Recently Discovered 1937 Bugatti Type 57S “Dulcie” to Sell for $9.5 Million

That classic is “Dulcie,” a 1937 Bugatti Type 57S named this way because of its registration number, which reads “DUL 351.” “Dulcie” has been with the same owner for 51 years, the late esteemed Bugattiste Bill Turnbull, but his estate has agreed to part with it.

It will be the highlight of the upcoming Legends of the Road auction at Bonhams, taking place on February 19, 2021, and is expected to fetch between £5 million and £7 million ($6.7-9.5 million). It will sell without reserve.

This 57S, chassis no. 57503, is in highly original and excellent condition. Turbull was not its first owner but he was the one to try and repair and restore it, as the video at the bottom of the page can confirm. Until just recently, he kept it hidden in his North Staffordshire workshop.

The 57 Surbaisse has a 3.3-liter twin-can Bugatti engine and original body by Corsica Coachworks. The chassis is of the type made for the three Bugatti Type 57G “Tank” streamlined sports-racing cars, with the auction house saying that one of the two lost chassis was re-used for this vehicle. Only 42 57Ss were ever made, but this one is all the more special for this reason.

It has nearly perfect black paintwork, cream leather interior, and the original coachwork. It sells with certification and a well documented history file, including Turnbull’s correspondence with the previous owners, conducted as part of his efforts to restore it.

“This really is an extraordinary example of one of the most valuable and desirable pre-war motor cars,” Sholto Gilbertson, Director, Bonhams Motor Cars UK, says in a statement. “Other 57S Bugattis are in museums or known collections, and to offer the car to the open market for the first time since 1969 is going to be tremendous. This could well be the last “hidden” pre-war Bugatti of note and we are delighted to present this rediscovered true legend of the road next year at New Bond Street.”