During Monterey Car Week automotive enthusiasts get the chance to see new cars unveiled, revel in historical masterpieces, and even buy some of those masterpieces if they have the cash. On top of that, some auctions offer downright strange car-themed items, and this $100,000 book might be the strangest of them all.
This Bugatti Type 59 Book, Artist’s Proof No. 1, is a perfect example of Monterey Car Week weird-opulence. Outwardly, it’s beautiful, and between those covers are photos that the world has never seen (allegedly). But you’re not allowed to look inside unless you buy it for somewhere between $70,000 and $100,000.
That’s the “guidance” that Gooding & Co. has on it when it goes up for auction in Pebble Beach next month.
What The Heck Is This Thing?
Here’s how the auction describes this lot.
The Bugatti Type 59 Book presented here for the first time tells the story of the revered model’s development, racing history, and lasting legacy. In addition to the extensive text on the model, the book is complemented by rare and never-before-seen photographs, such as the first gathering since 1935 of the four surviving Type 59s at Pebble Beach in 2019.
Presented in three volumes, the first is devoted to the development of the Type 59 and its derivatives. Special CAD drawings have been created exclusively for this volume. The second details every race in period in which a Type 59 took part. Period racing photographs, posters, and artwork are highlighted. The third explains the history of the individual cars after WWII and up to the present day.
So it’s a new (not vintage) book on the history of the Type 59, the last Grand Prix model that Bugatti made in Molsheim before the Second World War. Considered by many to be the most elegant pre-war racing car, the Type 59 has been called an artistic masterpiece.
Below is a small example of what buyers can expect from the images in the book.
Bugatti made four examples of the Type 59, and all are still around today. In fact, the photo shoot that the auction house talks about in the listing isn’t totally unknown. Classic Driver covered it when it happened and even alluded to this book in the process. From that publication:
The longstanding Bugatti historian Julius Kruta has therefore teamed up with the world’s leading Bugatti Grand Prix expert Mark Morris and journalist Mick Walsh to create the definitive book on the Type 59, scheduled to be released in early 2021.
In what was an astonishing feat of persuasion and logistical wizardry, Kruta managed to gather all four remaining Bugatti Type 59s for the first time since 1935 in Monterey last summer for a genuinely once-in-a-lifetime photo shoot, the results of which will end up in the book.
The author is Julius Kruta, a famed automotive historian who actually arranged for the photo shoot in 2019. The photographer on scene that day was Michael Furman who is well-known for his work with cars just like the Type 59.
The book is actually three volumes, and the fancy metal jacket holding them was designed by Marc Newson, an industrial designer and one of the Type 59 owners. He also put together a bespoke stand for the book but photos of it don’t appear to exist.
There Is A Small Catch. And By ‘Small’ I Mean ‘Big’
Finally, the terms of this auction are even more comical once we read the fine print. First, the winning bidder isn’t going to get this book there at the auction house. There shall be no glorious ceremony on the shores of Pebble Beach where the unseeable photos in this book are set.
Instead, the buyer must submit full payment no later than 5 pm on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Only then will they receive a digital copy of their (potentially six-figure book). Don’t worry though because (as we’ve heard from so many automakers who create cool renderings), the real thing is coming next year. “The first artist’s proof of the sleeve and base, along with the book, will be delivered to the buyer in digital form with a printed version to follow,” says the listing.
According to the listing, the buyer finally gets their printed version at Retromobile 2025 which, you might have picked up on, is a completely different event on a completely different continent. That’s right, the buyer will need to pick up their fancy schmancy book in France next February. Happy bidding!
I’ll wait until it’s on the $5 table at Target. Maybe get the Kindle version if I just can’t wait.
This sounds like the petrolhead version of “One Night in Shaolin”.
Man, I have plans for the weekend of Retromobile. Otherwise I would be all over this thing. Yup, definitely the reason I’m not thinking about bidding on it.
Sounds like that’s the auction estimate, not any kind of reserve. It could bring $10k, or it could bring a million if two wankers with too much bloody money get in a bidding war for a new penthouse decoration. After all, it’s not just a fancy book, it’s an artist proof #1, which is its own entire collector market.
I’m a sucker for books in fancy cases, but like many of them, you could buy a pedestrian copy and make your own for a fraction of the price. This one looks simple enough for someone with basic metalworking skills, and I think a more raw or brushed finish with brass rivets would look better anyway. This one is way too polished. The real cars were never that perfect.
