auction:

1936 Bugatti Type 57C Coupe up for auction; believed to smash all the sales records

A 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa recently became the most expensive vehicle in the world when it crossed the auction block with a final bid of around $12 Million at Ferrari’s Legends and Passions event in Maranello last month. However all that could change between August 15th and 16th at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

That is because the auction house Gooding & Company will be bringing a very special vehicle to the world’s greatest car show. Ettore Bugatti’s personal 1936 Type 57C Coupe. Originally assembled as a birthday present for Le Patron, founder of the ultra exotic car company, this particular Type 57C has been deemed as one of the automaker’s most cherished creations. The factory’s workers even went to great lengths to protect the Bugatti during World War II, the fighting between that Allied Forces and the Axis Powers ended up destroying the factory in Molsheim, France.

Even after Ettore’s death in 1947, the 57C was meticulously maintained and continued to receive updates as they were developed. The car is said to be extremely unique, with a distinct engine and transmission package, upgrades to the interior and one-off coachwork that is believed to be based on the last design ever created by Ettore’s son, Jean Bugatti who died at the age of 30 in an unfortunate incident, test driving a Le Mans winning Type 57 tank-bodied race car. However; this 1936 Type 57C, with its rich history, and one of kind exclusivity should have no problem shattering the record set by Phil Hill’s old Ferrari.

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Alain Prost’s Ferrari F1 car up for auction

Apart from being an incredibly beautiful machine, Alain Prost’s 1990 Ferrari F1 car is piece of racing history. The year before the Frenchman left McLaren to race for Ferrari he won the driver’s title after a championship deciding collision with then teammate Ayerton Senna.

Continued after the jump.

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Shelby Daytona Coupe auction car wins at Amelia Island

Bad news for those who were hoping to get a rock-bottom price for the Shelby Daytona Coupe going to auction: it won its class at Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance over the weekend.

The economy may be slowing down, but a best in class win for Race Cars at the prestigious show will definitely add some extra bucks to the hammer price. Then again, this is also the car that brought Shelby Racing the World Manufacturers Championship title in 1965, so the price was never going to exactly be “affordable”.

This one of six ever will be a part of Mecum’s Spring Classic auction in Indianapolis Auction this May.

Press release after the jump.

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First 2010 Mustang GT500 and two concept cars to be auctioned

Ford seems to be auctioning off a few historical pieces for cash But this isn’t part of some fire sale; the proceeds are going to charity. The first retail 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 and a pair of Mustang GT concept cars during the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Collector Car Auction on April 9-11.

It’s not hard to understand the significance of the first GT500, and its supercharged DOHC 5.4-liter V8 engine that puts out 540 horsepower and 510 foot-pounds of torque. But the concept cars may be more interesting. These are two of the cars that started touring in 2003 as a preview to the retro look (fifth generation).

All proceeds above MSRP from the sale of the Shelby GT500 will be donated to The Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation. The two Mustang concepts will be auctioned to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.This sale is all part of the Mustang’s 45th anniversary.

Press release after the jump.

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Shelby Daytona Coupe going to auction

Mecum will auction off a rare one of six 1965 Shelby Daytona Coupes (chassis no. CSX2601).

A quick history lesson for those who don’t recognize this legend. Before Ford took on Ferrari with the GT40, Shelby went after the Italians in the GT class with the Ford-engined Shelby Daytona Coupe. In 1964 and 1965 full bodies were added to six modified Shelby Cobra drivetrains. The improved aerodynamics allowed the cars to be quicker and have a higher top speed.

This car is a sibling to the infamous CSX2287 — it was the first prototype for the other five coupes, set a land speed record at Bonneville, owned by record producer Phil Spector, and went missing for decades. While CSX2601 doesn’t have as sorted a past as the prototype, it did clinch the 1965 World Manufacturers Championship title for Shelby in the GT class by winning on July 4th in Reims, France.

The Daytona Coupe will be auctioned off on Satuday, May 16th at Mecum Original Spring Classic Auction in Indianapolis.

Press release after the jump.

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First U.S. Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI sells for about $500,000

The rumormill is floating a big one here. Last night the first Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro that will arrive in the U.S. went to auction at the Boca Raton Concours d’ Elegance. Although the exact price cannot be confirmed, it sold for around $500,000.

The R8 V10 will be powered by the same 5.2 liter V10 as the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. The engine is rated at 525 hp, which is 105 more than the V8 version but about 27 less than the Gallardo.

The first 2010 Ferrari California for the U.S. market was also auctioned during this event (the first 2009 car was auctioned in September) , and the combined price of the two cars is rumored to be about $1 million. All proceeds of the event will go to support the Boys and Girls Clubs of Broward County, Florida.

