Garage Yields Dusty Surprise: $4.3M Bugatti

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 2, 2009 2:58 PM CST

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Garage Yields Dusty Surprise: $4.3M Bugatti — An extremely rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante is seen in a garage in Gosforth, England, where it was found by relatives after the death of the owner, an elderly doctor who last used it around 1960. (AP Photo)

A rare Bugatti sports car found in a late British doctor’s garage will be auctioned off next month and is expected to fetch at least $4.3 million for his surprised relatives, the AP reports. The Type 57S Atalante, built in 1937, is one of only 17 ever made. This particular car was also owned by the Earl Howe, a pillar of British racing. At a time when most cars hit about 50 mph, the Atalante topped out at a scorching 130 mph.

“It has all the finest attributes any connoisseur collector could ever seek in one of the ultimate road-going sports cars from the golden era of the 1930s," said an exec of Bonhams auction house.
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