As barn finds go, a Bugatti is close to the ultimate. The 1938 Type 57 Ventoux Coupe that Bonhams will be offering at the two-day Fairfield County Concours on September 17-18 is still more special. Never having been restored, it’s in near-original condition, with only 22,000 kilometers showing. Its estimate at the Connecticut auction is $150,000-$200,000.
Originally delivered to Switzerland, the Bugatti was shipped to the U.S. in the early 1960s, since which time it’s been owned by a collector identified only as an electrical and mechanical engineer. Although he began to refurbish the car, he never completed the work, and it sat unused for decades until his death earlier this year. Bugatti had a tradition of naming its models after mountain passes, thus the “Ventoux.”
Read more at Bonhams.
