By Calvin Palmer
A rare car left in a garage in Gosforth, near Newcastle on Tyne, England, for 50 years sold for £3,043,293 ($4.4 million) yesterday at an auction in Paris.
The 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante was originally owned by racing enthusiast Earl Howe, who was the first president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club. He kept it for eight years.
It changed hands a couple of times before orthopedic surgeon Dr Harold Carr bought it in 1955. He drove the car for a few years but in the early 1960s it was parked in his garage, where it remained for nearly 50 years until his death.
The two-seater car was sold on behalf of Dr Carr’s family at Bonhams’ Retromobile car show and sale in Paris. It was bought by a European collector.
The car, which still has its original engine and body, is highly coveted by collectors as only 17 were ever made.
[Based on reports by The Guardian and Associated Press.]
