Supercharged 1931 Bugatti roadster from professor’s estate at Bonhams

Amelia Island auction features 12 cars from ‘fastidious’ physicist’s personal collection

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The Bugatti Type 55 roadster is a rare supercharged example, and sold for $7.1 million on Amelia Island | Bonhams photo

A dozen cars from the estate of a Boston University physics professor with an eye for exceptional design and engineering will be offered by Bonhams during its Amelia Island, Florida, collector car auction on March 5. 

Led by a rare supercharged 1931 Bugatti Type 55 roadster, the Dean S. Edmonds Jr. cars present a diverse selection from “a passionate and fastidious collector of premier automobiles,” Bonhams says in a news release.

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Three of the top cars in the Edmond collection

The Type 55 with Jean Bugatti-designed factory coachwork was sold new to the future Baron Rothschild.  It was acquired by Edmonds in 1985 at auction, setting a world record price for a Bugatti at $440,000.  The roadster was shown by Edmonds at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it won best of class.  It also competed in the Mille Miglia of Italy.  The pre-auction estimated value is $6.5 million to $9.5 million.

The Edmonds collection at Bonhams also includes a 1925 Bugatti Type 44 cabriolet that was once part of the Bill Harrah Collection in Reno, Nevada.

Another legendary pre-war sports car owned by Edmonds is a 1931 Invicta 4½-Liter S-Type Low Chassis Tourer, a rakish convertible renowned for speed and comfort, with Vanden Plas coachwork.  It also was a best-in-class winner at Pebble Beach.  The Invicta has an estimated value of $880,000 to $1 million.

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1931 Invicta 4½-Liter S-Type Low Chassis Tourer

The 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Series 4 GT in the collection is one of only seven surviving factory-specified left-hand-drive coupes with the special GT performance engine, and a great example of the “gentleman’s express” Astons.  Bonhams’ estimated value is $900,000 to $1.1 million.

Four Jaguars at Bonhams are included in the Edmonds group, including a fine 1967 Jaguar XKE 4.2-liter roadster that the professor ordered new from the factory, had shipped to New Jersey, and then drove home to Massachusetts. The E-type remained with him for more than 50 years, and has been driven just over 7,200 miles.

The other three Jaguars are a 1953 Mark VII sedan also acquired when new, a 1952 XK120 roadster and a 1948 Mark IV drophead coupe. 

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1961 Aston Martin DB4 Series 4 GT

Other cars from Edmonds’ estate are a 1982 DeLorean DMC12 gullwing coupe, a custom 1967 VW bus converted to electric power, a 1980 Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible and a 1929/1998 Peterson “Barclay Blower Bentley” replica.

For more information about Bonhams’ Amelia Island sale, held during the week leading up to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, visit the auction website.

2 COMMENTS

  1. These belonged to a college professor?! Who paid $440k for one in ’85?! How much does this gig pay, anyway?
    No wonder a degree is so *#@! costly.

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