The Quail

Just the name Bugatti conjures thoughts of a car with a sculptural shape and mechanical underpinnings as complex as the most intricate timepiece. From the elaborate machining atop the aluminum engine to the eternally elegant horseshoe grill, a Bugatti is as much automotive art as it is automobile. For those not acquainted with Bugatti taxonomy, the model designations present a bewildering assault of alphanumeric nomenclatures. Of the approximately 8,000 Bugattis made from 1909 through 1952, many were known as the Type 57.

The Type 57 was designed by Jean Bugatti, son of company founder Ettore and the chief architect of the French automaker’s cars. In comparison with the Type 41 “Royale,” a mere six of which were produced, the Bugatti Type 57 was positively prolific. Among the roughly 710 such vehicles that rolled out of the Molsheim factory between 1934 and 1940 were four of the Type 57 Atlantic (of which two remain) and 17 Type 57 Atalante models. Together, these are regarded by Bugattisti as the pinnacle of the marque’s achievements.

The 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante being offered through Bonhams on August 19, 2022. 

Bonhams

The body of each Atalante, named for Atalanta, a heroine of Greek mythology, bore its own unique styling details, often with oversized headlights and a two-tone color combination reflecting fashionable Art Deco style. The Type 57 was advanced for its day, with a 3.3-liter inline-eight engine using twin-overhead cams.

Bugatti’s Type 57C Atalante was often presented with oversized headlights and a two-tone color combination reflecting Art Deco style. 

Bonhams

The Bugatti being featured by Bonhams at its silver anniversary Quail Lodge Auction, on August 19 in Carmel Valley, Calif., is one of the coveted Atalante variants of the Type 57C, the C referring to “Compresseur.” This rare and desirable car was one of only 16 fitted at the factory with a supercharger, with which the engine developed about 210 hp, good for a 120 mph top end at a time when most automobiles couldn’t reach half that speed. The Type 57 in competition form was successful, setting numerous world records—beginning in 1936—and proving victorious at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1937 and 1939.

A 210 hp, supercharged 3.3-liter inline-eight engine allows for a top speed of 120 mph. 

Bonhams

This example, chassis no. 57767, was built in 1938 and features a body by Gangloff, the Swiss/French coachbuilder commissioned by many Bugatti customers to clothe rolling chassis with bespoke bodywork. It is unusual for any old car, let alone one built before World War II, to have its integrity preserved such that it retains its original, matching numbers drivetrain. But the term “time capsule” perfectly applies to this vehicle as it has maintained both its original interior and aluminum bodywork, the latter of which was fitted to only five examples of the Type 57C. According to Bonhams, this example is “a stunningly original car, with great measures taken to preserve its original finishes.”

Aluminum bodywork by Gangloff was fitted to only five examples of the Type 57C. 

Bonhams

Its unrepeatable provenance begins with the 1938 Paris Salon exhibition, after which it was hidden away with the looming clouds of war. Subsequently, it enjoyed 60 years in the collection of its previous owner, who used it extensively when he first acquired it in 1954, later storing it in the heated garage of his chateau. It was then purchased by the consignor in 2014 and recommissioned by French Bugatti specialist Ets Randoni.

The car retains its original interior. 

Bonhams

Offered publicly for the first time, this Art Deco jewel is accompanied by fastidious documentation, including factory letters from Ettore Bugatti and a report from marque expert Pierre-Yves Laugier. It carries an estimate of between $2.8 million and $3.4 million.

Every country has its iconic automotive marques; names stretching back to the earliest years when opulent coach-built cars expressed the epitome of luxury and advanced technology. France has its Bugatti, England its Rolls-Royce, America its Duesenberg and Germany has an automaker that goes so far back in time that its first model didn’t even look like a car—the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, which rolled its spindly wheels onto public roads in 1886.

Advances in engineering, metallurgy, rubber and even fuel accelerated progress almost exponentially, and by the Roaring Twenties, cars had become international symbols of power, wealth and style. Few prewar automobiles had the panache and presence as did the Mercedes-Benz sports cars, whose supercharged flagships proved their mettle in motorsport competition, attracting customers that included racers, royals, celebrities and industrialists as rich as ancient king Croesus.

The 1928 Mercedes-Benz 26/120/180 S-Type Supercharged Sports Tourer being offered by Bonhams during Monterey Car Week. 

Photo: Courtesy of Bonhams.

One notable Mercedes-Benz is among an exclusive array of collector cars offered at the Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction in Carmel, Calif., on Friday, August 13. The antique automobile is a 1928 Mercedes-Benz 26/120/180 S-Type Supercharged Sports Tourer, estimated to fetch as much as $4 million.
Supercharged prewar Mercedes-Benz sports cars are rare, and are regarded by collectors and historians as some of the most significant vehicles of the era, based on technological advancements, high performance and reliability that set standards for the day. “These cars were the zenith of the industry in 1928, and have been coveted ever since,” says Rupert Banner, director for Bonhams Group Motoring. “Bonhams is delighted to present this car from its custodian family of more than 57 years. Freshly repainted in the strikingly beautiful black guise, its sale provides a baton-passing, generational opportunity for a new collector to continue to show or tour this wonderful Mercedes.”

