A 1931 Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix car has been revealed as the latest headline auction lot at Bonhams’ Quail Lodge sale, which will take place in Carmel, California on 19 August.
Chassis 51121 will be offered for the first time at public auction, having been in the stewardship of its current owner for more than 30 years. The car, which was bought new by British privateer Lord Howe, is one of only a handful of Type 51s with double overhead cam heads prepared for the 1931 season.
The car boasts an extensive early race history, having been campaigned at the Nürburgring, Donington, Reims, Monza and Shelsley Walsh, as well as being entered four times in the Monaco Grand Prix, where it finished fourth in 1932. It was also driven at Brooklands by the great Tazio Nuvolari.
Greg MacLeman is a contributor to and former Features Editor of Classic & Sports Car, and drives a restored and uprated 1974 Triumph 2500TC