Bugatti's cars are today one of the most cherished in existence, whether old, like the Type 57S Atalante left by a British physician in his will this week, or new, like the Veyron Sang Noir, which is dedicated to that very classic. The incredible 1937 Bugatti left to the doctor's nieces and nephews has now been sold at an auction in Paris for about $4.4 million.
The car was left in a garage willed to the man's relatives without indicating what was inside. Along with the Bugatti, they found a Jaguar E-Type and an undisclosed type of Aston Martin, reports The Telegraph. The incredible finds were completely unexpected by the family.
Built as a modified version of the standard Type 57, the Type 57S Atalante was lower, more powerful and even rarer. Only 17 of them were ever made. A yet rarer variant, the Type 57SC, for supercharged, was also made, but only two such cars were built by Bugatti from the factory. Many 57S owners later had the superchargers, which could boost output as high as 200 horsepower, installed by the factory in Molsheim, however.
The standard 57S, like that pictured above, still generated a substantial 175 hp enough to propel it to about 130 mph, and the Atalante was a unique variant with elements drawn from the 1935 Aerolithe concept car, including aluminum body panels among other innovations.
Despite selling for such a substantial amount, the car was expected to reach prices as high as $8.75 million.
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