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£3 Million 1937 Bugatti Found In British Garage After Almost 50 Years [Barn Find]

An unmolested 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante, one of only 17 built, was discovered in a garage in the UK after gathering dust for almost 50 years. The estimated value? At least $4.35 million!

An unmolested 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante was discovered after spending 48 years in a quiet, Tyneside, Britain garage. It's being termed "one of the last great barn-finds" with an estimated value of at least £3 Million ($4.35 million).

The car was originally owned by the first president of the British Racing Drivers' Club, Earl Howe, and through a series of sales ended up in the hands of a reclusive doctor named Harold Carr. After driving the car for a couple years, it was parked in a private garage in 1960 and hasn't seen the road since. With only seventeen examples of Type 57S Atalantes ever produced, the car was notably absent in the history of significant Bugattis.

In 2007, Dr. Carr passed away and left the contents of the garage to his family. That was when the car was discovered. It's currently set to cross the auction blocks at Bonhams of Paris next month, and with the combination of an incredibly rare chassis, only 26,284 original miles, a rare supercharged inline eight engine and its unmolested condition, we suspect some very wealthy bidders will push the price well past that initial valuation of $4.35 million.

Reminds us of that barn-found 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante a couple years ago. Wonder how many more are out there, lurking in dusty barns.(Hat tip to everyone who sent this in!)

[via BBC]

Photo Credit: Bonhams

The GM, Chrysler Federal Bailout By The Numbers [Carpocalypse Now]

Both GM and Chrysler hit the federal jackpot this morning, avoiding the wrath of the Carpocalypse for a little longer. We break down the numbers below the jump.

$13,400,000,000: The amount of money to be handed out from the Troubled Asset Relief Program in the first installment.

$4,000,000,000: The amount of the second installment of TARP funds, if needed.

$9,000,000,000: The amount of "bridge financing" Ford would like to access from non-governmental sources.

500,000: The number of electric vehicles Chrysler intends to put on the road by 2013.

102: The number of days the companies have to turn around their companies so the loans are not called in.

24: The number of new vehicle releases Chrysler promises through 2012.

0: The number of private jets Chrysler and GM are going to be buying because of a requirement.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Image

Tesla Issues Response To Top Gear Review [Top Gear]

Top Gear’s Tesla Roadster review we posted Monday angered a few people at the Silicon Valley startup. Spokeswoman Rachel Konrad spoke with Wired Magazine about Clarkson’s unabashed words. Here's what she had to say.

All was well in Top Gear land for the review of the Tesla Roadster. Clarkson’s usual suspicious attitude was quickly wiped clean when he raced a standard Lotus Elise, as the little electric-that-could tore past the Elise in the straights, but like the stereotype of many American cars, took a crap in the corners. Then it lost battery power after 55 miles (of heavy track use) and would require 16 hours to recharge. A second Tesla Roadster was brought out and broke soon after with Clarkson stating the motor was overheating. Clarkson went back to the first car only to find that the brakes were busted. Things weren’t looking good for the Silicon Valley startup.

Tesla spokesperson, Rachel Konrad (as an aside we know quite a number of young lads who fancied Konrad during her time spent in Detroit) was more than a little peeved upon hearing the bad review and decided she needed to step in. Konrad states the lithium-ion batteries never lost their charge, and more specifically, neither car’s charge level dropped below 20 percent.

Konrad says,

“They never had to push a car off the track because of lack of charge or a fault and it isn’t clear why the segment included footage showing exactly that.”

Curious as to why Clarkson states that the Tesla needs 16 hours to charge, she says,

“The vast majority of people who have a Tesla in their garage have much faster systems that recharge from dead to full in as little as 3.5 hours (using the Tesla Motors High Power Connector).”

The issue with the engine overheating wasn’t addressed, but Konrad says that the brake failure in the first car was an issue with a blown fuse.

“The Roadster was back up and running literally within minutes,” she said.

