On February 19, one of the world’s most desirable pre-war cars, an exceedingly rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S, will cross the auction block after being hidden for over 50 years.
The auction will take place at Bonhams’ Legends of the Road Sale event. According to the auction house, the Type 57S was originally ordered new by Robert Ropner, a member of the Ropner Shipping Line family, and was custom-built to his specifications by coachbuilding outfit Corsica of London.
The car’s next owner was Rodney Clarke, founder of British Connaught Grand Prix racing team. It was then purchased by Turnbull, who began its lengthy, multi-decade restoration process in his workshop. Bonhams says the restoration process was nearly complete at the time of his death in 2020, and as such, the car is “only in need of some final re-assembly.” They also mentioned that this Bugatti, chassis number 57503, is in “highly original and excellent condition”, making this a collectors dream.