1937
See also : Picasso Picasso 1930s Old Flanders and Belgium Magritte Orientalism Matisse Cars 1930s Cars 1937-39 Mercedes-Benz Bugatti
1937 Marie-Thérèse and Dora
2018 SOLD for £ 50M including premium
In 1937 Picasso is deeply saddened by the Spanish war. He is no longer the matamore disguised as a Minotaur. The impromptu meeting of his two mistresses in his workshop during the preparation of Guernica also opens a major sentimental dilemma. He makes his choice : his fate attracts him to Dora but he will not break with Marie-Thérèse.
He tries by their portraits to compare the opposite temperaments of his two mistresses. Two paintings dated in the same day, December 4, 1937, displays them separately. The contours of the faces are identical, in his signature style defining altogether front side and profile. The eyes, nose, mouth and even the big heart-shaped tear that covers the entire cheek are similar.
Beyond such a similarity the differences are all the more significant, as for example between the white skin of Marie-Thérèse and the bright yellow of Dora. Maya's young mother is nicely dressed in a checkered dress and wears a beret. The new mistress has a circus hat and a fur collar.
Pablo has hidden his dual love in both individual portraits. The oval shadow that appears between Dora's face and her dark hair is Marie-Thérèse's cheek. On the dark background of Marie-Thérèse's portrait a black shadow is barely discernible. This one follows the right profile of the head in an angular line that evokes Dora.
This interpretation is not exaggerated. The symbolic use of shadow had already been practiced by Pablo as a self-portrait behind Olga in 1931 when he was still trying to hide his relationship with Marie-Thérèse but had already decided to part from his wife.
On January 12, 1938 Picasso gives a continuation to the double portrait of the previous month by amalgamating the features of Dora and Marie-Thérèse in a single figure. Buste de femme (femme à la résille) was sold for $ 67M including premium by Christie's on May 11, 2015. These three artworks of 1937 and 1938 were highly important for Picasso seeking to control his own emotional crisis : he kept them until his death 35 years later.
On February 28 in London, Sotheby's sells as lot 7 Femme au béret et à la robe quadrillée (Marie-Thérèse Walter), the oil on canvas 55 x 46 cm painted on December 4, 1937. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
He tries by their portraits to compare the opposite temperaments of his two mistresses. Two paintings dated in the same day, December 4, 1937, displays them separately. The contours of the faces are identical, in his signature style defining altogether front side and profile. The eyes, nose, mouth and even the big heart-shaped tear that covers the entire cheek are similar.
Beyond such a similarity the differences are all the more significant, as for example between the white skin of Marie-Thérèse and the bright yellow of Dora. Maya's young mother is nicely dressed in a checkered dress and wears a beret. The new mistress has a circus hat and a fur collar.
Pablo has hidden his dual love in both individual portraits. The oval shadow that appears between Dora's face and her dark hair is Marie-Thérèse's cheek. On the dark background of Marie-Thérèse's portrait a black shadow is barely discernible. This one follows the right profile of the head in an angular line that evokes Dora.
This interpretation is not exaggerated. The symbolic use of shadow had already been practiced by Pablo as a self-portrait behind Olga in 1931 when he was still trying to hide his relationship with Marie-Thérèse but had already decided to part from his wife.
On January 12, 1938 Picasso gives a continuation to the double portrait of the previous month by amalgamating the features of Dora and Marie-Thérèse in a single figure. Buste de femme (femme à la résille) was sold for $ 67M including premium by Christie's on May 11, 2015. These three artworks of 1937 and 1938 were highly important for Picasso seeking to control his own emotional crisis : he kept them until his death 35 years later.
On February 28 in London, Sotheby's sells as lot 7 Femme au béret et à la robe quadrillée (Marie-Thérèse Walter), the oil on canvas 55 x 46 cm painted on December 4, 1937. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1937 Odalisque by Matisse
2007 SOLD 33.6 M$ including premium by Christie's
1937 Portrait of a Young Patron
2018 SOLD for $ 27M including premium
Edward James is the son of an American railroad boss and of a supposed natural daughter of King Edward VII. He lives in England. He is a wealthy poet, and his interest in psychoanalysis is transformed into a passion for surrealist art.
In 1937 James is 30 years old. Dali introduces him to Magritte. Their connivance is immediate and perfect. Magritte proposes to make two surrealist portraits of his new patron.
