Salon Prive has been invited to join the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award as one of its partner Concours. Launched in 2015 by Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie, William Connor, Bruce Meyer and Christian Philippsen, the annual award brings together the best of show winners from the top international concours to compete for the title of the “most exceptional motor car in the world.”
The car selected to represent Salon Prive will be a 1933 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster, which was awarded Best of Show at this year’s Salon Prive Concours d’Elegance. The Bugatti Type 55 Roadster, introduced in 1932 as a replacement for the Type 43, was the Molsheim factory’s response to requests from wealthy amateur racers for a competition model with elegant coachwork for road use. Styled by Ettore Bugatti’s eldest son, Jean, around 16 examples of the Type 55 Roadster were made, with just five cars still retaining their original coachwork and mechanicals, the latter derived from the Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix 2.3-litre eight-cylinder engine, detuned to 135 bhp for road use. This particular Type 55 Jean Bugatti Roadster (chassis no. 55234) is the only unrestored example, with a genuine sub-50,000 mileage.
The Bugatti will try to join previous winners 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS (2016) and 1954 Maserati A6GCS/53 Berlinetta (2017) for the title of the “most exceptional car in the world” that won Best of Show during the 2018 Concours circuit. The next winner will be announced during Retromobile Week in Paris.
Salon Prive Managing Director & Concours Chairman, Andrew Bagley commented, “It is an honour for us to be invited to join The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best which celebrates the best cars from the best events in the world. Salon Prive grows in international stature every year with 17 of the 55 cars entered from abroad this year and in fact, it was an American, Bob Bishop, who won this year’s Best of Show with his beautiful 1933 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster. Together with Bob and his Bugatti, we greatly look forward to attending The Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Awards Dinner in Paris next February.”
[Source: Salon Prive]