Although Clarkson was his usual self, complaining about anything and everything, he did appear to enjoy the car, even calling himself a “volt head” during the first part of the segment. Clarkson’s voice carries weight the world over, but considering the little Tesla Roadster's current market — Silicon Valley execs with money burning a hole in their pocket and eco-freaks; Does it matter?

[via Wired]

2008 Chevy Cobalt SS Sedan, Part One [Jalopnik Reviews]

The 2008 Chevy Cobalt SS isn't the best car on the road, nor the best car in the segment, but it is one of the best cars for those interested in a walloping good time.

As a practical matter, it doesn't matter where you grew up or what school you went to as a kid, every class had the one kid who got bored with his studies, his contemporaries, and his classroom because of his outstanding capabilities. He acted up, talked out of line, developing remarkably clever spit ball shooters or the most advanced in flying aerodynamic paper systems. That kid grew up to be the engineer for the 2008 Chevy Cobalt SS. The frenetic, brilliant, creative masterpieces which entertained his teachers immensely but inevitably earned a B for incompleteness are directly translated to his work on the Cobalt SS, a car so fun to drive you hate to mark it down.

With your foot planted resolutely on the accelerator pedal and sport mode enabled, you feel a satisfying whoosh of power as the 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four rapidly builds boost, and speed. Your grin turns to a moment of furtive panic as you realize the 260 horses have nowhere to go but the front wheels and the steering gets light as a feather. But, this doesn't stop you from executing a no-lift-shift, made possible by a clever trick of programming and excellent synchros. You effortlessly chirp the tires in second and off you go for another crush of barely controllable power and fury.

Want to hit the twisties? The littlest SS will happily comply. Though equipped with a lowly beam axle in the back, the body motions are well controlled though harrowing corners, with minimal body roll if you're neutral on the throttle. Hit “go” mid-corner though and it'll remind you it's a front engine car with a forward push the Detroit Lions could only dream about.

If you've decided you've had enough, or believe certain state authorities may be watching, hauling the Cobalt SS down to stop is enough to leave seat belt marks on you chest. The car comes with massive, cross drilled Brembos with four-piston calipers.

That, in a nutshell, is everything you need to know about the four-door Cobalt Super Sport. For all other intents and purposes, it functions exactly like every other Cobalt on the road, albeit with notably better exterior styling thanks to a revised front and rear fascia, tasteful spoiler, a big set of wheels and not-so-subtle “SS” badging. When you sit behind the wheel in those grippy and wonderfully supportive Alcantara seats and turn the ignition, you don't so much hear a rumbly exhaust note as you hear an invitation to throw spitballs into the chasm of automotive apathy.

400 Old Cars And Trucks Down On The Alameda Street [Down On The Street]

The streets of Alameda, California never seem to run out of surviving vintage machinery, and we've got the proof right here in the 400th street-parked classic Alameda vehicle. Here they all are.

The streets of Alameda, California, never seem to run out of surviving vintage machinery, and we've got the proof right here. That's right, the 400th street-parked classic Alameda vehicle was featured in this series last week, and that means it's time to see 'em all!

Actually, the collection of links below contains 402 cars and trucks, so you get a couple of extra DOTS machines for your enjoyment; just click on any of the thumbnails and you'll go straight to a big photo gallery of that car or truck, plus digression-laden commentary by yours truly. New to the series? Check out the DOTS FAQ.

