This ‘time capsule’ 1930s Bugatti is set to sell for £3million

This barely-used 1930s Art Deco Bugatti is heading to auction later this month and is tipped to fetch a staggering £3million.

The black and yellow 1938 Type 57C Atalante is said to be the ‘rarest’ and ‘most sought-after’ example of Bugatti’s golden-age supercar, described as being in ‘time capsule’ condition having been preserved for most of its life.

That’s because it was hidden away from the beginning of the Second World War for safe keeping and then kept as a ‘sleeping beauty’ by an eccentric French recluse at his chateau for decades.

The jaw-dropping Type 57 – chassis 57767 – is one of three supercharged examples Bugatti produced and cloaked in streamlined Atalante bodywork made of feather-light aluminium.

The car in question was used by the French supercar-maker in 1938 as its display showpiece for the Paris Salon event.

It was delivered to the first keeper in December that year but quickly ran into some reliability issues.

Letters sold with the car show that it was sent to a Bugatti workshop in a Parisian suburb on 30 August 1939 to undergo repairs to resolve a camshaft lubrication problem.

Just two days later, Hitler invaded Poland and the car was squirreled away for safe keeping by Bugatti – and it has remained largely out of the public eye since.

It was bought by the previous owner, Jean Piger, in 1954, who drove it extensively for the first few years before wheeling the cherished motor into a heated garage at his chateau in a private car collection alongside a Mercedes 300SL and a Jaguar E-type.

Having not turned a wheel for the best part of six decades, Mr Piger – who had become a recluse -agreed to part with the Bugatti in 2014, though insisted that potential buyers would not be allowed to visit his home to inspect it before purchase.

Shortly after buying the beautiful vehicle, the vendor – who Bonhams say is an ‘esteemed European collector’ – sent it to French Bugatti specialist, Ets Randoni, to be re-commissioned mechanically in order to pass France’s version of the MOT so it could be driven on the road once again.

The 57C is now being offered for sale via public auction for the very first time.

Bonhams says it will be the ‘showstopper’ of its Quail Auction in California, which takes place on 19 August in Carmel.

The auction house has predicted it will sell for a figure between $2.8million (£2.3million) to $3.4million (£2.8million), though it could easily exceed the higher estimate.

Almost entirely original, it retains its Havana leather interior and 3.3-litre eight-cylinder engine producing 160bhp, making it one of the most powerful supercars of its generation.

Linked to a four-speed manual gearbox, when new it was capable of a top speed of 120mph, which in 1938 was almost unfathomable when most vehicles of the era could barely top 50mph.

The yellow paint was an addition during Mr Piger’s tenure, though the black is believed to be the same coating from the factory. 

‘Speed, style, exclusivity, originality and provenance: this particular jewel has it all,’ Bonhams said.

‘To call something unrepeatable is a hackneyed phrase, but it is safe to say that this car is unique in terms of its deep provenance, history, and authenticity,’ it went on.

‘Not only was chassis 57767 built to the rarest of Atalante specifications. In addition, of the surviving Atalantes, no other car has retained its originality to such a degree, nor been owned by the same person for sixty years. 

‘It will stand out in any collection and be welcome at any of the world’s foremost concours events.’

Jakob Greisen, its head of motoring in the US, added: ‘Art deco Bugattis are no strangers to Monterey Car Week but we are delighted to be offering this jewel of a car – which is the perfect headliner for our 25th anniversary sale.’