Classic Car Found

It is always a celebration whenever a classic car is discovered, but when it turns out to be an uncommon car too, the news is brought into the attention of classic car collectors and enthusiasts. One of those moments was the rediscover of a Bugatti with chassis number 57502, an uncommon French sports coupe manufactured in 1937. The classic car found in a barn in Newcastle, England, after over 48 years of being parked in a garage, is one of the only 17 cars of that type ever built.

In 1937 the car was bought by Earl Howe who, after owning it for eight years, sold it to a different person. The automobile continued to change owners until 1955 when it has been sold to Harold Carr, the owner that kept it in the garage for 48 years, after driving it just for a few years. This classic car was found in England after the death of Harold Carr and was sold at a bidding in 2009 by the Bonhams house of auction. Due to its rarity, original condition and low mileage, the vehicle was likely to be sold for approximately £6 million. But in reality the car's price tag was of £2,989,495.

2010 was another year when other beautiful, rare classic cars were discovered. I'm talking about an uncommon Chrysler 300 found in Berkley, surrounded by cleaning equipment and covered inside by dust. But you could not help noticing its intact red, white and blue "300-D" emblem that proved the car was an authentic, a well-preserved 1959 300-E hardtop. In fact, a couple of Chrysler cars were discovered there: a 1958 and a 1959 models.

These Chrysler cars are gorgeous cars, produced by the manufacturer between 1955 and 1965 and highly appreciated by car collectors all over the world. And that's normal, due to the exceptional style and the luxurious interiors covered in leather. Their popularity can also be caused by the low number of units produced. The vehicle found is one of the 22 top cars produced by the manufacturer with Bendix fuel injection. The fuel injection system turned out to have some problems and all the 22 manufactured cars were recalled and equipped with four-barrel carburetors and sent back to their owners. Nowadays, just a few of these cars continue to exist and be a part of the automotive history. Moreover, the new owner chose to restore it in order to show the respect it deserves.

Incredible or not, another classic car found recently is a 1925 Bugatti Type 22 that was discovered at the bottom of a Swiss lake, full of rust. Despite its condition, the automobile was sold for 260,500 Euros in Paris at the 2010 edition of the Retro Mobile classic car show. It wasn't probably the most valuable car sold throughout the Bonhams auction, but its history is impressive. The money went to charity.

This Bugatti's chassis number is 2461 and the engine number is 879. It is a car built in 1925 and originally bought by a France customer that lived in Nance and who sold it to some Parisian owner. Although only 20% from the original car was still in good condition, the car's price tag was high. The iron and the steel have suffered more damage, but the wood, the aluminum, the brass and also the rubber were better preserved with the help of a restoring session. Let's hope that another beauty will be saved!

Joel Dammann writes about Classic car found at his Car blog.