Bugatti resurrected from the bottom of a Swiss lake after 73 years

It is amazing that the old girl survived this long in the muck at the bottom of the lake...and that they can pull her out in one piece.

I am sure that most of what is there is a loss but I bet that there are parts which will be salvaged and made useful again, especially those made of brass and other non-rustable metals.

Vintage Bugatti to be auctioned off after spending 73 years on bottom of lake
RPMGO.COM

Bugatti is one of the most prestigious carmakers in the world, enjoying a fantastic history filled with bold models, which continue even today, with the Veyron hypercar and the possible upcoming Galibier model. That is why vintage cars made by the company fetch for such high amounts of money.

But the love of Bugatti collectors from around the world will seriously be tested, as auction house Bonhams has announced that it will selling a Bugatti Brescia Type 13. That’s all fine and dandy, but the odd part is the fact that the car has spent 73 years on the bottom of a lake in Switzerland.

How it got there is even more interesting, as it belonged to a young Italian architect, Marco Schmuklerski, from Nancy, France, on April 11, 1925. He then took it to Switzerland, but decided not to pay the taxes at the customs office, and relied on the speed of the car to escape. But seeing as how the customs officers were still searching for his car, and that Swiss law allowed for the cars involved in crimes to be destroyed, he decided to hide his car. A perfectly simple plan, but he decided that the best hiding place, as you might have guessed, would be in a lake. He wrapped the Bugatti in chains and dunked it in the lake, but due to the weight of the car, the chains snapped, and the car was stuck in the thick mud on the bottom of the lake.

And the car remained stuck there until the summer of this year, attracting many tourists. The mud also helped preserve some of the original paint, and even the air in the tires. Of course it isn’t in the best shapes, as you can see in the pics, but I’m sure many people will bid for such a model. Be warned that the starting price is €500,000, but the money will all go to a children’s charity in Italy