On 11 May 2011, the day before the start of the Mille Miglia, Lankes will hold an auction for the first time in the rally’s history. Beginning at 17:00 on the Wednesday, 100 lots will go under the hammer, including automobilia and fine Italian sports cars. A highlight is the authentic barn-find Bugatti from 1937.

This pre-War convertible classic was, until recently, hidden until under a pile of wood in a barn. A one-off prototype that never went into serial production, it’s based on a Type 57 chassis and is equipped with an 8-cylinder, single-cam engine. The car does require a complete, ground-up restoration, but the auction house tells us that many parts – such as the gear assembly, oil-radiator, distributor, etc. – are in place. Heinz-Dieter Lankes himself describes this discovery as an absolute highlight in the history of his auction house.

The sale consists of three parts: ‘important automobilia’, including “Rudolfo Caracciola’s original dust cap, Carlo Abarth’s original racing helmet and Jackie Stewart’s World Champion racing gear”; Mille Miglia-eligible cars, such as the Siata Daina GS and ex-Mussolini, ex-President Eisenhower Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 GT; and ‘precious and rare sports cars’ – including an ex-Villoresi Lancia Aprilia Zagato and the above-mentioned Bugatti 57 barn find.

For further details, visit the Classic Driver Car Database or www.lankes-auto-auktionen.de.

Text: Classic Driver
Photos: Lankes