Setting a new world record as the most expensive Bugatti to ever grace the auction blocks, the ultra-rare Type 55 Super Sport Roadster from 1931 will go on sale at the Bonhams Amelia Island Auction at the Fernandina Beach Golf Club in Florida on 5th March 2020.
Representing the harmonious balance of proportion and engineering technology, the Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport Roadster seamlessly melds award-winning aesthetic with unparalleled performance – marking the beginnings of Le Patron and Ettore Bugatti’s iconic collaborations, as well as, Jean Bugatti’s budding influence on the family business.
Featuring an eight cylinder inline engine, credited for thousands of Grand Prix victories, the Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport Roadster was the first-ever road car to incorporate a 2.3 liter supercharged unit, in a deep sided Type 54 frame whilst maintaining every Grand Prix automobile’s signature reverse quarter elliptic rear springing and front axle arrangement.
Doorless with a light bustle back tail, sculpted moldings, alloy wheels and two rear seats, the exclusive Bugatti Type 55 showcases superior craftmanship – with only 38 examples produced from 1932 to 1935, while only 14 which feature the definitive Jean Bugatti Roadster coachwork, and 11 retain the original bodywork. With majority housed in the Musee National de L’Automobile, Revs Insitute or other conservatories with collections of institutional status, the Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport Roadster is expected to fetch pre-sale prices as high as $14 million.