The Bugatti Coupe of the "Patron"

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

We know well about the Bugatti 57 coupes in this group. The luxury cars of the 1930s were produced by the unit or in small quantities, and good surprises are always possible with respect to their variations.

Thus the 57S/57SC Atalante Coupe was produced in 17 copies. In one year we had the chance to discuss two of them in this column. The exceptional copy of Dr. Williamson was sold $ 7.9 million charge included by Gooding at Pebble Beach in August 2008. Less colorful, a copy which had remained in its full original condition of 1937 was sold € 3.5 million including premium by Bonhams in Paris in February this year.

Now go back to Gooding at Pebble Beach, where a 57C coupe is coming in the sale of 15 and 16 August. Done in 1938, it is not an Atalante. It's even better: a single copy. Better still, it was the personal copy of Ettore Bugatti. Best, this car was little used, remained housed at the Bugatti factory in Molsheim until the late 1950s, and was updated during all these years with various refinements that make it the most completed of all the 57s of Bugatti. Fortunately, subsequent owners have not changed it.

It is sold with no reserve price. The estimate is not published, but I suppose it should be a price of the same order of magnitude as the one from the Williamson collection. Even higher?

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

I made a big over-appreciation on this car. Usually the lots published without estimate and well announced in in early press releases by this auction house were really important. The result, $ 1.37 million including premium, is disappointing.