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1937 Bugatti 57SC sells for record $9.7 million at Amelia

See this car right here? It may very well be the most valuable Bugatti ever sold at auction. Any 57 would stand among the most sought-after Bugattis among collectors. But this particular 1937 Bugatti 57SC Sports Tourer features unique bodywork from British coachbuilder Vanden Plas. That may make it look more like a Jaguar or Morgan than a Bugatti, but that signature grille tells you otherwise. Chassis number 57541 was showcased at the London Motor Show and featured in some of the company's own literature, then went on to race before and after the War on our side of the Atlantic. In superlative condition, the Vanden Plas Bugatti was valued at $11-13 million heading into the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance where it was auctioned off by Bonhams this weekend. It didn't quite get there, but at $9,735,000, the auctioneer lauds this as "the most valuable Bugatti ever sold at auction and the most valuable car ever sold at Amelia Island." That may not actually be accurate, though. Sports Car Market logs a '31 Royale that Christie's apparently sold for slightly more at $9.8 million way back in 1987, and Gooding & Company sold a '61 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider for $17 million over the same weekend. One way or another, it's a lot of money, and a beautiful car that one very fortunate owner will be taking home with him (or her) from Florida this week. Check it out in the extensive image gallery above and the video clip below. Show full PR text BONHAMS' SECOND ANNUAL AMELIA ISLAND AUCTION A SMASHING SUCCESS – WORLD RECORDS MADE, SALES NEARLY DOUBLED OVER LAST YEAR, AND THE BUGATTI 57SC BECOMES THE MOST VALUABLE BUGATTI EVER SOLD AT AUCTION For immediate release – 11 March 2016 – Amelia Island, Florida – Held Thursday, March 10th at the spacious and conveniently accessible Fernandina Beach Golf Club, Bonhams' second annual Amelia Island auction was a resounding success with nearly $27.5-million achieved. With an impressively diverse and curated selection of 95 automobiles ranging from 19th century motor carriages to 21st century supercars, the handpicked assembly offered something for every taste and interest. Leading the sale was the singular 1937 Bugatti 57SC Sports Tourer by Vanden Plas. Armed with a generous amount of international buzz from the preceding weeks, this very special pre-war car had the auction tent packed to capacity with bidders and spectators. With a starting bid of $6-million, the bidding quickly rose to $8-million.

The 500th and final Bugatti Chiron is a tribute to the model's beginnings

It's the end of the road for the Bugatti Chiron. Limited to 500 units globally, the W16-powered coupe entered production in 2016, set a top-speed record, and spawned several models. The final Chiron was built in May 2024, but the French brand will soon unveil what comes next. Bugatti named the final Chiron "L'Ultime," which translates to "the last one" in French. It's a Super Sport model whose livery is inspired by the first Chiron shown to the public when the model was announced at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. It's finished in Atlantic Blue and French Racing Blue, like the show car, but the colors blend into each other; they were separated by hand-polished aluminum trim on the show car displayed in Switzerland. The color split extends to the wheels, and the grille wears a blue Bugatti emblem created specifically for the model. The name of places that helped shape the Chiron's career appear on both sides of the last example built. Paul Ricard is the track in the south of France where Bugatti tested pre-production prototypes, for example. Geneva is where the Chiron was presented to the public, and Ehra-Lessien is the German test track where the Chiron became the first car to cross the 300-mph barrier. It reached precisely 304.773 mph. 2024 Bugatti Chiron l'Ultime View 22 Photos More subtle design details further identify L'Ultime as the final Chiron built. The center caps feature "500/500" logos while "#500" appears ahead of both wheel arches — that's number 500, not hashtag 500. Bugatti notes that this livery was created at the request of a customer. Inside, there's Deep Blue leather upholstery and carbon fiber trim. The "#500" logo appears on the center console, while the seats and the steering wheel get blue, white, and red stitching as a tribute to the French flag. Bugatti's historic home is in Molsheim, in northern France. There's no word on where the final Chiron is off to. It might end up tucked away in a private museum, or you might spot it at the next cars and coffee gathering. As for what's next, we won't have to wait long to find out. The company, which is controlled by Croatia-based Rimac, confirmed that the Chiron's successor will ditch the W16 engine that also powered the Veyron and instead use a new V16 engine designed in-house. The 16-cylinder will work jointly with some kind of hybrid drivetrain, though full technical details haven't been released yet.

New limited-edition Bugatti rumored for Pebble Beach

The Supercar Blog has heard from its VIP sources that Bugatti has a new special-edition offering planned for debut at Pebble Beach. The Molsheim brand enjoys playing to its deep-pocketed crowd at the annual Northern California fest, having introduced the special edition $5.8M Divo there last year, and regularly hosting Grand Tour driving events around the concours. TSB didn't get details on the coming model, but it was told that part of its production run has already been sold. In 2017, ex-Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Durheimer said the identity of a Chiron successor would need to be answered by this year, after spending 2018 exploring different ideas. Current brand CEO Stephan Winkelmann has spoken broadly about his intention for the automaker and vaguely about what kinds of models could come. He's repeatedly nixed the idea of a Bugatti SUV and said sedans constitute "a segment that is losing momentum," so a four-door wouldn't be worthwhile. And although he has said the brand "still [has] a lot of plans" for the W16 engine, he most recently mentioned a more affordable, electric daily-driver, perhaps something that would sit on a brand new platform. Whatever gets the green light as a second model, its primary task is to increase Bugatti's volume. If a report in Automobile from last September is accurate, we should expect three Chiron-based trims to show before the production run ends: a go-faster SS, a Superleggera, and a targa Aperta. Winkelmann has also said he doesn't want to do an Aperta version of the Chiron; still, we're left with nearly every option open for the rumored debut at Pebble. TSB says Bugatti is working to unveil two new cars per year. The La Voiture Noire was one, the Pebble Beach car could be the second, and there's another rumor of a third car to come at the Grand Tour drive. Just two months away from the event, it's likely we'll start getting glimpses before a reveal on the lawn.