more taken with the great selection of 1950s and 60s coupes and convertibles, including a 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Competition Spider, a 1954 Cunningham C-3 Coupe, a 1956 Talbot-Lago T14 LS, and a 1958 BMW 507 Series II.  Italian sports car lovers should enjoy the offering of a 1966 Lamborghini 400GT 2+2 that was featured in the model’s original sales brochure as well as two Ferrari California Spiders and four different Maseratis.  Two legendary Italian-bodied Corvettes will also cross the block, the one-off 1963 Pininfarina Rondine, and a 1959 Corvette Coupe with coachwork by Scaglietti, the first of three ever produced.

 For more info see www.goodingco.com

Photos courtesy of Gooding & Company