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[John Feltham]

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The eccentric uncle who left a garage in his will... containing a £6m  
Bugatti supercar
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 2:16 PM on 01st January 2009


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When relatives of Dr Harold Carr were left a garage in his will, they  
were stunned to find what could become the world's most expensive car  
parked there.

Inside the run-of-the-mill garage, they found a 1937 Bugatti Type 57S  
Atalante, one of only 17 made in the world.

The family were shocked by the discovery, and were left open-mouthed  
when they were told it could be worth up to £6million at auction.


Superblast from the past: The 1937 Bugatti - one of only 17 made in  
the world - stunned Dr Carr's family when they opened his garage

Eccentric owner Dr Carr died aged 89 last year, without ever marrying  
or having children.

He left his garage to his nieces and nephews, who also found a classic  
Aston Martin and a Jaguar E Type inside.

The classic car has now been unveiled as the highlight of Bonham's  
Retromobile car show and sale in Paris.

The Bugatti had been left to gather dust for 47 years since its last  
tax disc expired in December 1960.

If the Bugatti raises its reserve price tag of £3million in February,  
it will have increased 117-fold in value from the £895 Dr Carr paid  
Jack Barclays for it in 1955 - making his relatives overnight  
millionaires.

Other previous owners include Le Mans 24 hour race winner Earl Howe  
and Northumberland gentry, Lord Ridley.

His nephew, an engineer from Gosforth, Newcastle, said: 'We just  
cannot believe it was there.

'No-one had any idea what kind of cars he had parked in there. We knew  
he had some cars, but we had no idea what they were.

'It was a bit of local folklore that he had a Bugatti, but no-one knew  
for sure, and certainly no-one knew how much it was worth.


Classic car: The Bugatti Type 57S Atalante

'It's amazing really. It's worth so much because he hasn't used it for  
50 years. He just left it parked up.

'It was one of the original supercars. When it was built, it could  
reach 130mph at a time when other cars could only do 50mph.

'Of course we're delighted and we're going to make sure the money is  
shared out among the family. It's a wonderful thing to leave.

'He was a very eccentric old gent - I suppose you could call him a mad  
doctor. All the children would laugh at him in the street when he  
tinkered with his cars because he wore a piece of rubber tube round  
his head to stop the oil getting in his hair.

'But he was always such a generous man. Because he kept himself to  
himself, not many people knew that, but we all knew how amazing he was.'

A severe obsessive-compulsive, Harry became increasingly reclusive in  
his later years, only letting his nephew into the house.

When the property was cleared, dozens of notes from would-be buyers of  
the French supercar were found inside.

'People must have known because he got letters from all over the  
country,' his nephew said.

'He got notes pushed through his door, people travelled from all over  
to try and convince him to sell the car.'


Inside the 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante, which could get up to  
£6million at auction

The Bugatti 57S is understood to be only one of 17 ever made, with at  
least four believed to belong to Musee Nationale de L'Automobile in  
Mulhouse, France.

In recent years, similar but less sought-after models have sold  
privately for millions of pounds.

If the car reaches reaches top estimates, it could rocket into the  
history books as the most expensive car ever sold at auction.

James Knight, International Head of Bonhams' motoring department said:  
'I have known of this Bugatti for a number of years and, like a select  
group of others, hadn't dared divulge its whereabouts to anyone.

'It is absolutely one of the last great barn discoveries, and we at  
Bonhams are honoured to have been selected to handle its sale.'

For Harry's nephew, the wondercar is a fitting legacy for Harry to  
have left.

'It would have been boring and so unlike him to have just left normal  
things,' he said.

'It's much better he will be remembered for something spectacular like  
this.'


Other previous Bugatti owners include Le Mans 24 hour race winner Earl  
Howe and Northumberland gentry, Lord Ridley

'One of the most important motor cars in the world'

Dr Carr's vehicle even has the original chassis, engine, drive train  
and body and a low odometer reading of 26,284.

Bugatti Type 57S, chassis no. 57502, was completed at the Bugatti  
works on 5  May, 1937 sporting two-seat Atalante coupe coachwork.

It was ordered new by Earl Howe, who had had a long association with  
Ettore Bugatti and his machines, developing a close friendship with  
him and his son Jean, having raced their Grand Prix motor cars.

Earl Howe had the Bugatti for eight years and added his own bumpers,  
rear-view  mirrors on the A-pillars and a luggage rack, which it still  
retains to this day.

The car was sold to a Mr J P Tingay in 1947.

Mr M H Ferguson acquired the Bugatti from Tingay in 1950 and by 1954  
it formed part of Lord Ridley's collection.

Dr Harold Carr then acquired it in 1955 from Lord Ridley.

Dr Carr drove the car for the first few years but in the early 1960s  
it was parked in his garage where it remained for nearly 50 years,  
until Dr Carr's death in 2007.

James Knight said: 'The Atalante is incredibly original and, although  
she requires restoration, it is "restoration" in the true sense of the  
word.

"From my perspective, save for some of the interior, all original  
parts can be restored or conserved in order to maintain originality.

'It offers a truly rewarding project to the new owner - who will join  
a select list of distinguished owners to play such an integral part in  
bringing this wonderful motor car back to life.

'It has all the finest attributes any connoisseur collector could ever  
seek in one of the ultimate road-going sports cars from the golden era  
of the 1930s.'







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