Lost Supercars - Special Cars with a Mythical Status
There are some amazing supecars whose whereabouts is unknown
All supercars are special, but some have achieved a mythical status, not for their performance, but because they’ve simply vanished. These missing supercars have become the stuff of legend, fueling the imaginations of car enthusiasts and collectors making their whereabouts fascinating detective stories. Here are a few of the most famous cases should you want a challenge when choosing your next supercar project.
Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic (1938) Chassis number 57453
The Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic is considered to be one of the rarest and most beautiful supercars ever made, with only four cars ever produced.
One of the first supercars to really embrace aerodynamic technologies, the Type 57 was seen as a radical innovation and influenced many of the legendary cars of the time, and you can still see echoes of the design in the Veyron and Chiron. This particular Type 57 was upgraded to the SC specification, which added a supercharger to the 3.3 litre inline-eight engine, considerably boosting its power and performance.
Due to its rarity, age and historical importance, the Type 57SC is considered the holy grail of collectible cars. Chassis number 57453 is even more special as it was designed and owned by Jean Bugatti, the son of the company's founder. Jean tragically lost his life while testing a racing version of theType 57 which had been victorious at Le Mans earlier that year. He was only 30 years old with reports suggesting he crashed while avoiding a cyclist.
His death was only a month before the outbreak of World War II, which saw a scramble to move the valuable assets of wealthy families in mainland Europe. Jean Bugatti’s Type 57 was apparently shipped to the Bugatti facility in Bordeaux where it subsequently disappeared during the chaos.
The monetary value of the car is difficult to calculate. If it were to resurface, it could be worth over £150 million, but with so many collectors considering it the most elusive car to chase, who knows what it would fetch at auction.
Porsche 550 Spyder "Little B*stard" (1955) Chassis number 550-0055
The Porsche 550 was developed in 1950 and was Porsche’s first car designed specifically for competition, rather than being modified from a road production car. They had been adapting the Porsche 356 with considerable success, and wanted to build on this competition exposure with a new lighter, more powerful car capable of dominating on the track.
The Porsche 550 was built around a tubular space frame, which was both lightweight and strong, and the body was made of aluminium making it very agile. The engine was a revolutionary 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, air-cooled engine, known as the Fuhrmann engine after its founder Ernst Fuhrmann. He had developed an engine with double overhead camshafts which produced over 110 bhp, which in such a light car made it a formidable racer.
James Dean was THE superstar Hollywood actor of the time and also a serious racing driver. Although the Porsche 550 was never really envisaged to be a production car, Dean’s prestige and wealth gave him the ability to persuade Porsche to sell him one to use both away from the track and in amatuer races. Dean called his 550, “Little B*stard”, a nickname given to him by his stuntman Bill Hickman who reportedly referred to Dean as a "little b*stard" due to his mischievous nature on set. Dean found this amusing and painted it on the side of his new car.
Dean died in 1955 after a crash while driving his 550 to a race meet in California. Dean had not intended to drive the car to race, but the category of the race he intended to participate in required all cars to have driven a minimum number of miles and his 550 had not completed enough.
After the crash, the “Little B*stard” was taken to a local garage where it was bought and recovered by George Barris, who had helped modify some of Dean’s other supercars. From there, the story becomes hazy and it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. The car was thought to be cursed having not only been involved in Dean’s death, but then an accident causing a broken leg of one the mechanics working on the car, the death of Troy McHenry who purchased the engine and installed it into his own car prior to crashing during a race and the serious accident of William Eschrich who had installed parts of the drivetrain in his own car. There are even more reports of parts of the “Little B*stard” causing other incidents but many of these are difficult to verify.
The bulk of the car went missing while being transported to Miami in 1960 where it was due to be used in an exhibition to highlight the dangers of speeding. It was reportedly in a locked train carriage, so probably stolen and then hidden. Where the car is now, nobody knows.
James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 (1964) Chassis number DP/216/1
One of the most famous cars ever is the Aston Martin DB5 used in the James Bond films "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball". This was the prototype DB5 even before the iconic classic became a production unit. In total, four DB5s were part of the early Bond films, with Chassis number DP/216/1 modified by special effects guru, John Stears, with prop machine guns and ejector seat. Another DB5, chassis number DB5/1486/R, was used for the driving scenes so didn’t require any of the gadgets. Another two DB5s were only used for promotional photoshoots.
Chassis number DP/216/1, many consider to be THE James Bond DB5 was stolen in 1997, most likely to order, from a private hangar in Boca Raton, Florida. The last registered owner was Anthony Pugliese, a well-known car collector who had purchased the car at auction in 1986 for $275,000. Chassis number DB5/1486/R was sold at auction at Sotherbys in 2010 to a private collector for £2.6 million.
There are reports that a DB5 with the chassis number DP/216/1 has been found in private collection somewhere in the Middle East, although due to the suspect provenance of the car, it has been difficult to test the credibility of the speculation. If it does prove to be the famous James Bond DB5, then it could be worth upwards of £50 million. Even if the car did come up for sale, the likelihood of a challenge to the ownership would mean the car is not going to be seen anytime soon.
Talking of Aston Martins, the location of the very first Aston Martin is not known. The ‘Coal Scuttle’ which Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford built and won the Aston Clinton Hill Climb race, thus inspiring the name of their new company went missing after it was auctioned off in 1924. The Aston Martin Heritage Trust have attempted to find the car, or at least discover what happened to it, but to no avail.
Ferrari 375 MM (1953) Chassis number 0378AM
The Ferrari 375 MM (after the Mille Miglia road race) was a racer with a massive 4.5-litre V12 engine, designed and built by Ferrari to dominate endurance racing. It was a superb car, capable of producing 340 bhp and a staggering top speed for the day of 180 mph. Ferrari produced 26 of these special cars and all 26 are accounted for, except chassis number 0378AM, which makes it highly sought after. This car was converted to a road car and sold to Dottore Enrico Wax, a personal friend of Enzo Ferrari and Italian importer of luxury items, including his favourite tipple, Johnnie Walker. What makes the car even more special, is the conversion was designed by Pininfarina making it one of the earlier collaborations.
The story of Dottore Enrico Wax’s is intriguing as he was known as a collector so it is likely the car was looked after and stored correctly. Many Ferrari collectors firmly believe the car is safe, just waiting to be discovered, and eventually come to market. The cost? Probably about £25 million would get you this super rare Ferrari.
