Santa Monica, Calif. (July 22, 2024) — Gooding & Company has announced a spectacular 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante, in addition to other French classics, ahead of its highly anticipated catalogue launch this coming Wednesday, July 24. The official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® will offer this First in Class-winning 57SC alongside a Delahaye 135M Torpédo Roadster presented from the Petersen Automotive Museum Collection, a Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio, and no-reserve Bugattis from the Dr. Theodore Waugh Collection. All of these selections will cross the auction block throughout the course of the two-day sale at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach marquee on Friday, August 16 and Saturday, August 17.
“This stunningly restored 57SC Atalante will make its auction debut at our much awaited Pebble Beach sale next month, where it will certainly be met with great excitement as one of the finest Bugatti Type 57s to exist in the world, with an impeccable provenance consisting of collectors such as Vojta Mashek and Dr. Peter Williamson,” said Gooding & Company President and Co-Founder, David Gooding. “We are also honored to present the rare Delahaye 135M Torpédo Roadster, a longtime fixture at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and the collection of Dr. Theodore Waugh, a highly respected and important name in the world of Bugatti ownership.”
1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante (Estimate: $9,000,000 – $11,000,000) The Type 57S model was the pinnacle of Bugatti production under the brilliant genius of Ettore Bugatti, and his son Jean, and made its mark as one of the ultimate high-performance automobiles of its era. The supercharged “C” variant of the Type 57S was even more impressive, producing about 200 hp and ranking among the fastest production cars built before WWII. In total, Bugatti built just 42 examples of the Type 57S between fall 1936 and 1938. The most famous examples were outfitted with bodies designed by Jean Bugatti, including the incomparable Atalante and Atlantic models, and assembled at the firm’s headquarters in Molsheim. In all, just 17 Type 57S chassis were completed with Atalante coachwork, including this car, chassis 57573 – among the last examples built. Completed in September 1937, this Type 57S was originally finished in blue over Havana leather and equipped with chrome wire wheels. 57573 made its debut on the Bugatti show stand at the 1937 Paris Salon de l’Automobile at the majestic Grand Palais, and then transported to London, where it was presented at the Earls Court Motor Show in October. Immediately after the show, the Atalante sold to its first owner, C. Ian Craig, a Bugattiste and heir to a wealthy Irish family. Early in his ownership, Mr. Craig registered the car as “GBP 2,” reportedly for “Grand Prix Bugatti 2,” and the plates remain on the Atalante to this day. After entering 57573 in the Lewes Speed Trials in 1939, Craig sold the car to English enthusiast David L. Griffith-Hughes. Upon acquiring the car, Mr. Griffith-Hughes upgraded the engine to SC specification, fitting the supercharger that had originally been installed in Lord Rothschild’s Atlantic, chassis 57374. Subsequently, the supercharged Atalante was profiled in articles by Motor Sport and The Autocar magazines. By the late 1950s, 57573 had relocated to the US, where it was owned by Charles Globe of Chicago. During this time, it was shipped to the Bugatti works in Molsheim for a complete restoration, after which it was acquired by notable car collector Vojta Mashek. In 1965, Dr. Peter Williamson, then serving as president of the American Bugatti Club, purchased the Atalante for his collection, where 57573 was part of one of the finest private Bugatti collections ever assembled in the US. After a restoration by Don Lefferts in the 1990s, 57573 took part in the 2003 American Bugatti Club East Coast Rally and that year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®. In 2006, the car passed from Dr. Williamson to William Ainscough, a respected UK collector. Since 2013, the Atalante has resided in the US, where it has undergone an exceptional, no-expense-spared restoration recently completed by renowned Bugatti specialist Scott Sargent of Sargent Metal Works in Bradford, Vermont. The restoration expertly brought 57573 back to its original splendor. Upon its debut at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, the Atalante was awarded First in Class. Today, 57573 remains in exquisite, concours-quality condition, and as a matching-numbers, Jean Bugatti-designed Atalante, proves to be an exceptionally rare and immensely desirable Bugatti masterpiece coming to public auction for the very first time.
1938 Delahaye 135M Torpédo Roadster (Estimate: $2,000,0000 – $3,000,000) At the Paris Motor Show of 1936, Delahaye displayed an example of their venerable 135M with incredibly wild and curvaceous torpédo roadster coachwork by Figoni et Falaschi, and with it, the coachbuilding style known as “French Curves” was born. It is believed that 11 such examples were built, including the show car, and approximately five remain today, per Delahaye historian André Vaucourt. The car offered here, chassis 49169, was eighth of the 11 chassis built, and was ordered new by the Algerian importer Monsieur Migliaccio for his client Monsieur Fould in March 1938. In 1992, 49169 was discovered by French enthusiast Antoine Serval in the Algerian mountains at the home of scrap dealer Loones Belkessam. An incredibly important and most unlikely find, the Delahaye retained the majority of its coachwork, and was found in relatively intact condition. The Delahaye was then shipped to France, where it underwent a number of restorations which included work by the esteemed body specialists at Crailville in Middlesex, England. Following this masterful restoration, the 135M was displayed at Rétromobile in 1997 on the Club Delahaye stand; it was then purchased by well-known Swiss collector Marc Caveng, who commissioned Carrosserie Fernandez of Lausanne to repaint the Delahaye in black, accented by crimson pinstriping and cognac leather. In 1999, Mr. Caveng sold the Delahaye to noted collector Robert E. Petersen of Los Angeles, who then exhibited the car as a fixture at the Petersen Automotive Museum Collection for the public to experience. From its early life spent in Algeria to its discovery and subsequent restoration in the 1990s, and finally its tenure at one of America’s greatest automotive museums, this enduring Delahaye presents an incredible opportunity for its next wise caretaker.
