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Early 20th century cars are all the rage right now and August 30th will be no exception! The best European cars will go under the hammer at Gooding & Company’s London auction at Hampton Court Palace. If you’re interested in these cars, as the Brits would say, they’ve just opened up the arena where you can register to bid on these insanely cool European cars.
What car embodies more luxury than the Bugatti? Gooding & Company is currently offering four of them for sale from Jack Braam Ruben’s world-class collection. That’s quite a quartet!
The Atalante is one of the best things you can hear in the same breath as Bugatti – they have the most distinctive, elegant and significant style available. This particular example, chassis 57252, was built with a lower steering column angle than most Type 57s, making it super rare, one of three. The car has been beautifully repainted in the original two-tone ‘Smoke and Sage’ green livery. It has been superbly restored by Classic Skills of Lomm, the Netherlands. With the original #195 engine confirmed to still be present, this is a crazy chance for Bugatti collectors to find their unicorn.
The Type 43 was built to take all the engineering from the Type 35, the most significant pre-war Grand Prix racing car, except that it was also roadworthy. Notably, the 43A featured a roadster body designed by Jean Bugatti and a supercharged 2.3-litre inline eight-cylinder engine that gave it plenty of power. One of only 10 known examples still in existence of the 19 Jean Bugatti Type 43A Roadsters built, it is one of the rarest and most desirable Bugatti automobiles. Also preserved, according to the accompanying historical reports by David Sewell, Mark Morris and Kees Jansen, are the frame, lower crankcase, camshaft gear, gearbox and rear axle with matching numbers. This particular Bugatti has a beautiful patina with hints of the original black and yellow paint on the outside. With a matching aluminium dashboard, it is the perfect example of an unrestored beauty!
With an open body in the style of Jean Bugatti and built by Carrosserie Gangloff, nothing can go wrong. And this one definitely lives up to the hype. In exceptionally original condition, this Stelvio, chassis no. 57181, won second place in its class at the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance before moving across the pond to the esteemed Dutch collection of Jack Braam Ruben. With its patinated original red leather interior and stunning paintwork, it has to be one of the finest unrestored examples in existence. This lovingly preserved time capsule example is sure to turn heads.
This Bugatti is one of the very last built before the war, making it incredibly historic and significant. It is one of only 120 Type 57s built with Ventoux bodywork and retains its matching numbers engine. The Bugatti Register which contributes to its rarity. Completed in Grey-Deauville (Light grey) with Havana (Light brown) leather, the car originally went to a British agent. Under the current owner a beautiful paint job was applied, retaining some of the original interior materials. It’s rare to find a Bugatti with known provenance, which makes this one extra special, but you can probably tell just by looking at it how special it is, with the signature Bugatti teardrop.
Of course we’ve given the Bugattis a lot of love, but we can’t forget the beautiful Alfa Romeos in this collection! The 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300B ‘Corto’ Cabriolet (estimate: £450,000 – £550,000) is a perfect open touring car built by Swiss coachbuilder Carrosserie Worblaufen. The 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Freccia d’Oro is another popular Alfa model that has been restored to its teal beauty!
If you don’t plan on flying to England to bid in person at the auction at Hampton Court Palace, you can register to bid online or watch the live webcast of Gooding & Company’s London auction. You can also view more beautiful cars in the online catalogue before they go under the hammer on August 30th!
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