1930 Bugatti Type 43 Sports 2/4-Seater

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 2, 2013

The Bugatti Type 43 was part of the line of cars that spawned off the Type 30. Introduced in 1927, the Type 43 stood apart from earlier models in that it, while it used a similar chassis, it added a supercharger – making it quick and one of the world’s first 100 mph production cars with a top speed of 112 mph.

The engine is a 2.3-liter supercharged straight-eight making 120 horsepower. It was a transplant from Bugatti’s current grand prix car of the day. The history on this car goes back to 1928, when the engine was built. It’s titled as a 1930 because it wasn’t sold until then.

This car spent most of its early life on the French Riviera – which is only about the coolest place you could own and drive an old Bugatti. It came to the U.S. in 1950. The current coachwork on the car was already on the car by 1950 – although it is not original, nor is it certain where the body originated. The car has been restored within the last 10 years and finished 3rd in its class at Pebble Beach.

This is basically a road-going Bugatti grand prix car (running gear, short wheelbase, etc.) and it can be yours for between $1,000,000-$1,200,000. Click here to read more and here for more from Bonhams in Greenwich.

Update: Sold $875,000.

1957 Ford Thunderbird F-Code Convertible

Offered by RM Auctions | Fort Worth, Texas | April 27, 2013

The Ford Thunderbird was the supposed answer to the Chevrolet Corvette (I say “supposed” because the Thunderbird diluted its image every possible chance it got after 1957 while the Corvette got more and more intense). The first two years of Corvette production saw the car saddled with a straight-six. Chevy upped the ante for 1955 with a V-8. Ford introduced the Thunderbird as an all-new model for 1955 and a V-8 as the only power choice.

Both cars were absolute stunners in the looks department. Thunderbirds were offered in a sea of colors – pastels and the like. If you wanted to collect the entire rainbow, you probably could. This one is black with black wheels – and it looks rather menacing.

And it should. This is an “F-Code” car – which means it has the 5.1-liter V-8 that has been supercharged to make 300 horsepower. The most powerful Corvette you could buy in 1957 only made 283 ponies. And this wasn’t even the king of the Thunderbirds. There was one more step up – but only 12 of those were made.

As I’ve been writing these posts for cars from this sale prior to the release of the lot description from RM, I had to do a little research to find out how many F-Code Thunderbirds were actually built. On Barrett-Jackson’s website, I did a search for them and every result had a different total for the number built. An older RM post has the number at 205, which is what I’ll go with.

Thunderbirds are thought as cruisers today but this one will get your attention off the line. It’s a really awesome car and the fact that it looks the part is even better. It should bring a massive $150,000-$200,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold for $198,000.