Classic Bugatti Sells for $4.5M

(NEWSER) - A rare Bugatti sports car found in a late British doctor’s garage will be auctioned off next month and is expected to fetch at least $4.3 million for his surprised relatives, the AP reports. The Type 57S Atalante, built in 1937, is one of only 17 ever made. This particular car was also owned by the Earl Howe, a pillar of British racing. At a time when most cars hit about 50 mph, the Atalante topped out at a scorching 130 mph. More»

Cellphone and pelican conspire against Texas driver

(NEWSER) - A Texas driver distracted by a low-flying pelican took an unexpected detour—into 3 feet of water. Andy House, 34, drove a Bugatti Veyron EB, worth about $1 million, into a saltwater lagoon near Galveston. "He was calm,” the driver of the wrecker that took away the waterlogged French sports car told the Houston Chronicle . “If it had been me, I'd have been cussing, but he was calm." More»

Now at Christie's; may fetch $11K

(NEWSER) - Looks like the stars were aligned for Ringo. A 1960 letter written by Paul McCartney sought a drummer for the Beatles two years before Starr joined the Fab Four. The note was discovered folded into a book at a Liverpool yard sale, the AP reports. It was a response to an ad placed by a drummer looking for a band. In the missive, McCartney offered the drummer—whose identity remains unknown—an audition. More»

French auto was built in 1884

(NEWSER) - The oldest car on the planet that still runs was sold at auction Friday for $4.6 million, double auctioneers' expectations. It's the most ever paid for an early automobile, CNNMoney reports. The De Dion-Bouton et Trepardoux, a French vehicle built in 1884, arrived more than a decade before Henry Ford built the first of his cars in a garage. More»

French dream up grand canal duel, helicopter rescue

(NEWSER) - A rowing duel in a canal and rooftop escape by helicopter—sounds like James Bond, but does it sound like Louis XIV? A team of French civil servants is pushing to bring Britain's most famous spy to Paris, and have written a storyline that puts .007 inside the Palace of Versailles. "It would be great to have James in the magnificent decor of the château," a rep for the local film commission tells the Telegraph . More»