History was made this weekend at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance when a 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports won Best of Show, marking the first time a preservation-class car has ever won the most prestigious award in the classic car realm. Pebble’s had classes for such unrestored cars since 2001, with the preservation classes now split into pre- and post-war categories. Brought by the Pearl Collection of Switzerland, the Bugatti was up against some stiff competition, beating out a 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Saoutchik Fastback Coupé, 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve LeBaron Sport Phaeton and the 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero concept for the Best of Show title.
After seeing this Type 59 driving in the Tour d’Elegance earlier in the week and then on the show field, it was easily one of my favorites of Monterey Car Week, but I was still shocked when it won — in the best way. We’re finally starting to see Concours events evolve past hyper-restored pre-war cars being the focus, and that’s really exciting. OK, yes, this Type 59 is pre-war too, but it’s a much different sort of car than we’re used to seeing win.
Bugatti built five of the Type 59s, with company founder Ettore Bugatti selling four of them but keeping this one for himself after it won the 1934 Belgian Grand Prix and came third at Monaco. He removed the supercharger from the inline-8 engine and fitted the Type 59 with new two-seat sports car bodywork and motorcycle fenders, and it was then registered as a Type 57 and won a bunch of races in 1937. King Leopold III of Belgium then acquired the car and had it repainted in black with a yellow Belgian stripe, the color scheme it still wears today. In 2020, Gooding & Co sold this Type 59 for just over $12 million.
The Type 59 beat out 214 cars from 16 countries for the coveted Best of Show prize, but that’s not the only award it took home. It also came first in the pre-war preservation class, and it won the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford (CARS) Award for Automotive Innovation. Bugatti is now tied for the most Best of Show wins with Mercedes-Benz, at ten each. Additionally, a 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Corsica Roadster won the French Cup award, a 1933 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster came first in class in the European Classic Sport category, a 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Gangloff Aravis came second in European Classic Touring Late, and an incredible 1995 Bugatti EB110 Sport Competizione came second in the 1990s BPR & FIA GT Race Cars class.
Speaking about the Type 59’s win, owner Fritz Burkard had this to say:
I’m so happy for the car, so happy for Bugatti. This car is incredible. It’s so much history—one of the most successful Bugattis in history—and to win with this car means a lot to me. First time a Swiss, first time a European wins, first time a preservation wins. It’s important that preservation also gets recognition, because a car can only be once original. And it drives so beautifully.
