zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Bugatti And Alfa Romeo Dominated The Most Expensive Auctions Of 2020
Bugatti And Alfa Romeo Dominated The Most Expensive Auctions Of 2020-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:29

Image for article titled Bugatti And Alfa Romeo Dominated The Most Expensive Auctions Of 2020

2020 may have been a year of serious financial decline, but rich people remained rich, and they all kept buying big fancy cars at auction. Out of the 10 most expensive cars that hit the auction block last year, Bugatti and Alfa Romeo dominated the list.

If you want to explore the full list, I’ll send you over to , where Andrew Newton compiled all those beautiful cars alongside descriptions about what makes them so great and how the auction went.

I’m more fascinated by the fact that the more expensive half of the list is absolutely dominated by prewar Bugattis. Seriously. All of the top five most expensive cars were Bugattis from before 1939. Hagerty tells us that the last time so many prewar cars were in the top 10 most expensive sold for the year was 2011.

Let’s run you through what we’ve got.

1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports: $12,666,6001937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante: $10,433,9651932 Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport: $7,100,0001928 Bugatti Type 35C: $5,224,4831931 Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport by Figoni: $5,051,054

We’re talking about some seriously gorgeous machines here, cars that have made history. The 1928 Type 35C, for example, was entered in the Targa Florio and is still wearing the coat of paint that it came out of the shop with. The madly expensive 1934 Type 59 was literally driven by a king—and no, I’m not talking about Rene Dreyfus, the legendary Grand Prix driver that took it to victory at the Belgian Grand Prix. I’m talking about King Leopold III of Belgium, who was one of the car’s five owners after the Bugatti retired from competition. With their pedigree, it’s no wonder these cars were worth such a considerable sum.

Image for article titled Bugatti And Alfa Romeo Dominated The Most Expensive Auctions Of 2020

The only other marque to come close to rivaling Bugatti’s auction dominance was Alfa Romeo, which sold three cars from the B.A.T. (Berlinetta Aerodynamica Tecnica) series. They all sold as a set at R.M. Sotheby’s “A Contemporary Art Evening” auction because these cars are seriously gorgeous. They were only announced two weeks before the auction took place and went up against pieces of art from legendary artists like Andy Warhol—and still took home $4,946,666 a piece.

Oh, to be disgustingly rich and able to buy disgustingly expensive cars.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
Jul 27, 2025
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
Jul 27, 2025
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
Jul 27, 2025
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
Jul 27, 2025
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
Jul 27, 2025
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
Jul 27, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved