BUGATTI TYPE 59 WINS 2024 PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS

This year’s 73rd edition of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California presented a total of 214 significant and exceptional cars from across the US and the world. Entrants came from 16 countries to be part of one of the world’s premier concours events, which this year produced a number of firsts.

The most significant first was the Best of Show award going to a Preservation-class car. While preserved (ie., unrestored) cars have been a part of this concours since its earliest years, with their own dedicated class since 2001, no Preservation-class car has taken out the overall Best of Show - until now. The groundbreaker was a 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports. One of only a handful built by Bugatti, this particular car has a long and interesting history.

Works Garage . . .

Unveiled in late 1933, the Type 59 was an evolution of Bugatti’s Type 51, which was in turn an evolution of the iconic Type 35. A 3.3-litre DOHC straight eight with dual carburettors and a supercharger was the standard engine, matched to a four-speed manual transmission.

Wire wheels, instead of the Type 35’s signature cast aluminium wheels, cable-operated drum brakes and new ‘De Ram’ shock absorbers that complemented quarter-elliptic leaf springs on solid axles were other features.

Bugatti only built eight (some sources say seven, others say nine) examples of the Type 59, four of which were raced by the factory. The Pebble Beach Concours winner, bearing engine number ‘5’ (a chassis number of ‘57248’ came later) was one of the works cars. Originally fitted with a Type 57 chassis, this was swapped for a competition-spec chassis at the factory.

Across the 1934 and ’35 Grand Prix seasons, Type 59s were raced by the likes of René Dreyfus, Robert Benoist, Jean-Pierre Wimille, Tazio Nuvolari and Piero Taruffi. However, against the improved Alfa Romeos and state-sponsored Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union cars, Type 59s never achieved the success of the Type 35. The few notable results included victory at the 1934 Belgian Grand Prix and third in the ’34 Monaco and Spanish Grands Prix. The following year, Bugatti’s best grand prix result was fourth, although Type 59s did win a handful of non-championship races.

In 1934, Type 59 engine #5 finished third at the Monaco Grand Prix, fourth at the French Grand Prix and sixth at the Spanish.

Ahead of the 1936 season, Bugatti transferred their efforts to the new sports car formula, only running the occasional grand prix entry. They had already sold their four works Type 59s to British customers by this stage, one of whom sent engine #5 back to Bugatti to be rebodied as a sports car. This included the addition of doors, cycle guards, small windshields and headlights in a remodelled front end. While at the factory, the engine’s supercharger was removed (to suit sports car regulations), a dry sump oiling system was fitted and the gearbox fully synchronised. This transformation saw engine #5 gain a ‘57248’ chassis number.

. . . to Royal Garage

As a sports car, #57248 proved much more successful, with Wimille driving it to multiple class wins. At the end of the 1937 season, the car was bought by King Leopold III of Belgium, a longtime Bugatti customer. Before delivery, Bugatti had the car repainted in black with a thin yellow stripe, in the style of the Belgian national racing colours.

Used sparingly by King Leopold III, the unique Type 59 was sold to a Belgian collector in 1967, then passed to a Bugatti enthusiast in the US in 1989.

While mechanically refurbished by its first American owner, the Bugatti’s body and interior were left untouched. Two subsequent owners did the same, so when the car came to auction in September, 2020, it looked much like it did decades ago.

Offered in the “Passion of a Lifetime” auction conducted by Gooding & Company in London, Type 59 #57248 was purchased by Fritz Burkard, a Swiss industrial magnate, for his ‘Pearl Collection’. Along with several other important Bugattis, the Pearl Collection includes vintage Alfa Romeos, Hispano-Suizas and Talbot-Lagos, the one-off Lincoln Indianapolis by Boano, a Brutsch Mopetta, Chevy Corvair pickup and many more cars. Burkard paid £9.53 million (AU$17 M approx.) for #57248, setting a new world record price for a Bugatti sold at auction.

The Road to the Best

Until recently, Burkard’s Type 59 would have been considered a long shot for anything other than the ‘Prewar Preservation’ class it was entered in (and won) at Pebble Beach, but when an unrestored Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 won Best in Show at the Villa d’Este concours earlier this year, it showed a shift in the perception of preserved cars at concours events.

Making it to the final four for Best of Show, the unrestored Type 59 ultimately beat a 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Saoutchik Fastback Coupé, 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve LeBaron Sport Phaeton and the one-off 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero concept by Bertone.

This result marks the first time a preserved car has won Best of Show in the 74-year history of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It also ties Bugatti with Mercedes-Benz for Best of Show wins, at ten each.

“This storied Bugatti, the first Type 59 built, is a rare factory race car that recorded multiple Grand Prix victories at the hands of several important racing greats—and it also has ties to royalty,” said Concours Chairman Sandra Button. “Perhaps most importantly, it wears all of its history, having been preserved in the livery it was given when redressed for King Leopold of Belgium.”

For his part, Burkard was ecstatic that an original car won against fully-restored opposition.

“I’m so happy for the car, so happy for Bugatti,” he exclaimed. “This car is incredible. It has so much history—one of the most successful Bugattis in history—and to win with this car means a lot to me.

“First time a Swiss wins, first time a European wins, first time a preservation wins. It’s important that preservation gets recognition, because a car can only be original once.”