The top floor up here at MotorMartin Towers was awash with excitement recently when it was announced that a pre-production 575MM Ferrari worth £200,000 and a 1926 Bugatti Type 37 worth £600,000 will be going under the hammer at, friends of MotorMartin, Coys auctions at Fontwell House and Blenheim palace on June 29th and July 15th respectively.
The unbelievable 575MM will be offered at Coys auction in the elegant gardens of Fontwell House in the heart of the Sussex Downs, just a few miles away from the action at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
It’s been explained to MotorMartin that the car is likely the earliest of the ‘pre-production’ cars made by Ferrari with chassis number 123761. Despite being built in June of 2002, the factory kept it in storage after using it for marketing and promotional purposes before finally registering it in 2006. It was then sold as a ‘new’ car in 2008 to a VIP client direct from the factory.
Rather incredibly, this 575MM reads less than 13,000km on the odometer, comes with full history file, original manuals Ferrari Classiche and is estimated at £150,000 to £200,000.
Chris Routledge, CEO of Coys, shared with MotorMartin that: “Just miles away from the action at the Festival of Speed, enthusiasts and collectors will find at Fontwell House a fabulous selection of classic, sports and racing cars, including this pre-production Ferrari 575MM.”
The Type 37 Bugatti will be going under the hammer at Coys auction at Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and one of England’s greatest palaces, on July 15th. In addition, Coys will host their traditional and prestigious summer Concours d’Elegance of rare and unusual motor cars.
The Bugatti, MotorMartin has been told, was one of the three that world speed record holder and London Bugatti dealer Malcolm Campbell purchased from the works in the Spring of 1926. It was then sold to W. B. Scott (Bummer to his friends), a regular competitor at Brooklands and very well known in the racing scene at the time. He raced it at Brooklands in 1927 before concentrating on his Grand Prix Sunbeam for the 1928 season.
The car changed hands a few times over the coming years before being purchased by R. MacLeod-Carey in 1934. In 1940, he sold it to Mr. Dudley Gahagan, who owned the car for a somewhat incredible 57 years before bequeathing it to the current vendor in 1997. Unbelievable.
Gahagan was well established in the classic car world, being involved in the early days of the Vintage Sports-Car Club and running the classic restoration business Rees Brothers of Aldershot in Hampshire for many years. He campaigned his beloved Type 37 at numerous hill climbs, time and speed trials, and embarked on various continental trips, including the Prescott Hill Climb, Goodwood, Brighton Speed Trials, and at the newly created Silverstone track on over 20 occasions from 1949 through to 1992.
The Type 37 enjoyed a well-earned comprehensive restoration from 2002 to 2008, and since then has been used sparingly. It is also still offered with its original chassis, gearbox, and both front and rear axles. It is estimated at £400,000 to £600,000.
Routledge explained to MotorMartin: “COYS auction at Blenheim Palace is one of the most well established classic car sales in the British auction calendar. This year we return to the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill with an important selection of classic and sport cars, including this well known Type 37 Bugatti, one of the most iconic cars of the last century and a unique opportunity for the serious collector.”
Entries are invited for both auctions. More details and full catalogues will be released soon and MotorMartin can’t wait.
Where will you go?