On this day in 2009 a classic Bugatti car - abandoned in a Tyneside garage for nearly 50 years - was sold at public auction for $4.4 million.

The 1937 Type 57S Atalente Coupe - one of only 17 ever made - had been found in the garage of a deceased, childless doctor in Newcastle along with an Aston Martin and Jaguar E-Type.

Originally owned by Earl Howe - the first president of the British Racing Drivers Club - the vehicle was capable of reaching speeds of almost 130 mph at a time when the average car struggled to reach 50 mph.

The lucky beneficiaries of the vehicle were the doctor’s nieces and nephews who handed the car over unused for five decades and with only 26,000 miles on its odometer.

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