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Featured is Bugatti Type 54 s/n 54201; Archile Varzi's Works racer and the first of four or five examples produced. This example underlined the Type 54's ominous nick-name of 'widow-maker' when its first owner Prince Jiri Lobcowicz of the Czech Republic lost his life in it at Avus. The car was shortly after rebuilt with a roadster body by Uhlik dubbed 'Praha' after the Czech Republic's capital. In the early 1970s the body was removed in favour of a body similar to the original, but still with fenders for road use. The Uhlik body was saved and later fitted on a Type 55 chassis.
Recently acquired by a Dutch Bugatti and Lotus enthusiast, it has now been brought back to its Monza debut configuration. A brave man, he has since raced the car in historic events, most notably at the Goodwood Revival, where the big car was a regular in the heat for pre-War Grand Prix machinery. The current owner has now decided to part with the car and it will be offered by Bonhams in their February 7 Grand Palais auction. The pre-sale estimate for this, the most original of all surviving Type 54s, is a hefty EUR 2.5 - 3.5 million or $ 3.3 - 4.7 million.
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