Yeah I don’t mind at all that Newson (and Ive) aren’t involved with Apple anymore. They were busy disappearing up their own fundament with this kind of thing, while designing keyboards that broke when you looked at them wrong.
This gross Prince Prospero kind of crap is the reason I was so disappointed with Pebble Beach—attendance of which had been a dream when I was a kid—and would never go again. The seals on the rocks offshore in Monterey were a far better thing to see (never mind the aquarium). Concorso Italiano was good, though, met Horacio Pagani (though I didn’t know it was him when I was talking to him until I saw phots of him a few years later) and there were a lot of friendly owners who really knew their cars and enjoyed them.
To paraphrase:
The Bugatti Type 59 Book presented here for the first money tells the story of the revered money’s money, money history, and lasting money. In addition to the extensive money on the money, the book is complemented by money and money-money-money photographs, such as the first money since money of the money surviving Monies at Money Money in $$$$.
But Mr Krabs…
Just think of the better that could be done with 100 grand.
Affluenza is a disease of the heart and mind.
I know, right? That money would be better spent on a slightly used C8 Z06.
I’d rather have the Ford 021C (as an EV)
If you’re bidding on this thing then you were already going to Retromobile 2025.
I’m curious to know what the Autopian design folks (they can be self-selected) think of this design. My take is that it looks like a cut section of some sort of air filter housing with a light blue filter. But like much modern art, it becomes great as long as someone buys it for enough money through a fancy dealer.
The metal part reminds me of bomber seats which have “speed” holes in them. Seen them in hot rods. But mostly it just looks nice, and Newsom designed it, but honestly I am sure it only took them a few hours on a laser cutter and then some rivets, so it’s just okay.
Agreed. I think it looks nice and presumably it’s well executed, but it does not look terribly complicated from a production standpoint, and with that price point it does become rather suspicious
For that price the metal jacket should be made from a melted down Veyron and hand hammered into shape by Oliver Blume.
It is giving me an aircraft wing spar feel to it, which is fitting given Bugatti’s aviation connections.
This sounds like an NFT with extra steps.
Oh, fuckin’ hell, you just reminded me of my town’s art fair earlier this year, where someone was selling PHYSICAL PAINTINGS of those crappy procedurally-generated ape/monkey NFT’s.
Also, the “NFT Museum” in Seattle.
Double-curse you!!
If they were painting those ape NFTs without permission and without paying anything to the owner of the ape NFT, then I respect the artist. The NFT people got pretty annoyed if you pointed out you could copy their $50,000 jpeg for free; this would be a physical version of it.
Yeah, definitely sounds like a bit of a scam. But, when you’re that wealthy I guess 100 grand is only pocket change.
Does the purchase price include licensing to all the pictures contained within it? If not this is dumb for the same reasons the Wu-Tang album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was dumb. Private equity is destroying brands we love, and then those same douche-canoes use their profits from said destruction to gate keep info and art.
I’m thinking that the purchaser gets the unique, one-of-a-kind first edition with the blue binding and the special metal case, and the $300 Taschen edition doesn’t come out until 2026.
At least I don’t want to actually read this. I was pretty curious to hear the WTC album.
Why? It was basically a bunch of crappy B-sides.
That Wu-Tang album was the first thing that came to my mind. Somebody scrabbled some new, uninspiring stuff together and called it a collectable.
Sounds like my university textbooks
This sounds like a big marketing scheme for Retromobile. And as Turbotictac said, definitely does not give off a good scent, instead a strong NFT type scent.
This gives strong NFT vibes.
Reminds me of the South Park episode where Cartman gets an amusement park but doesn’t let anyone in, so other businesses start using the same strategy to boost traffic.
It does kinda fit for Bugatti’s target market, doesn’t it? Ford has an amazing archive that it’s now making available to everyone for free online. But for Bugatti, that’s the exact antithesis of what they want; in fact, I’m kinda surprised Bugatti even has a website, as that seems so…public.
tbh that’s not really any different than how the original Bugatti operated. If he didn’t like you, he would not sell you a car, so in a sense it really is the traditional brand ethos going well back to the 20s
It’s all very French, isn’t it?
Don’t be under the illusion that Bugatti SAS has anything to do with the original Bugatti company. The Bugatti Trust, located at Prescott Hill Climb (who are not the same as the Bugatti Owners Club also located at the same location) have a lot of the original factory drawings and researchers can go to look at those. Plus they have a cool little museum with a rotation of great cars.
And I certainly wouldn’t go calling Julius a “famed historian” around anyone who knows anything about proper Bugattis either! He might be infamous though…