One of only 146 examples made, this rare Mercedes-Benz is expected to fetch as much as $4 million at auction. 

Photo: Courtesy of Bonhams.

Built during the Golden Age of Mercedes-Benz and one of only 146 examples made, this model was the flagship of the marque between 1926 and 1930, attracting buyers including Al Jolson and the Marx brothers, as well as land speed–record holder Sir Malcolm Campbell. But the Great Depression changed the fortunes of many, with luxury carmakers in Europe and the United States feeling the effect of a suddenly altered economic landscape.

This model was engineered by Ferdinand Porsche to win on the racetrack and dominate hill climbs and, fortuitously, won its debut race at the Nürburgring. The “icing on the cake” was a Roots supercharger force-feeding a 6.8-liter, 6-cylinder engine, boosting output from 120 bhp to 180 bhp in mere seconds.

The vehicle carries a 6.8-liter, 6-cylinder engine bolstered by a Roots supercharger. 

Photo: Courtesy of Bonhams.

Remarkable about this example is that it’s been retained in one family’s ownership for nearly six decades. During that time, the car has proven its mettle as a “driver,” most recently participating in the 2015 Colorado Grand. Put in perspective, the price of the chassis was a staggering $7,000 when new, and this specific car was bought sight unseen for $15,000 by the current owners’ father in 1964.
An extensive restoration was undertaken in 1968, and the car was finally handed down to the owner’s children in 2016, who commissioned a repaint in black, with accents that include copper brake drums and chrome accessories. The automobile will be presented publicly with these aesthetic changes for the first time at the Quail Lodge Auction. 

The pristine interior dressed in black. 

Photo: Courtesy of Bonhams.

Collectors whose interests include French and Italian masterpieces will also appreciate other cars on offer at the sale, including a 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Record Sport Cabriolet that features remarkable coachwork by Figoni et Falaschi, a 1952 Ferrari 212 Europa Cabriolet with body by Ghia, and a perineal classic, the 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider America with exquisite coachwork by Pinin Farina.

Learn more about Robb Report’s 2022 Car of the Year at the event taking place in Napa Valley here and in Boca Raton here.

The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering is a mainstay of Monterey Car Week, the summer’s global epicenter of automotive culture that takes place annually in Northern California. Annually, that is, until last year’s unexpected shutdown of the world temporarily quashed the Quail’s exhibition, as with all other public events.

Fortunately, the garden-party-style extravaganza, put on by the Peninsula Hotels Signature Events team, is back for 2021, and will take place on Friday, August 13. It joins other key Monterey Car Week headliners, from the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion to Concorso Italiano, in confirming their return after the 2020 cancellations related to Covid-19.

A bird’s-eye view of past festivities at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club. 

Photo: Courtesy of the Peninsula Hotels Signature Events.

“We’re excited to be back,” says Kai Lermen, general manager of the Quail Lodge & Golf Club, the Motorsport Gathering’s namesake venue in sunny Carmel Valley. “Our 18th annual celebration will bring together like-minded collectors and enthusiasts to celebrate the golden anniversaries of several iconic vehicle models.”
On the honors list is a 50th anniversary fete for Alfa Romeo’s often-overlooked Montreal two-seater—just 3,900 examples were built between 1970 and 1977. The same milestone is being recognized for the Citroën SM, which is also part of a bigger commemoration of French automotive couture. Expect much popping of Champagne corks.
As before, a jaw-dropping display of more than 200 rare sports and racing cars is planned. Three new categories we can’t wait to drool over are the Great Ferraris, Custom Coachwork, and the Evolution of the Supercar.

The Lotus Evija electric hypercar on display in 2019. 

Photo by Ted Seven, courtesy of the Peninsula Hotels Signature Events.

What’s expected to be bigger and better than ever is the almost bacchanalian offerings of gourmet food and fine wines included in the $995 cost of entry. Also on the schedule is another Bonhams high-profile classic car auction, and, surely, a new model debut or two from luxury and supercar marques, as has previously been the case. At the 2019 gathering, for example, Bugatti pulled the wraps off its $9 million Chiron-based Centodieci hypercar.

The automotive showcase is paired with first-rate dining and libations. 

Photo by Ted Seven, courtesy of the Peninsula Hotels Signature Events.

If all of this has you reaching for that Amex Centurion card to grab a ticket, you’re already a little late—the general admission spots are entirely taken as of now, but that could change. “Because we are still confirming the health and safety protocols of the event, we have not yet confirmed the final number of attendants,” notes a representative for the event organizers. “We should know this by June 15, when the state of California is to fully reopen.” To be added to the waitlist, visit the Quail 2021 Database Request.

If waiting’s not your game, there’s also the philanthropic Charitable Patron ticket for $2,950, and the Quail Helicopter Package. Priced at $12,500, the latter gets you and three guests choppered into the Quail from Monterey Airport and handed VIP tickets that ensure early entry to the show field and access to the VIP lounge, making the already impressive car gala even more compelling.