Magritte sends a preparatory drawing to his model. He has chosen the theme of the portrait whose head is entirely replaced by a dazzling light. To make sure of James' enthusiasm, Magritte asks him to take care of the photographic preparation in the pose that matches the drawing. James has the picture taken by Man Ray.
On November 12 in New York, Sotheby's sells this portrait of James by Magritte, oil on canvas 73 x 55 cm painted in 1937, lot 35estimated $ 15M. Magritte has friendly chosen a Freudian title, Le Principe du Plaisir. The outline of the head is embedded in a halo that makes the image even more laudative.
The provenance testifies to the lasting success of this portrait. It belonged to James and then to his foundation until 1978 and remained in another collection since 1979.
The second portrait, also painted in 1937, is titled La Reproduction Interdite. It is another development of the theme of the visible and the hidden. James looks at himself in a large mirror in which his reflection is seen from behind.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
In 1937 James is 30 years old. Dali introduces him to Magritte. Their connivance is immediate and perfect. Magritte proposes to make two surrealist portraits of his new patron.
Magritte sends a preparatory drawing to his model. He has chosen the theme of the portrait whose head is entirely replaced by a dazzling light. To make sure of James' enthusiasm, Magritte asks him to take care of the photographic preparation in the pose that matches the drawing. James has the picture taken by Man Ray.
On November 12 in New York, Sotheby's sells this portrait of James by Magritte, oil on canvas 73 x 55 cm painted in 1937, lot 35estimated $ 15M. Magritte has friendly chosen a Freudian title, Le Principe du Plaisir. The outline of the head is embedded in a halo that makes the image even more laudative.
The provenance testifies to the lasting success of this portrait. It belonged to James and then to his foundation until 1978 and remained in another collection since 1979.
The second portrait, also painted in 1937, is titled La Reproduction Interdite. It is another development of the theme of the visible and the hidden. James looks at himself in a large mirror in which his reflection is seen from behind.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
1937 Portrait of a Russian Princess
2014 SOLD 9.2 M£ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Completed in 1932 for Barnes, la Danse is a key step in the career of Matisse who appreciates that the simplicity of the drawing brings power and emotion to the artwork.
Coming back to a Fauviste expression, he then seeks to associate the rarest and most spectacular colors which he uses to display the clothes of his sitters and the wallpapers. The effect is more important than the image, and the composition has the audacity of a Degas.
This trend results in 1937 in the theme of the Odalisques. An oil on canvas 60 x 50 cm was sold for $ 33.6 million including premium at Christie's on November 6, 2007.
On that year his favorite models are the Princess Hélène Galitzine, not yet 18, and her cousin Lydia.
Boléro violet, oil on canvas 55 x 33 cm, is a close-up portrait of Hélène. The young dark haired woman is sitting and slightly leaning as to exit out of the frame, creating a nice intimate effect. The decoration of the jacket is inspired by Romanian clothing.
This painting is estimated £ 6.5 million, for sale by Sotheby's in London on February 5, lot 45 in the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
Very good price for this emotional portrait : £ 9.2M including premium.
Completed in 1932 for Barnes, la Danse is a key step in the career of Matisse who appreciates that the simplicity of the drawing brings power and emotion to the artwork.
Coming back to a Fauviste expression, he then seeks to associate the rarest and most spectacular colors which he uses to display the clothes of his sitters and the wallpapers. The effect is more important than the image, and the composition has the audacity of a Degas.
This trend results in 1937 in the theme of the Odalisques. An oil on canvas 60 x 50 cm was sold for $ 33.6 million including premium at Christie's on November 6, 2007.
On that year his favorite models are the Princess Hélène Galitzine, not yet 18, and her cousin Lydia.
Boléro violet, oil on canvas 55 x 33 cm, is a close-up portrait of Hélène. The young dark haired woman is sitting and slightly leaning as to exit out of the frame, creating a nice intimate effect. The decoration of the jacket is inspired by Romanian clothing.
This painting is estimated £ 6.5 million, for sale by Sotheby's in London on February 5, lot 45 in the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
Very good price for this emotional portrait : £ 9.2M including premium.
1937 The Angélus of Cadaqués
2020 SOLD for £ 8.2M including premium
The art of Millet fascinated Van Gogh, who in his early days wanted to become the painter of rural life. From 1933 Dali, researching how virtue hides vice and shame, tries Freudian interpretations of the Angélus. In Les Atavismes du crépuscule, the man has a skull head. L'Angélus Architectonique de Millet includes a spear that sexually joins the two characters transformed into gigantic monuments.