We should get final pricing early this week. Once we know more, we’ll pass it along.

Classic Bugatti sold for €3,417,500 ($4.45 million)

Coming across a barn find is like finding buried treasure. We came across one of these uncovered treasures back in January with the Bugatti Type 57S Atalante that was locked away in a British garage for almost fifty years. Now this one of seventeen ever made crossed the block this past Saturday in Paris at Bonhams Retromobile auction. The final price: €3,417,500 (about $4.45 million).

This particular Bugatti was originally owned by Earl Howe, the first president of the British Racing Driver’s Club. The Earl took delivery of the Bugatti super car in 1937 and held onto it for eight years. The car then changed hands a few times and finally went to Newcastle resident Dr. Harold Carr in 1955.

Carr drove the Bugatti until 1960 when he decided to store the Bugatti in his Tyneside garage indefinitely. After Dr. Carr’s death in 2007 his relatives discovered the car covered with dust and only 26,284 miles on the odometer.

Although impressive, this sale does not represent a record for Bugatti prices. A 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante sold $7.92 million back in August in Pebble Beach.

1963 Z06 Corvette goes for over a million

Remember the Gulf One 1963 Z06 Corvette we reported on earlier this month? Well now there is a new owner.

The ultra-rare Corvette racer was the feature car at Mecum’s Kissimmee, FL Auction last weekend. While Mecum had many cars that sold at prices for multiple hundreds of thousands, the Gulf One ventured where very few cars go, seven figures. When it was all over, #1 had a hammer price of $1,050,000.

While the 1963 Z06 production was already small at only 199 examples built, the Gulf One has a celebrated racing history established by Dr. Dick Thompson AKA "Flying Dentist". This Z06 features a 360-bhp V-8, four-speed transmission, Positraction rear axle, heavy-duty shocks and springs, and cast-aluminum finned wheels.

Rare 1963 Z06 Corvette up for auction

General Motors was always great about sneaking cars out the back door. Pontiac was especially good at it with cars like the 1963 Pontiac Lemans Super Duty and the 1964 GTO. But when Chevrolet sold a secret racecar with the help of the father of the Corvette, that’s something really special.

1963 was already a special year for the Corvette. It was the first year for the Sting Ray, which meant it was the only year for the split rear window. 1963 was also when the Automobile Manufacturers Association ban on factory-backed racing was still in full effect. But Zora Arkus-Duntov knew that he needed to make something special to make sure that the Ford powered Shelby Cobras would not show up his Corvettes.

From this need came the Z06 program (forerunner of the Grand Sport program). It was an unadvertised optional package that raised the price of a Corvette by nearly 50 percent. What the owner got in return was a factory-fresh racecar. Only nine were built in 1963, and one is up for auction at the Mecum Kissimmee Auction on January 24th.

This Z06 is known as “Gulf One” and was originally owned by Dr. Dick Thompson AKA "Flying Dentist". The car features a 360-bhp V-8, four-speed transmission, Positraction rear axle, heavy-duty shocks and springs, and cast-aluminum finned wheels.

Is this going to be a record setter? We’ll be at the auction later this month in Florida to find out.

Ultra-rare Bugatti barn find going up for auction

Possibly considered the last great “barn find”, a 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante is going up for auction. The ultra-rare Bugatti was released from its fifty-year old cocoon last year, and now will sell for multiple millions of dollars at Bonhams’ "Retromobile" auction the February in Paris. This Type 57S Atalante is one of seventeen made, and a less rare Type 57C Atalante sold for $7.92 million back in August.

British noble and racer Earl Howe originally purchased this Type 57S Atalante. He kept the car for about eight years, and then it spent the next decade floating through multiple owners. In 1955 Harold Carr, an English surgeon, purchased the car.

Carr did not own the Bugatti long before parking it in his garage and never driving it again. Although Bugattis were rare in 1955, they would not reach superstar status for many more decades. Even in 1965 $85,000 bought a collection of thirty Bugattis, but that was considered an exceptional deal.

Sometimes this car was referred to as lost during its over fifty-year absence from daylight, but the reality is that any car of this caliber always has enthusiasts tracking it. "I have known of this Bugatti for a number of years and, like a select group of others, hadn’t dared divulge its whereabouts to anyone,” said James Knight, international head of Bonhams’ motoring department.

Carr passed away in 2007, leaving the Bugatti to his family. Until this point, his family had no idea of the value of the now dusty but only mildly decayed car. "We just can’t believe it. It’s worth so much because he hasn’t used it for fifty years,” said Carr’s nephew.