Santa Monica, Calif. (July 9, 2020) – Gooding & Company, the auction house revered for selling the world’s most sought-after and valuable twentieth-century motorcars, has announced an outstanding 1938 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet to highlight the company’s inaugural Geared Online auction, running from August 3-7.
1938 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet (Estimate: $1,300,000 – $1,600,000) The Bugatti Type 57 was introduced in 1934 and is widely regarded as a masterpiece from the hands of Jean Bugatti. Recognized worldwide by classic car historians as a brilliant example of automotive artistry, the Type 57 Bugatti is admired by enthusiasts for its magnificent twin-cam inline eight-cylinder engine, sublime Art Deco styling, and exceptional attention to detail.
The Bugatti presented here, chassis 57644, was produced in 1938 and produced as a limited number of Type 57s originally fitted with elegant Three-Position Cabriolet bodywork from Parisian coachbuilder Letourneur et Marchand and finished in green with cream coves. This stately Bugatti was initially sold through the Paris concessionaire and then passed into the hands of a Dutch textile manufacturer following WWII. In 1949, the Bugatti was sold to Major Rudi van Daalen Wetters, whose family would retain the car for the next 66 years. It was not until 2015 that the Wetters family sold their beloved Bugatti to the current owner, a close family friend and pioneering collector of prewar French automobiles.
In the care of the current owner, chassis 57644 benefitted from a complete, concours-quality restoration overseen by esteemed Bugatti authority Scott Sargent of Sargent Metal Works in Vermont. This work saw the car returned to its original splendor, with the Cabriolet coachwork beautifully refinished in a dynamic two-tone green color scheme. Consequently, the experts at Leydon Restoration completely rebuilt the original engine and included the fitment of a Brineton Engineering supercharger, bringing the car up to full 57C specification.
Upon completion of its three-year restoration, the Type 57 entered the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® where it successfully won a class award, and has since participated in several American Bugatti Club events across the US. Featuring spectacular original coachwork by Letourneur et Marchand, a history chronicled by respected marque historians, and exceptional provenance, chassis 57644 offers an exciting opportunity to acquire a historically significant and exquisitely restored Type 57 Bugatti.
About Geared Online Gooding & Company is pleased to announce an exciting new stage for auctions to be held exclusively through the company’s website and mobile bidding app. This new auction platform will complement the company’s annual live auction events and offer a selection with reserve and no reserve vehicles and automobilia, providing a superb array of automotive treasures for every level of collector. Gooding & Company will house all vehicles offered in the online auction within one accessible setting, providing the company with the unique ability to offer on-site inspections for interested bidders and to personally engage with each available lot on behalf of buyers and sellers. The auction house invites you to speak with a Gooding & Company staff member for more information on how to consign for the upcoming sales.
Geared Online | August 2020 Online Catalogue Starting: Monday, July 27 Auction Begins: Monday, August 3, 9:00 AM PDT Lots Begin Selling: Friday, August 7, 12:00 PM PDT Website: www.goodingco.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/GoodingandCompany Twitter: @goodingandco #GearedOnline #GoodingOnline Instagram: @goodingandcompany #GearedOnline #GoodingOnline YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/GoodingandCompany Phone: + 1 310.899.1960
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