Painted in 1936, Couple aux Têtes pleines de Nuages is a diptych whose frames are the outlines of two heads seen from behind. The influence of the Angélus is obvious in the position of the heads. The interior of the image is a continuous desert landscape, with Dalinian symbols and a sky in the style of Magritte.
On March 26 postponed to October 15 in London, Bonhams sells a diptych in oil on panels painted with the same title in 1937, 95 x 75 cm for the man and 88 x 66 cm for the woman. These dimensions include the frames. This artwork is estimated £ 7M, lot 14.
This replica signed Gala Salvador Dali has notable differences with the 1936 diptych. The heads are gently leaning towards each other, evoking the mutual love of Salvador and Gala and removing the reference to the Angélus. The landscape is illustrated by the rock shapes of Cadaqués.
This work could be a souvenir of Cadaqués painted for a friend. Indeed the surrealist musician Giacinto Scelsi, who hung it in his living room for several decades, claimed that its first owner had been Eluard, the former cuckold husband of Gala.
Dali remained obsessed with the Angélus, to which he devoted in 1963 an entire book titled Le Mythe tragique de l'Angélus de Millet. Le Louvre took an x-ray of the painting. The woman's gaze is directed towards a basket which peacefully symbolizes the harvest. In this place the original painting, masked by a repaint made by Millet, showed a child's coffin. Dali's intuition was confirmed, demonstrating the correctness of his paranoiac-critical hypersensitivity in this specific case.
Painted in 1936, Couple aux Têtes pleines de Nuages is a diptych whose frames are the outlines of two heads seen from behind. The influence of the Angélus is obvious in the position of the heads. The interior of the image is a continuous desert landscape, with Dalinian symbols and a sky in the style of Magritte.
On March 26 postponed to October 15 in London, Bonhams sells a diptych in oil on panels painted with the same title in 1937, 95 x 75 cm for the man and 88 x 66 cm for the woman. These dimensions include the frames. This artwork is estimated £ 7M, lot 14.
This replica signed Gala Salvador Dali has notable differences with the 1936 diptych. The heads are gently leaning towards each other, evoking the mutual love of Salvador and Gala and removing the reference to the Angélus. The landscape is illustrated by the rock shapes of Cadaqués.
This work could be a souvenir of Cadaqués painted for a friend. Indeed the surrealist musician Giacinto Scelsi, who hung it in his living room for several decades, claimed that its first owner had been Eluard, the former cuckold husband of Gala.
Dali remained obsessed with the Angélus, to which he devoted in 1963 an entire book titled Le Mythe tragique de l'Angélus de Millet. Le Louvre took an x-ray of the painting. The woman's gaze is directed towards a basket which peacefully symbolizes the harvest. In this place the original painting, masked by a repaint made by Millet, showed a child's coffin. Dali's intuition was confirmed, demonstrating the correctness of his paranoiac-critical hypersensitivity in this specific case.
1937 Restart of an Atalante
2020 SOLD for £ 7.9M including premium
Close to the Bentley Boys, the 5th Earl Howe is a gentleman driver, president from 1929 to 1964 of the British Racing Drivers' Club. He enters his first race at 44 years old, in 1928, with a Bugatti Type 43. Associated with Tim Birkin, he wins the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1931 with an Alfa Romeo.
Also president of the Bugatti Owners' Club, Earl Howe closely follows all the developments of the brand. For the Grands Prix he uses a Type 51 in 1931, a Type 54 in 1932 and a Type 59 in 1935 and 1936. A 57 T specially built for him by Bugatti in 1935 was sold for € 710K including premium by Bonhams on February 8, 2018 .
For his personal use, this aristocrat wants the best. In November 1936, he orders to Bugatti a Type 57 with the new 57 S lowered chassis and the new Atalante coupe bodywork developed on behalf of Jean Bugatti. His car is ready in May 1937.
In 1960 a further owner of this Atalante, sick and reclusive, stops taking care of it. After his death in 2007, his heirs found it untouched for 47 years, covered in dust, with only 42,000 km on the odometer.
The car surfaced in the Bonhams sale at Retromobile on February 7, 2009, lot 142. Its cleaning confirmed that it was still in its original configuration, apart from a few secondary elements such as mirrors and bumpers and a supercharger added in 1948.
