1936 Bugatti Type 57S Atlantic #57473
4,060 views · Published 7 August 2011 · 0:31 · Indexed 23 September 2026
Channel: Jafromobile · 2011 · Autos & Vehicles
This is a short clip of the most expensive car in the world at the 60th anniversary of Concours d'Elegance. A Bugatti 57S Atlantic originally purchased by Jacques and Yvonne Holtzschuch in 1936. This history of this car is very controversial. After competing in F.I.A. racing events and having great success, it was sold to René Chatard in 1952. Chatard was a French clothier. His wife and family didn't think he needed to own another car, so it was registered in mistress' name. On August 22, 1955 Chatard and yet another young lady, Jeanine Vacheron were struck and killed in it, hit by a train. The rail company sequestered what was left of the chassis for about a decade before it was purchased and restored by Paul André Berson in 1965. Berson restored the car choosing not to use most of the left side of the coach, nor the engine because it was too far gone, and after completing the restoration, he then started constructing a replica. Berson sold #57473 in 1977 to Nicholas Seydoux, but he kept the damaged parts of the car he didn't use in its restoration. Seydoux many years later learned of the Berson replica and the original bits and pieces of 57473, he purchased both the parts and the replica. The car was stripped bare to see what parts were original, and the remaining bits and pieces restored and put back into place. It was fully restored to its 1955 condition and sold with the remaining scrap in 2010. The exact sale price is not known, nor is the buyer. Confirmed sources state it's between $30M-$40M, making it the most expensive car ever sold to-date. This car my friends... was hit by a train. It was hit on the side of it that I'm filming. It then proves through the efforts of dozens of car builders over a period of nearly 80 years that even a trainwreck can be the most valuable car in the eyes of collectors.
