by
Autonet Insurance
| Jan 02, 2009
The family of a Newcastle surgeon were left a nice surprise in his will in the form of a Bugatti Type 57S Atalante expected fetch up to £6 million at auction.
The Bugatti - one of only 17 left in the world - had been in Dr Harold Carr's lock-up in Gosforth, Newcastle, for 50 years.
When he passed away in 2007 his nephew was left to clear out his garage and inside he found the Type 57S Atalante, along with an Aston Martin and a Jaguar E-type.
Bonhams is expecting the car to fetch up to £6 million when it goes under the hammer at its forthcoming Retromobile car show and sale in Paris in February.
The Bugatti 57S was originally owned by racing enthusiast Earl Howe, who was the first president of the British Racing Driver's Club.
He took delivery of the sporty two-seat Atalante after it was completed in 1937 and kept the car for eight years.
After Earl Howe sold it, it changed hands a couple of time before Dr Carr bought the car in 1955 from Lord Ridley, a member of the Northumberland gentry.
Dr Carr's nephew, an engineer from Gosforth, said: "We just can't believe it. We knew he had some cars and a Bugatti. No-one knew how much it was worth."
© Press Association 2009