Bonhams experts estimated that its engine, which had not been running for half a century, could be operated again after disassembly and reconstruction. The car was sold for € 3.4M including premium. I discussed it in this column before that sale.
The original engine restarted as predicted. The Atalante is estimated £ 7M to be sold by Gooding in London on April 1, lot 5 (postponed to September 5 in Hampton Court, lot 15). Here is the link to the press release. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Also president of the Bugatti Owners' Club, Earl Howe closely follows all the developments of the brand. For the Grands Prix he uses a Type 51 in 1931, a Type 54 in 1932 and a Type 59 in 1935 and 1936. A 57 T specially built for him by Bugatti in 1935 was sold for € 710K including premium by Bonhams on February 8, 2018 .
For his personal use, this aristocrat wants the best. In November 1936, he orders to Bugatti a Type 57 with the new 57 S lowered chassis and the new Atalante coupe bodywork developed on behalf of Jean Bugatti. His car is ready in May 1937.
In 1960 a further owner of this Atalante, sick and reclusive, stops taking care of it. After his death in 2007, his heirs found it untouched for 47 years, covered in dust, with only 42,000 km on the odometer.
The car surfaced in the Bonhams sale at Retromobile on February 7, 2009, lot 142. Its cleaning confirmed that it was still in its original configuration, apart from a few secondary elements such as mirrors and bumpers and a supercharger added in 1948.
Bonhams experts estimated that its engine, which had not been running for half a century, could be operated again after disassembly and reconstruction. The car was sold for € 3.4M including premium. I discussed it in this column before that sale.
The original engine restarted as predicted. The Atalante is estimated £ 7M to be sold by Gooding in London on April 1, lot 5 (postponed to September 5 in Hampton Court, lot 15). Here is the link to the press release. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1937 Femme au béret mauve by Picasso
2021 SOLD for $ 10.8M by Bonhams
Life brings new challenges to Pablo at the beginning of 1937. Olga refuses to divorce. His desires go to Dora. Marie-Thérèse is no more a juvenile partner but the mature mother of the baby Maya.
Ten years earlier he had elevated the blonde Marie-Thérèse to his canon of beauty. He installed her with their daughter in a country home 50 Km away from Paris at Le Tremblay sur Mauldre and manages to spend the weekends with them.
On May 13, 2021, Bonhams sold for $ 10.8M a Tête de Femme au béret mauve, oil on canvas 41 x 33 cm painted in March 1937, lot 6.
Picasso is a highly skilled colorist. The joyous colors on the double angled face of Marie-Thérèse looks like a support for maintaining or retrieving his enchantment. Four months later the destruction of Guernica in the Spanish civil war changes his mood.
Ten years earlier he had elevated the blonde Marie-Thérèse to his canon of beauty. He installed her with their daughter in a country home 50 Km away from Paris at Le Tremblay sur Mauldre and manages to spend the weekends with them.
On May 13, 2021, Bonhams sold for $ 10.8M a Tête de Femme au béret mauve, oil on canvas 41 x 33 cm painted in March 1937, lot 6.
Picasso is a highly skilled colorist. The joyous colors on the double angled face of Marie-Thérèse looks like a support for maintaining or retrieving his enchantment. Four months later the destruction of Guernica in the Spanish civil war changes his mood.
1937 The Hypercar of the 1930s
2016 SOLD for $ 9.9M including premium
Mercedes-Benz designed and produced the automotive masterpiece of the 1930s, the 540K Special Roadster. It is not an isolated element in the catalog but really the top of a range. It is the biggest, the most powerful, the fastest, the most beautiful and the most expensive.
Its engine 5.4 liter with compressor is the achievement of a technical evolution that will have no following. The project of a 580K with an increase to 5.8 liters aborted.
It is the biggest, 5.10 m long, but its open cabin as a two-seater convertible is light. The weight gain enables a top speed at 185 km / h which is 25 km / h more than a 540K in a closed bodywork.
Aesthetically, it is a marvel due to the skill of the team of Hermann Ahrens and the engineers in Sindelfingen : its tapered shape makes forget its huge size. It has a long tail, which allows to state that it anticipates by eight decades the hypercars of today with the cockpit centered on the chassis.
