The Bugatti Type 57S Atalante that made headlines after Harold Carr’s death was not an unidentified wreck pulled from a farm barn. It was chassis 57502, a rare 1937 coupé found in Carr’s locked garage in Newcastle after decades in storage. Its significance came from its exceptional originality, traceable history—including first ownership by racing driver Earl Howe—and the fact that only 17 Type 57S cars received factory Atalante coachwork.
The car was later sold at auction, restored, and sold again. Those milestones help explain why the discovery became one of the best-known classic-car “barn find” stories, though “garage find” is the more accurate description.
What was found in Harold Carr’s garage?
Relatives cataloguing Carr’s possessions after his death in 2007 found the dusty Atalante in his locked garage in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne. Contemporary reporting said it had been parked since about 1960. Some family members and people connected with Carr knew he owned a Bugatti, but the car’s precise identity and extraordinary significance were not widely appreciated.
Chassis 57502 was completed at the Bugatti works on May 5, 1937, with works number plate 1127-W5. It was a Type 57S Atalante coupé, not a Type 57 Atlantic. The popular “barn find” label captures the surprise of the discovery, but the car had been stored indoors in a garage.
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Why is the Type 57S Atalante so rare?
The Type 57S was the lowered, sporting version of Bugatti’s Type 57, and the Atalante was a sleek coupé associated with Jean Bugatti. Only 43 Type 57S cars were built, and just 17 received factory Atalante coachwork. That makes chassis 57502 a rare example even before its history and condition are considered.
| Detail | What is documented |
|---|---|
| Chassis | 57502 |
| Works completion | May 5, 1937 |
| Factory body | Atalante coupé |
| Type 57S production | 43 cars |
| Type 57S cars with factory Atalante coachwork | 17 cars |
| Engine | 3.3-liter straight-eight |
From Earl Howe to Harold Carr
The car was sold new through Sorel of London and delivered on June 9, 1937, to Francis Richard Henry Penn Curzon, the 5th Earl Howe. Howe was a prominent British racing driver, a Le Mans winner, an early president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, and an important figure in British Bugatti circles. He owned the car until 1945.
After passing through other owners, chassis 57502 was purchased by Harold Carr in 1955. Published accounts vary in how they summarize the intermediate ownership and the exact date it stopped being driven, but they agree on the main sequence: Howe first, Carr from 1955, and long-term storage beginning around the early 1960s.
Originality, modifications, and condition
The car’s appeal rested on its documented identity and the unusually large amount of original material it retained, including its chassis, body, engine, and drivetrain. That does not mean every component was untouched or exactly as it left the factory. The car had period modifications, including a Marshall K200 supercharger attributed to a later owner, as well as bespoke bumpers, mirrors, and a luggage rack.
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Reports described the car as being in remarkably good condition for one stored unused for nearly half a century. That should not be confused with being ready to drive safely without work. Bonhams described the necessary work as restoration in a conservation-minded sense: the car’s original components could be conserved or restored rather than replaced wholesale.
The auction milestones
Bonhams offered chassis 57502 at its Automobiles d’Exception à Rétromobile sale in Paris on February 7, 2009. It sold for €3,417,500. The result made the car a major collector-car story, combining rare factory coachwork, notable provenance, and a remarkable discovery after decades in storage.
The car was subsequently restored. At Gooding & Company’s Passion of a Lifetime auction in London on September 5, 2020, it sold for £7,855,000. Gooding reported the result as approximately $10,447,150. The 2020 sale was a later milestone for the restored car, not the value of the dusty car when it was discovered.
| Sale | Date and venue | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Bonhams | Paris, February 7, 2009 | €3,417,500 |
| Gooding & Company | London, September 5, 2020 | £7,855,000 |
The two results should not be treated as a simple measure of appreciation. Between the sales, the car was restored, and auction prices also depend on condition, provenance, market circumstances, currency, and buyer competition.
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Why the discovery mattered
Chassis 57502 brought together three unusually compelling elements: one of only 17 factory-bodied Type 57S Atalantes, an ownership history beginning with Earl Howe, and a long period of storage that left an exceptional amount of original material to assess. Its story is more precise than the usual barn-find legend: a known but neglected possession was identified for what it was after Carr’s death.
The car’s importance did not depend on it being perfectly untouched. Its period modifications are part of its history, while its surviving identity, original components, and documented provenance explain why it attracted attention. The later restoration and 2020 sale added chapters to that story without changing what made the 2007 discovery remarkable.
FAQ
Was the Bugatti Type 57S Atalante found in a barn?
No. It was found in Harold Carr’s locked garage in Gosforth, Newcastle, after his death in 2007. “Barn find” became the popular shorthand, but “garage find” is more accurate.
What is the chassis number of the car?
The car is chassis 57502. Bugatti completed it on May 5, 1937, and it was delivered to the 5th Earl Howe on June 9, 1937.
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How many Type 57S Atalantes were built?
Sources identify 17 Type 57S cars with factory Atalante coachwork, from a total production of 43 Type 57S cars.
Was the car completely untouched?
No. It retained an exceptional amount of original material, but it also had period modifications, including a Marshall K200 supercharger and other equipment. It is more accurate to describe it as largely original than entirely untouched.
How much did the car sell for?
It sold for €3,417,500 at Bonhams in Paris in 2009. After restoration, it sold for £7,855,000 at Gooding & Company in London in 2020. Neither result should be presented as a current private-market valuation.
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