Ok so it's not a VW (well it sort of is, VW now own Bugatti) but imagine finding something worth $12m in an old shed.
RARE BUGATTI UNTOUCHED FOR 50 YEARS COULD FETCH MILLIONS
The Age
January 2, 2009 - 8:57AM
A rare Bugatti supercar left to gather dust in an English garage for half a century could fetch millions when it goes under the hammer next month, a report said Thursday.
Experts believe the car - one of just a handful ever made - could fetch as much as 6 million pounds sterling ($12.51 million) when it is auctioned at the Retromobile car show and sale being organised by Bonhams in Paris in February.
Harold Carr, a surgeon, apparently abandoned the rare Bugatti in his lock-up in north-eastern Newcastle after buying it in the 1950s.
When the reclusive Carr died in 2007, his nephew found the Type 57S Atalante when he cleared out the garage and was amazed to learn that just 17 of the model were ever made.
His nephew, an engineer from Newcastle who wishes to remain anonymous, told the city's Evening Chronicle newspaper: "We just can't believe it.
"It's worth so much because he hasn't used it for 50 years. It was one of the original supercars. When it was built it could reach 210kmh when most cars could only do 50.
"Of course we're delighted and we're going to make sure the money is shared out among the family. It's a wonderful thing to leave."
The Bugatti 57S was originally owned by British aristocrat and racing enthusiast Earl Howe, who was the first president of the British Racing Drivers' Club.
He took delivery of the sporty two-seater Atalante in 1937 and kept the car for eight years.
After it changed hands several times, Carr bought it in 1955 and drove it for a few years before parking it in the garage in the early 1960s, where it remained until his death.
James Knight, international head of Bonhams' motoring department, said: "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.
"It is absolutely one of the last great barn discoveries... The Atalante is incredibly original and, although she requires restoration, it is 'restoration' in the true sense of the word.
"From my perspective, save for some of the interior, all original parts can be restored or conserved in order to maintain originality."
kroozzn63 ·
wow any pics??
Phil74Camper ·
Interesting. Can't be many of these barn finds left. And is anyone locking away Hyundais or Kias in barns now, so they can be found in another 50 years? No, I didn't think so.
Yes VW owns Bugatti now, but my opinion is that Bugattis made BEFORE VW bought them in 1998 should not be counted as 'VWs', particulary as the two companies had no shared history prior to the VW Group buying the company. They are nice cars, but are not VWs. In the same way, VW has also owned Bentley since 1998, but I don't count the famous early racing Bentleys as 'VWs'. In fact, VW owning both Bugatti and Bentley goes against history, as those two marques were once fierce rivals. Ettore Bugatti once described the Le Mans Bentleys as 'the world's fastest lorries.' Today's VW-designed Bugatti Veyron was styled by the head of VW's Skoda division!
In the same way, Skodas made before 1991 are not VWs (thank goodness), and SEATS made before 1986 are not VWs either (ditto - they are mostly Fiats). Lamborghini is actually owned by Audi, so it's a division of a VW division. Pre-1998 ones are beautiful, but are not VWs either.
Audi's situation is a bit more complicated, as there was a lot of shared history from the 1930s to when VW bought Auto Union in 1966.
Funny thing is it's not even a particularly beautiful Bugatti, but obviously rare and very advanced for its day.
soft notch ·
here's a pic
Joel ·
on the subject of barn finds this one turned up on samba recently
everyone called BS till it was proven
69 beetle and yes that mileage is genuine
driven home from the dealership and never hit the road again
theres even a copy of the original sales receipt showing all the dealer fitted accesories like steerign wheel, taper tips, white walls etc
pop out windows cost $24 in 1969 😂
traded in a 65 Saab for it
up for sale if anyone has deep enough pockets
reub ·
What a cool Bugatti...
Here is a couple of pics of them.
Euro_67 ·
Enough about the Bugatti.
More on the '69 Type 1 thanks.
donn ·
How that Bugatti could be called anything but damned nice is beyond me, but then everyon's different, just that some people are wrong and some are unwrong. Reckon the spats on the rear take a bit away from it, but then you could just take the spats away.
Pitty the bug is so far away😬
amazeer ·
210kmh on them tyres? very very brave.
donn ·
At least it has BIG BIG drums, probably cable or rod operated back then, would be interesting to know the speks.
Notch Nut ·
amazeer wrote:210kmh on them tyres? very very brave.
Nah they're the "modern" tyre & rim setup. If it had wooden spokes then that would be utterly insane!🤪
Very nice barn finds the both of them.😎
VWFREAK ·
Nice
Joel ·
Euro_67 wrote:More on the '69 Type 1 thanks.
this is the latest thread on it
earlier ones kept getting locked and deleted cos it was thought to be a hoax
along the same lines as that, over 20,000 cars randomly scattered thro the forest in Rhode island but its mainly old yank iron few vws scattered in there but not many
watch it as a slide show if you dont get to depressed at collectable cars going to waste
dont think ive ever seen so many mustangs in one place
ive seen the google sattelite image of the place its really quite sad
vwjon ·
i know a chap in the uk who bought the first and last silver edition beetles, both of them were in a huge transport shed very high up on some racking, they both have delivery milage only as well. i saw them a few years ago, i wonder what happened to them???? he also had lots of very interesting NOS stuff in boxes and crates all over the place, i think it would be worth paying him a visit (if he's still around!)
PartyHatCentral ·
As for the black beetle, who else picked the IRS (with manual trans), Automatic speedo and the cruddy-looking manual pedal assembly??! Looks like a '69 stick-shift auto that's been converted to me..good job though, but those pedals wouldn't look like that if they hadn't have been outside at some point - spoils the job. I'll pass on the $39k this time..perhaps I'll put it towards the Bugatti!
Brad ·
PartyHatCentral wrote:As for the black beetle, who else picked the IRS (with manual trans), Automatic speedo and the cruddy-looking manual pedal assembly??! Looks like a '69 stick-shift auto that's been converted to me..good job though, but those pedals wouldn't look like that if they hadn't have been outside at some point - spoils the job. I'll pass on the $39k this time..perhaps I'll put it towards the Bugatti!
Good pickup ..
1303Steve ·
Hi
Good spotting on the pedals etc. I'm pretty sure that all semi autos used vacuum & centrifugal advance dizzies, the one in that motor looks like its an all vacuum unit.
It also looks like it has a leaking wheel cylinder, hardly surprising if it has been sitting all that time.
Steve
whatnow ·
didn't the us go to irs on all model beetles in 1969?
the pedals do look out of place though.
Joel ·
PartyHatCentral wrote:As for the black beetle, who else picked the IRS (with manual trans), Automatic speedo and the cruddy-looking manual pedal assembly??! Looks like a '69 stick-shift auto that's been converted to me..good job though, but those pedals wouldn't look like that if they hadn't have been outside at some point - spoils the job. I'll pass on the $39k this time..perhaps I'll put it towards the Bugatti!
its a US beetle they were all IRS from 69 on
and all had the ATF speedos even if they were manual
i noticed those rusty pedals too
thats what 39 years locked in a garage in wisconsin does to a car
its pretty cold and snows alot there
i can only imagine what the other parts u cant see are like
greezy ·
I saw this in the paper the other day, what an amazing find you would have to be happy with that 🙂