It is the most expensive: 28,000 Reichsmarks, which is 6,000 Reichsmarks more than any other model. This is an advantage because it appeals the elite as a car for prestige and parade, although nothing prevents pushing the performance of this roadster on an Autobahn.
The political events in Germany did not prevent Mercedes-Benz to maintain an international clientele. The 540K Special Roadster for sale by RM Sotheby's in Phoenix on January 29 had been delivered in April 1937 to an American dealer who sold it immediately to a collector, happy heir of one of the largest industrial fortunes.
This original collector car was rarely driven. It is estimated $ 10M,lot 242. Keep in mind that the car from the same model that had been found intact in 1989 in the estate of the Baroness von Krieger was sold for $ 11,8M including premium by Gooding on August 18, 2012, a very high price for a car at that time.
I invite you to watch the video shared by the auction house.
Its engine 5.4 liter with compressor is the achievement of a technical evolution that will have no following. The project of a 580K with an increase to 5.8 liters aborted.
It is the biggest, 5.10 m long, but its open cabin as a two-seater convertible is light. The weight gain enables a top speed at 185 km / h which is 25 km / h more than a 540K in a closed bodywork.
Aesthetically, it is a marvel due to the skill of the team of Hermann Ahrens and the engineers in Sindelfingen : its tapered shape makes forget its huge size. It has a long tail, which allows to state that it anticipates by eight decades the hypercars of today with the cockpit centered on the chassis.
It is the most expensive: 28,000 Reichsmarks, which is 6,000 Reichsmarks more than any other model. This is an advantage because it appeals the elite as a car for prestige and parade, although nothing prevents pushing the performance of this roadster on an Autobahn.
The political events in Germany did not prevent Mercedes-Benz to maintain an international clientele. The 540K Special Roadster for sale by RM Sotheby's in Phoenix on January 29 had been delivered in April 1937 to an American dealer who sold it immediately to a collector, happy heir of one of the largest industrial fortunes.
This original collector car was rarely driven. It is estimated $ 10M,lot 242. Keep in mind that the car from the same model that had been found intact in 1989 in the estate of the Baroness von Krieger was sold for $ 11,8M including premium by Gooding on August 18, 2012, a very high price for a car at that time.
I invite you to watch the video shared by the auction house.
1937 British Elegance for a Bugatti
2016 SOLD for $ 9.7M including premium
The Type 57 introduced by Bugatti in 1934 invites for any elegance. With a lowered chassis designed in 1937 under the reference 57S, this luxury model belongs firmly to the category of sports cars.
Various bodies are proposed by Bugatti for the 57 or 57S: Galibier berline, Ventoux coach, Stelvio and Aravis cabriolets, Atalante and Atlantic coupés. They are manufactured in Colmar by Gangloff, a subcontractor of Bugatti.
In the practice of that time, the outsourcing of the body is also accepted by the brand. In 1937, the new Bugatti agent in New York commissions a four-seater touring roadster which is made by Vanden Plas in the minimalist style of the British taste.
No American customer is interested and the Bugatti - Vanden Plas car returns to London. It is appreciated by Bugatti who pictures it in the 1937-1938 catalog and exhibits it at the 1938 London Motor Show, but it will nevertheless remain unique.
The car resurfaced slightly modified in 1947 as a Type 57SC sports tourer. It is supercharged, a very attractive option for the users because the car can now reach 190 km/h. Its compressor will be replaced later by a similar equipment more in accordance with the original design of a Type 57SC.
This masterpiece of the Franco-British pre-war automobile is estimated $ 11M for sale by Bonhams in Amelia Island on March 10, lot 139. The estimate, not indicated in the catalog, is revealed by the press release of February 17. Its perfect working condition is shown in the video shared by the auction house.
Various bodies are proposed by Bugatti for the 57 or 57S: Galibier berline, Ventoux coach, Stelvio and Aravis cabriolets, Atalante and Atlantic coupés. They are manufactured in Colmar by Gangloff, a subcontractor of Bugatti.
In the practice of that time, the outsourcing of the body is also accepted by the brand. In 1937, the new Bugatti agent in New York commissions a four-seater touring roadster which is made by Vanden Plas in the minimalist style of the British taste.
No American customer is interested and the Bugatti - Vanden Plas car returns to London. It is appreciated by Bugatti who pictures it in the 1937-1938 catalog and exhibits it at the 1938 London Motor Show, but it will nevertheless remain unique.