From the Dr. Theodore Waugh Collection, Offered Without Reserve Gooding & Company is honored to have the privilege and responsibility of bringing the outstanding collection of Dr. Theodore Waugh III to auction. A lifelong Bugattiste, Dr. Waugh was enamored by the mystique of early Bugattis. Dr. Waugh earned his medical degree from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden in 1968, and he combined his surgical skills with his engineering prowess when working on his Bugattis. He spent countless hours of enjoyment working on these cars, building lifelong friendships with fellow owners and enthusiasts around the world. He was a longtime member of the American Bugatti Club, and his collection of six Bugattis, offered entirely without reserve, now presents the next generation of devoted custodians with the opportunity to acquire some of these automotive treasures so lovingly maintained and looked after by the respected doctor. Leading the collection is a superb 1930 Bugatti Type 46 Cabriolet (Estimate: $450,000 – $650,000, Without Reserve) with Gangloff coachwork. This Type 46, chassis 46470, was delivered to its first owner in Algeria, and then owned by Bugatti enthusiast David Mize. Also featured in the collection is a 1927 Bugatti Type 43 Grand Sport (Estimate: $400,000 – $600,000, Without Reserve). One of approximately 160 examples built, this Type 43 was delivered new to Monaco for Bugatti racing driver René Léon, and was owned by Georges Filipinetti, Pierre Bardinon, and Carroll Shelby before acquisition by Dr. Waugh. The collection also includes a desirable second-series 1937 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio (Estimate: $250,000 – $350,000, Without Reserve) fitted with open Stelvio coachwork, as well as a 1928 Bugatti Type 44 Torpédo (Estimate: $250,000 – $350,000, Without Reserve) donning unique original open coachwork by Figoni. Lastly, an attractive eight-valve 1914 Bugatti Type 23 Tourer (Estimate: $90,000 – $120,000, Without Reserve) with open coachwork and a 1914 Bugatti Type 13 Dog Cart Replica (Estimate: $70,000 – $90,000, Without Reserve) round out the grouping. The latter is equipped with a genuine 16-valve Bugatti engine and wears racing coachwork built by Crosthwaite & Gardiner.
1938 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio (Estimate: $800,000 – $1,000,000) Also offered at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Auctions is this 1938 Bugatti Type 57, chassis 57639, clothed in Stelvio Cabriolet coachwork by coachbuilder Gangloff when new. This Stelvio was delivered to its first owner, Josef Schmied of Düsseldorf, Germany, on March 4, 1938, and remained with him until 1952, when it was sold to Hellfreid Klein of Vienna, Austria. Mr. Klein retained the car for 20 years before selling it to Max Baumann, who restored the Type 57. In 1975, the Bugatti passed through Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein to Michel J.H. Oprey of the Netherlands, during which time it embarked on various driving tours around Europe including the 2nd Rally Monte-Carlo des Voitures Anciennes in 1976 and the Hyde Park Bugatti Rally in 1979. The Stelvio was acquired in 1998 by Dutch collector Jack Braam Ruben, who then sold it to Bert Jaansens. Mr. Jaansens restored the car before it was exported to the US, where it joined the stable of Charles “Chuck” Swimmer of San Diego, California in 2006. In 2010, Mr. Swimmer and his Stelvio participated in the International Bugatti Rally along the California coastline, prior to the sale of the car to noted collector Bruce Meyer. Under Mr. Meyer’s care, the Stelvio was refinished in its current black paint with burgundy accents. The current owner purchased the vehicle from Mr. Meyer in 2013 through restorer Scott Sargent, who fitted the Bugatti with a desirable Laycock overdrive. In 2017, this pedigreed Stelvio was exhibited at the Arizona Concours d’Elegance, where it participated in the special Cars of Ettore and Jean Bugatti class. Pebble Beach Auctions Dates: Friday, August 16, at 4 p.m. PDT, and Saturday, August 17, at 11 a.m. PDT Location: Pebble Beach Parc du Concours Public Preview: Wednesday, August 14 through Saturday, August 17 Auction Catalogues: $120, includes admission for two to the viewing and the auction General Admission: $50, includes admission for one to the viewing and the auction Bidder Registration: www.goodingco.com/register Website: www.goodingco.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/GoodingandCompany X: @goodingandco #GoodingPebble Instagram: @goodingandcompany #GoodingPebble YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/GoodingandCompany Phone: +1.310.899.1960
About Gooding & Company Gooding & Company is celebrated for its world-class automotive auctions, private brokerage, and unparalleled service in the international collector car market, achieving over $2.75 billion in sales since the company’s inception. The auction house continues to deliver market-leading results through both its live auctions and Geared Online platform, setting new trends and world records with best-of-category cars across numerous verticals. Gooding & Company consistently presents the highest quality consignments while operating with openness and integrity, providing the company a reputation of trust and respect unmatched in the industry. Offering a wide range of services including private and estate sales, appraisals and collection management, the auction house is ready to assist you with numerous collector car services. Media Inquiries: Pauline Pechakjian pauline@goodingco.com +1 (310) 383-7437
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