Auction house Gooding &Co. certainly has some goodies to sell this August at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this August—including a 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio, a Maserati A6G and a 1966 Shelby Cobra 427. Follow link to see the top 10 most expensive vehicles ever auctioned!

1938 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio is certainly the star of the show

The 1938 Bugatti was supercharged from new, and owned by Louis Napoleon, grandson of the nephew of Emperor Napoleon I of France. The prince was especially fond of Bugatti. Gooding & Co. said he owned dozens of them during his lifetime.

The Bugatti boasts a special gearbox known as a preselector, which allows drivers to change gears without engaging the clutch pedal (while in motion). The preselector is perhaps an ancestor of semiautomatics like Porsche’s Tiptronic, made by the Cotal company.

This 1955 Maserati A6G/54 berlinetta, with coachwork by Frua, is also available at the luxury auction

In a statement, Gooding & Co. revealed:
“We have known of this vehicle (the Bugatti) for a long time. It was in the United Kingdom and we convinced the owner to let us sell it at Pebble Beach.”

Napoleon used the pseudonym Louis De Montfort to purchase this 57C Stelvio–which should fetch $1.3-$1.6 million at Pebble Beach. The car would have sold for $12,000 in 1938, the time of the Great Depression. A new Ford sold for $500 during that period of time. A 1930s Bugatti could hit speeds of 100 miles per hour, quite fast for way back then!

Perhaps Jay Leno will be there eyeing this precious 1966 Shelby Cobra 427. Not likely, however, as he already owns a 1965 427!

We will have to wait until August to find out exactly how much the rare and royal cars nabbed at auction! Don’t miss our fleet of exotic rental cars from all the leading brands on your way out!
 

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