1932 Ford	1937 Cadillac	1939 Chevrolet	1941 Chevrolet	1942 Pontiac	1943 IHC
1945 Ford	1946 Chevrolet	1947 Plymouth	1948 IHC	1950 Dodge	1950 Ford
1950 Ford	1950 Plymouth	1950 Pontiac	1951 Dodge	1952 Dodge	1953 GMC
1952 Dodge	1953 Packard	1953 Citroën	1954 Chevrolet	1954 Ford	1955 Mercury
1955 Plymouth	1956 Chevrolet	1956 Imperial	1956 Lincoln	1956 Volkswagen	1956 Morris
1956 Willys	1956 Ford	1957 Volkswagen	1957 Cadillac	1957 Chevrolet	1957 Chrysler
1957 Pontiac	1958 Mercedes-Benz	1959 Porsche	1959 Morris	1959 Volkswagen	1959 Volkswagen
1960 Cadillac	1960 Cadillac	1960 Cadillac	1960 Peugeot	1960 Triumph	1960 Mercury
1960 Ford	1960 Studebaker	1960 Chevrolet	1960 Volkswagen	1961 Plymouth	1961 Morris
1961 Rambler	1961 Ford	1961 Plymouth	1962 Chrysler	1962 Chevrolet	1962 Dodge
1962 Ford	1962 Chrysler	1962 Volkswagen	1963 Chevrolet	1963 Ford	1963 Ford
1963 Chevrolet	1963 Chevrolet	1963 Chevrolet	1963 GMC	1963 Porsche	1964 Volkswagen
1964 Studebaker	1964 Volkswagen	1964 Checker	1964 Chrysler	1964 Ford	1964 Imperial
1964 Mercury	1964 Dodge	1964 Ford	1964 Oldsmobile	1964 Dodge	1965 Austin Cooper S
1965 Volkswagen	1965 Chevrolet	1965 Mercury	1965 Volkswagen	1965 Plymouth	1965 Chevrolet
1965 Volkswagen	1965 Ford	1965 Plymouth	1965 Ford	1965 IHC	1965 Chevrolet
1965 Chevrolet	1965 Mercury	1965 Dodge	1965 Ford	1965 Chevrolet	1965 Chevrolet
1965 Ford	1965 Rambler	1965 Ford	1965 Ford	1966 Lincoln	1966 Ford
1966 Ford	1966 Dodge	1965 Mercedes-Benz	1966 Pontiac	1966 Dodge	1966 Datsun
1966 GMC	1966 Jaguar	1966 Lancia	1966 Volkswagen	1966 Mercedes-Benz	1966 Chevrolet
1966 Mercedes-Benz	1966 Ford	1966 Buick	1966 Volkswagen	1966 Volvo	1967 Ford
1967 Mercury	1967 Plymouth	1967 Porsche	1967 Imperial	1967 Galaxie	1967 Volkswagen
1967 Porsche	1967 Oldsmobile	1968 Plymouth	1968 Mercury	1968 Mercedes-Benz	1968 Mercedes-Benz
1968 Ford	1968 GMC	1968 Pontiac	1968 Ford	1968 Porsche	1968 Ford
1968 Buick	1969 Dodge	1969 AMC	1969 Chevrolet	1969 Volkswagen	1969 Volkswagen
1969 Mercury	1969 Chevrolet	1969 Ford	1969 Cadillac	1969 Ford	1969 Buick
1969 Volkswagen	1969 Chevrolet	1969 Cadillac	1969 Cadillac	1969 Chevrolet	1969 Lincoln
1969 Oldsmobile	1969 Dodge	1969 Dodge	1969 Datsun	1969 Ford	1969 Ford
1969 Buick	1969 MG	1969 Ford	1969 Chevrolet	1969 Cadillac	1969 Volvo
1969 Volvo	1970 Ford	1970 Chevrolet	1970 Ford	1970 Chrysler	1970 Cadillac
1970 Dodge	1970 Chevrolet	1970 Chevrolet	1970 Lincoln	1970 Dodge	1970 Volkswagen
1970 Ford	1970 Ford	1970 Chevrolet	1970 Chevrolet	1970 Porsche	1970 Dodge
1970 Puma	1970 Buick	1970 Volvo	1970 Volkswagen	1971 Datsun	1971 Volvo
