Bugatti 44 Berline

1930 Bugatti Type 44 Berline by Alin & Liautard

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | June 18, 2017

Photo – Osenat

Most of Bugatti models are all part of a line of cars that trace back to an earlier model. In this case, the Type 44 can trace its heritage back to the Type 30 of 1922. The Type 44 was built between 1927 and 1930 and was the most popular series of all of the “8-cylinder line” of 1922-1934.

It’s powered by a 3.0-liter straight-eight making 80 horsepower. This car was sold new in Paris and was sent to Alin & Liautard to be bodied as a sedan, a body style not many Bugattis still exist as. The large roof has a big piece of fabric that can be rolled back like a giant cloth sunroof.

Ownership is known back to the 1950s, but it is known that the car was registered in Pairs up until that point. Any restoration this car has ever underwent is extremely old and predates the current owner who acquired the car some time ago. The Type 44 was one of the most popular Bugattis sold, with production totaling 1,095 cars. This one should sell for between $200,000-$260,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $321,130.

Grégoire Phaeton

1908 Grégoire 70.4 Phaeton by Alin et Liautard

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 7, 2014

1908 Gregoire 70.4 Phaeton by Alin et Liautard

Automobiles Grégoire was founded in 1902 by Pierre Joseph Grégoire in Poissy, France. Automobile manufacture commenced in 1904 and their signature look was a pear-shaped radiator.

For 1908, this was the most powerful Grégoire money could buy – the top-of-the-line four-cylinder model. This car carries sporty phaeton coachwork from French coachbuilder Alin & Liautard. It has known history only back to 1978, but has been restored to drivable condition. And that’s what is great about this car – it is perfect for old car rallies.

Grégoire closed its doors in 1924. The cars did not have a great survival rate. For example, the company built 20,000 cars in 1913 alone – yet only 60 or so Grégoire cars total are known to survive. This car should sell for between $47,500-$68,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $56,301.

1913 Hispano-Suiza Double Berline

1913 Hispano-Suiza “King Alfonso XIII” Double Berline by Alin & Liautard

Offered by RM Auctions | Amelia Island, Florida | March 10, 2012

I’m just going to come right out and say it: this car looks downright scary. Not in a bad way – but in a baroque haunted house kind of way. It looks kind of a like a car constructed by a movie studio that some hapless family would stumble upon in the garage of an old castle and use to escape their ghostly tormentors.

But it isn’t. This is one of four “Colonial” chassis cars built by the Spanish firm. They named the car after their unofficial spokesman, King Alfonso XIII of Spain. His exploits in Hispano-Suiza cars helped them reach markets they would have otherwise been without. The engine is a sporty 3.6 liter four-cylinder making 64 horsepower.

This car was discovered in Spain in the mid-1980s wearing a touring body with the Double Berline body sitting nearby. It was not uncommon in the early days of motoring to order a large coachbuilt car with seasonal bodies. The “winter” body seen here is by Carrosserie Alin & Liautard and is, like the rest of the car, entirely original. The body had not been touched since the 1940s and is wonderfully preserved.

It’s a car of details – one that would truly need to be seen in person in order to be fully appreciated. Big cars this like rarely made it through the wars unscathed. To find one this original in such a fascinating bodystyle is truly unique. I just hope the new owner maintains the history that this car has acquired over the years. It has been mechanically freshened, but a restoration would be criminal.

The estimate on the car is $750,000-$1,000,000. This is a fascinating automobile. To read the full description, click here. To see the rest of RM’s Amelia Island lineup, click here.

Update: Not Sold.