The car resurfaced slightly modified in 1947 as a Type 57SC sports tourer. It is supercharged, a very attractive option for the users because the car can now reach 190 km/h. Its compressor will be replaced later by a similar equipment more in accordance with the original design of a Type 57SC.
This masterpiece of the Franco-British pre-war automobile is estimated $ 11M for sale by Bonhams in Amelia Island on March 10, lot 139. The estimate, not indicated in the catalog, is revealed by the press release of February 17. Its perfect working condition is shown in the video shared by the auction house.
1937 The High-End Car by Mercedes-Benz
2011 SOLD 9.7 M$ including premium
The political rivalry between France and Germany in the late 1930's is well known. With regard to the cars, it has resulted in fierce competition for both racing and high-end models.
The Mercedes-Benz 540K was contemporary with the Bugatti 57S. The brand of Sindelfingen equipped a small number of 540K chassis as roadsters, while the brand of Molsheim assembled the Atlantic coupe on the chassis 57S. While the Atlantic has an extraordinary futuristic shape, the 540K roadster, which is a two-seater convertible, has an extraordinary classical beauty.
A metallic gray specimen of 540K Spezial Roadster, made in 1937 with high doors and a long tail, is for sale on August 20 by RM Auctions in Monterey. The press release indicated that there are only three surviving examples of this type, and that this one will go into history as one of the most expensive cars ever sold at auction.
It is illustrated on the top of the page in the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
POST SALE COMMENT
It is always nice to have a great price on an exceptional vehicle: $ 8.8 million before fees, 9.7 million including premium.
The Mercedes-Benz 540K was contemporary with the Bugatti 57S. The brand of Sindelfingen equipped a small number of 540K chassis as roadsters, while the brand of Molsheim assembled the Atlantic coupe on the chassis 57S. While the Atlantic has an extraordinary futuristic shape, the 540K roadster, which is a two-seater convertible, has an extraordinary classical beauty.
A metallic gray specimen of 540K Spezial Roadster, made in 1937 with high doors and a long tail, is for sale on August 20 by RM Auctions in Monterey. The press release indicated that there are only three surviving examples of this type, and that this one will go into history as one of the most expensive cars ever sold at auction.
It is illustrated on the top of the page in the article shared by Sports Car Digest.
POST SALE COMMENT
It is always nice to have a great price on an exceptional vehicle: $ 8.8 million before fees, 9.7 million including premium.
1937 The Lowered Chassis by Jean Bugatti
2013 SOLD 8.7 M$ including premium
Jean Bugatti was one of the great innovators of automobile design. The lowered variant 57S of the chassis type 57 paves the way for unprecedented solutions for sport and luxury, like the 57S Atalante and Atlantic. From the beginning their rarity makes them true works of art.
The ultimate improvement of the Bugatti 57 is the supercharged SC model. Dr. Williamson had one of the two surviving Bugatti 57SC Atlantic and one 57SC Atalante. His Atlantic was sold for more than $ 30M in a private sale facilitated by Gooding in 2010. His Atalante was sold for $ 7.9 million including premium at auction in August 2008, also by Gooding.
The supercharger was an appealing enhancement for the richest clients of Bugatti, and a high proportion of 57S were transformed into 57SC.
On August 18 at Pebble Beach Gooding sells an Atalante that has retained its original engine and body and is presented in an elegant original-like black finish. It was made in 1937, the same year as Williamson's Atalante, and was one of the first units to return to the factory for being equipped as an SC.
Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
Very good result, $ 8.7 million including premium, just above Williamson's Atalante sold in 2008.
The ultimate improvement of the Bugatti 57 is the supercharged SC model. Dr. Williamson had one of the two surviving Bugatti 57SC Atlantic and one 57SC Atalante. His Atlantic was sold for more than $ 30M in a private sale facilitated by Gooding in 2010. His Atalante was sold for $ 7.9 million including premium at auction in August 2008, also by Gooding.
The supercharger was an appealing enhancement for the richest clients of Bugatti, and a high proportion of 57S were transformed into 57SC.
On August 18 at Pebble Beach Gooding sells an Atalante that has retained its original engine and body and is presented in an elegant original-like black finish. It was made in 1937, the same year as Williamson's Atalante, and was one of the first units to return to the factory for being equipped as an SC.
Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
Very good result, $ 8.7 million including premium, just above Williamson's Atalante sold in 2008.
