30 Million Dollar Car Auction

It’s hard to believe that someone would buy a car for 30 million dollar, but some are worth the money, because they are unique and just too good to be forgotten.

A place where buyers with fine tastes and deep pockets meet each year to witness magic it’s the Gooding & Company auction. The auction is usually organized in places as exotic and as the rare as cars it sells: Scottsdale, Amelia Island or Pebble Beach. Some sales might not be impressive in price for some of us, but that’s not the case of the 1936 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic that has set a new record when it comes to prices and classic cars. The record it’s the 30 million dollars paid for this particular car at a Gooding & Company auction by the Mullin Automotive Museum, in 2010. This particular museum specializes in the preservations of French classic cars, built in the 1930s. Some of its interest brands are Delage, Delahaye and Talbot Lago.

The 30 million dollar auction made it possible for the selling price to surpass the $12.2 million paid for a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa in May 2009. The auction took place in Maranello, Italy. The Gooding & Company and the buyer preferred the option of a private transaction, but the estimated price it’s accurate, considering that this is, with no doubt, the most desirable classic automobile ever built.

This particular piece of art it’s one of the two cars that still survive in original condition. I should mention that only three of these cars were built back then. The auctioned car belonged to a Dr. Peter D. Williamson from New Hampshire while its pair it’s owned by the designer Ralph Lauren.

The 30 million dollar auctioned car has a lightweight construction, being able to reach a maximum of 123 mph or 200 kph because of its 200 bhp engine. The looks are impressive as well: the raked windscreen along with the riveted fins and oval doors make it the ultimate Bugatti.

Every time this car was sold, the price became a record. That’s what happened back in 1971, when the $59,000 price tag was definitely a record. And I must mention that since 1945 it had only three owners. The originality, the mystery behind its sales, even the name turned it into a rarity. During the 1930s Bugatti excelled when it came to elegance and refinement and continues its work even today through Bugatti Veyron. It seems that over the years, the ones continuing the legacy of Bugatti have not forgotten the motto of its founder Ettore Bugatti: “Nothing is too beautiful, nothing it’s too expensive”.

You must remember that the price it’s high not only because of its rarity. It’s about the level of technology as well. For that time the low-slung body envisioned by Jean Bugatti as well as the use of aluminum were innovations that amaze us today and raise its value. Its futuristic look, rarity and performance make it an outstanding car.

Post tags: Tags: bugatti-veyron, Gooding & Company auction, Mullin Automotive Museum