One man s 50-year vintage car restoration project leads to a £7m price tag
After buying the Bugatti Type 57S for £1,500 in May 1969, Bill Turnbull began repairing and restoring every nut, bolt and moving part
16 February 2021 • 5:32pm
A Bonhams s employee poses with a 1937 Bugatti Type 57S (nicknamed Dulcie due to its registration number DUL 351) in central London. The Bugatti, which has not been seen for 50 years, is expected to sell for up to £7 million, in a coming sale of exceptional motor cars
Credit: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images
When Bill Turnbull began work in the late Sixties on restoring a vintage Bugatti he was determined to return it to its former glory as one of the most sought after cars of its age.
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.
Bonhams
Its first owner, Robert Ropner, a member of the Ropner Shipping Line family, ordered the custom-built four-seater sports car with a Grand Routier body designed by the coachbuilder Corsica of London. Thanks to a powerful 3.3-liter, the 57S was the fastest road car of its day and regarded as a Grand Prix car for the road during Bugatti s golden era of racing in the 1930s. Fittingly, its second owner was Rodney Clarke, founder of the post war British Connaught Grand Prix racing team.
What also makes this car so special is that the chassis is based on one of only three lightweight frames produced for the Bugatti works Type 57G Tank racer that won the 1936 Grand Prix. In 1969, engineer Bill Turnbull bought the Type 57S and began a full restoration at his workshop, where the car remained for over 50 years. The restoration was nearly complete at the time of his death, so it will be up to the car s next owner to finish the project and restore the car back to its glory as Turnb
Hidden treasure: Vintage 1937 Bugatti Type 57S unearthed after HALF A CENTURY off the road in North Staffordshire to sell at auction for an estimated £7million
The Bugatti is one of 42 ever produced and is considered one of the world s most desirable pre-war classics
The last owner removed it from the road in 1969 and had kept it in a North Staffordshire workshop ever since
Following his recent death, the vintage car is being offered as part of his estate to the highest bidder
It remains in exceptionally rare and incredible condition and is estimated to fetch between £5m and £7m