Bugatti Heritage - 2020 was a year of absolute records!

Historic Bugatti vehicles continue to increase in value. No less than five automotive masterpieces from Molsheim took the first five places in the most valuable vehicles that were auctioned at international auctions in 2020. Despite the pandemic, historic Bugattis broke records at auction houses Bonhams and Gooding & Company: a manufacturer has never dominated the top five places in the most expensive automobiles auctioned.

Bugatti Heritage - a year of records

Bugatti vehicles have always been exclusive. But with age, so does their value, as an analysis by Classic Analytics, a company that analyzes the international market and evaluates classic cars worldwide, shows. “Bugattis from the era of Ettore and Jean Bugatti, especially in their original condition and with racing history, have always been among the most expensive classic cars on the market. Despite the general decline in interest in pre-war vehicles, this trend has continued and even increased, ”says Frank Wilke, Managing Director of Classic Analytics. Classic Analytics is part of the Hagerty Group, the largest classic car service provider in the USA. The basis of the top ten is an internal auction database in which all international classic car auctions of a year are observed and evaluated.

"The current situation has changed the auction market, from face-to-face auctions to online auctions. But the prices for exclusive, classic vehicles remain stable at a high level“, Says Frank Wilke. "Every historic Bugatti vehicle is unique. Types that were built between 1920 and the late 1930s set standards in terms of both performance and design. The vehicles auctioned this year were very special in terms of history and originality“, Explains Wilke.

"The past year has certainly presented us with a number of challenges, but it has also opened up new opportunities to maintain our connection with the automotive community and enthusiasts around the globe"Said David Gooding, Gooding & Company President and Founder. "At our first ever auction in the UK, we set many new records in 2020, including the sale of the most expensive Bugatti ever in a public auction and the sale of the two most valuable lots of 2020: a 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports and a 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante."

"We feel honored and proud to have been entrusted with these two extraordinary historical masterpieces from Molsheim"Says James Knight, Chairman of Bonhams Group Motoring. "Both vehicles are two extraordinary Type 55S - one a special coachbuilt convertible from Figoni, the other a truly artful Super Sport Roadster from Jean Bugatti. As expected, both automobiles attracted numerous bidders. We were also not surprised that the two Type 55s were not only recognized as the most valuable vehicles in their respective auctions, but also the highest auction results overall both during the Rétromobile 2020 and the 2020 Amelia Car Week. "

Bugatti Type 59 Sports (Chassis 57248)

A 12,681 Bugatti Type 2020 Sports with chassis number 59 was auctioned at Gooding & Company in London in September 1934 for $ 57248 million. This makes it one of the most expensive Bugattis to ever go under the hammer at a public auction. The Bugatti Type 59 Sports was created as a racing car for the Bugatti Grand Prix works team and won the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa. The racing car later took third place at the Monaco Grand Prix. At the wheel were some of the most famous and successful Bugatti racing drivers, including Robert Benoist, Louis Chiron, René Dreyfus, Achille Varzi and Jean-Pierre Wimille. After the successful racing season, Bugatti converted the Type 59 into a sports car. In 1937 King Leopold of Belgium bought the Bugatti. The vehicle is still in its unrestored original condition today. It is powered by an eight-cylinder in-line engine with a displacement of 3,3 liters and a compressor. The output was around 250 hp, other engine variants came up to 1936 hp in the Type 59, which was built until 380.

Bugatti Type 57S Atalante (chassis 57502)

The buyer paid 10,44 million euros for a rare and desirable Type 57S Atalante from 1937 with chassis number 57502 at the Gooding & Company auction in London. It is a special model: British racing driver and Bugatti enthusiast Earl Howe bought it in 1937. The Bugatti Type 57S Atalante is one of only 17 vehicles that Jean Bugatti equipped with his sensational Atalante body. A turbocharged 3,3 liter eight-cylinder, which in the Type 57S has an output of up to 175 hp, serves as the drive.

Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport Roadster (chassis 55220)

A 7,1 Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport Roadster with a factory body designed by Jean Bugatti fetched $ 1932 million at the Bonhams Amelia Island auction in March 2020. Bugatti produced a total of only 1935 Type 38 Super Sport chassis by 55. Eleven of the 14 roadster bodies built by Jean Bugatti still exist today. Victor Rothschild, who later became the third Baron Rothschild, bought the Type 55 as a new car and kept it in his collection for many decades. In 1985, Boston professor Dean S. Edmonds Jr. bought this Bugatti with chassis number 55220 for £ 440.000. At the time, it was the most expensive automobile ever sold in Great Britain. Edmond owned the Bugatti and took first place in its class at Pebble Beach in 1993.

Bugatti Type 35C (chassis 4871)

At an auction in London at Gooding & Company, a hammer price of $ 5,23 million fell on a Bugatti Type 35C Grand Prix from 1928 - a model record for the Type 35. This vehicle with chassis number 4871 was originally designed for the 1928 Targa Florio. The first private vehicle Owner Jannine Jennky, a French racing driver, achieved overall victory in the first Coupe de Bourgogne in Dijon. After 1932 the vehicle, which is now over 90 years old, only passed through four hands. It is in unrestored original condition. Bugatti produced the Type 1930C until 35, powered by an eight-cylinder in-line engine with a displacement of two liters. With the help of a Roots compressor, the engine generates 125 hp, which made a top speed of over 90 km / h possible over 200 years ago.

Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport (chassis 55221)

A Bugatti enthusiast paid $ 5,07 million for a Type 55 from 1931 in Paris last February. This made the vehicle with chassis number 55221 the most expensive car that was sold at one of the Rétromobile 2020 auctions. A very special vehicle: Louis Chiron and Count Guy Bouriat-Quintart as co-drivers drove the works racing car at the 1932 24 Hours of Le Mans. The later owner had a unique Figoni body built around the chassis. With this body, the Type 55 remained in family ownership for over 60 years. Its turbocharged 2,3-liter eight-cylinder generates around 160 hp.

The prices achieved in 2020 do not surprise experts. A Bugatti is considered to be the most valuable car of all time. Only four of the Type 57 SC Atlantic were made between 1936 and 1938, three of which still exist after more than 80 years. The fourth Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic is considered the automotive amber room and has been lost to this day. If it were found, its speculative value would probably be significantly higher.

Of course that had not happened yet!

tuningblog has countless other articles on the subject of car and auto tuning in stock. Do you want to see them all? Just click HERE and look around. In part, we would like to provide you with news but also off the tuning. In our category Tips, products, information & Co We have reviews of car or accessories manufacturers, new ones Tuning Wiki Terms or one or the other Leak veröffentlicht. Following an excerpt of the last articles:

"Tuningblog.eu" - we keep you up to date on the subject of car tuning and car styling with our tuning magazine and we present you the latest tuned vehicles from all over the world every day. It's best to subscribe to ours Feed and will automatically be informed as soon as there is something new about this post, and of course also to all other contributions.