It’s like an ancient insect trapped in amber. Or an unopened cask of century-old single malt Scotch. That’s the kind of time-bending accomplishment achieved by this 90-year-old car, a car that has never been restored, winning the coveted 2024 Car of the Year honor at the International Historic Motoring Awards presented by Lockton Insurance, which took place at the Peninsula London on Friday November 22. Photos of the T59 taken at Villa d’Este.
Story, photos and video by Bob Cullinan
René Dreyfus drove this beautiful 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports to victory in the 1934 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa. The Bugatti also finished third at Monaco in ’34. Ettore Bugatti transformed this Type 59 from single-seat race car to sports car, removing the supercharger, and adding a second seat and doors. It kept racing, winning GP events in Algeria and France in 1937. But more changes were to come. King Leopold III of Belgium purchased the car in 1937, and had it repainted from French blue to Belgian black, with yellow accent stripes. It stayed unraced and unrestored in the private collection of King Leopold III, and four subsequent owners of the car all kept it as-is, eschewing any restorations or modifications.
The Bugatti changed hands again in 2020. Swiss collector Fritz Burkard paid a staggering £9,535,000 ($12,681,550) when the final hammer fell at the Gooding & Company auction. It was the most expensive car sold anywhere in the world that year, and Burkard continued the tradition of keeping the original parts and patina on the car.
In 2022 Burkhardt rolled the black Bugatti onto the gravel at Villa d’Este, and rolled out with the Best Preserved Vehicle award from FIVA, the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (International Federation of Historic Vehicles) at the Concorso d’Eleganza.
To the surprise of nearly everyone, including car owner Fritz Burkard, his Bugatti won the coveted Best of Show at the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the first time a preservation car has ever won the award. It was also the first time for a European winner at Pebble Beach.
The 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports now resides among the 90 remarkable machines in Burkard’s private “Pearl Collection” in Zug, Switzerland.
Bob Cullinan is a contributing writer at VeloceToday. He can trace his lifelong passion for motorsports back to two seminal events: The release of the John Frankenheimer film “Grand Prix” in 1966, and Christmas, 1971, when his father presented Bob with “The Encyclopedia of Motor Sport.” During his work as a television reporter and host, Bob covered motorsports events at Laguna Seca, Pebble Beach, Sears Point, and Willow Springs Raceway. He has photographed the Mille Miglia, Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, the ICE St. Moritz, Coppa delle Alpi, and his most memorable event, the Monaco Historic Grand Prix. Bob was recently granted photo access at the London memorial for Sir Stirling Moss, his all-time favorite driver.
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