What Is A 1926 ‘Restoration Project’ Bugatti Worth

On 13th November 2010 a packed saleroom in Sydney witnessed spirited bidding on a number of motor cars at Bonhams Collectors’ Motor Cars, Motorcycles and Automobilia auction.

The highlight of the sale was the 1926 Bugatti Type 38 ‘Barnfind’ – completely dismantled, incomplete and lacking engine and body and expecting to sell for around £9000.

But seven telephone bidders fought against six absentee bids and five people in the Sydney auction rooms for what was described as a ‘restoration project.’ After a tense showdown, a mystery bidder - identified only as ‘living in the northern hemisphere’ - triumphed, with a bid of £68,000 some seven times it’s pre-sale auction estimate. When Robert Glover, Bonhams Head of Motor Cars Australia, informed the lady owner how much the car sold for there was a stunned silence followed by a tearful thanks.

A Type 38 in perfect condition, however, would be worth around £200,000.

Bonhams says that a ‘handful’ of Type 38s found their way to Australia via the London Bugatti agent. The car in question was first owned by a Dr Feather of Roma, Queensland but passed through various hands until it was sold to the vendor in the 1960s, by which time it had already fallen into disrepair.