A 1954 Bugatti Type 101C coupe is valued at $1.6m-1.9m ahead of Bonhams' Chantilly sale in France on September 5.
The car was built on an improved version of the chassis from the iconic Type 57, the model Ettore Bugatti's son Jean was driving when it flipped and killed him in 1939.
 The Bugatti Type 101 is among the marque's rarest models |
This tragedy and the war pushed the company into a slump. Then Ettore died in 1947. Clearly the company needed to pull something special out of the bag.
Bugatti had intended to build 50 Type 101s but, as Bonhams explains: "In the event, Bugatti's other interests took precedence over the revived road car project and only a handful of Type 101s was completed, making it one of this most celebrated manufacturer's rarest models.
"With an asking price of some 3.8 million francs, it is not surprising that there were so few customers for this new Bugatti."
The present lot features an exceptionally low mileage of around 14,000km and is one of the finest known specimens of the model.
It has passed through the hands of a string of wealthy owners, most notably the actor Nicholas Cage.
The sale will also feature a unique working Maserati Boomerang prototype.
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