1971 Datsun	1971 Chevrolet	1971 Chevrolet	1971 Chrysler	1971 Imperial	1971 Chrysler
1971 Datsun	1971 Ford	1971 GMC	1971 Volkswagen	1971 Toyota	1971 Buick
1971 Chevrolet	1971 MG	1971 Plymouth	1971 Plymouth	1972 Mercedes-Benz	1972 BMW
1972 Volkswagen	1972 BMW	1972 IHC	1972 IHC	1972 Volkswagen	1972 Porsche
1972 Chevrolet	1972 Plymouth	1972 Lincoln	1972 Mercury	1972 Steyr	1973 BMW
1973 Volkswagen	1973 Mercury	1973 Opel	1973 Buick	1973 Chevrolet	1973 Volvo
1973 Capri	1973 Chevrolet	1973 Chevrolet	1973 Mercury	1973 Datsun	1973 Ford
1973 Pontiac	1973 Mercedes-Benz	1973 MG	1973 Ford	1973 Buick	1973 Plymouth
1973 Chevrolet	1973 Volkswagen	1973 Volkswagen	1973 Volkswagen	1973 BMW	1974 Buick
1974 Chevrolet	1974 Volkswagen	1974 Chevrolet	1974 BMW	1974 Chevrolet	1974 Datsun
1974 Ford	1974 Ford	1974 Porsche	1974 Porsche	1974 Plymouth	1974 Volkswagen
1974 Ford	1975 BMW	1975 Datsun	1975 Ford	1975 Toyota	1975 Citroën
1975 Mercury	1975 Chevrolet	1975 Pontiac	1975 Chevrolet	1975 BMW	1975 Dodge
1976 Ford	1976 AMC	1976 Buick	1975 Unimog	1976 Honda	1976 Cadillac
1976 IHC	1976 Buick	1977 Ford	1977 Chevrolet	1977 Plymouth	1977 Honda
1977 Chevrolet	1977 Chevrolet	1977 Toyota	1977 Toyota	1977 Lincoln	1977 Ford
1977 Fiat	1977 Ford	1977 IHC	1977 Chevrolet	1977 Oldsmobile	1977 Oldsmobile
1977 Volvo	1978 Datsun	1978 Chrysler	1978 Honda	1978 Pontiac	1978 Dodge
1978 Dodge	1978 Dodge	1978 Cadillac	1978 Jaguar	1978 Saab	1978 Pontiac
1978 Chevrolet	1979 Mercedes-Benz	1979 Porsche	1979 Porsche	1979 Chevrolet	1979 Datsun
1979 Honda	1979 Ford	1979 Ford	1979 Cadillac	1979 Shay	1980 Porsche
1980 Plymouth	1980 Datsun	1980 Plymouth	1980 IHC	1980 Volvo	1981 Datsun
1981 Volkswagen	1981 Mazda	1981 Fiat	1982 Mercedes-Benz	1982 Datsun	1982 Mercedes-Benz
1982 BMW	1982 Mazda	1982 Toyota	1982 Fiat	1983 Honda	1983 BMW
1983 Toyota	1983 BMW	1983 BMW	1983 Jeep	1983 Volkswagen	1983 Nissan
1983 Toyota	1984 Porsche	1984 Toyota	1984 Cadillac	1984 Toyota	1984 Jeep
1984 BMW	1984 Toyota	1984 Jaguar	1984 Toyota	1984 Plymouth	1985 Alfa Romeo
1985 Toyota	1985 Cadillac	1985 Mazda	1985 Pontiac	1985 Volkswagen	1985 Saab
1985 Toyota	1985 Toyota	1985 Peugeot	1985 Porsche	1986 Dodge	1986 BMW
1986 Toyota	1986 Toyota	1986 Ford	1986 Jaguar	1986 Toyota	1986 Dodge
1986 Honda	1986 Pontiac	1986 Ford	1987 Porsche	1987 BMW	1987 Mercedes-Benz
1987 Volkswagen	1987 BMW	1987 Honda	1987 Toyota	1987 Merkur	1987 Mitsubishi
1987 Subaru	1988 Porsche	1988 CMC	1988 Renault	1988 Mitsubishi	1989 Ferrari
1989 Alfa Romeo	1989 Chevrolet	1989 Volkswagen	1991 Peugeot	1991 Alfa Romeo	2000 Fieroborghini