Collector drives $30M 1937 Bugatti 3,600 miles to Car Week

ACTION NEWS 8 REPORTER JAZMON DEJARNETTE HAS MORE ON THE JOURNEY. # CLASSIC CAR COLLECTOR FRITZ BURKHARD TEAMED UP WITH THE AUDRAIN AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM FOR A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE…DRIVING HIS 30 MILLION DOLLAR 1937 BUGATTI FROM THE RHODE ISLAND MUSEUM TO PEBBLE BEACH FOR CAR WEEK. BURKHARD WON BEST OF SHOW IN LAST YEAR’S CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE… THIS YEAR..HE WANTED TO SHARE THE CAR’S HISTORY WHILE ALSO SHOWING IT’S MEANT TO BE DRIVEN. IT’S POSSIBLE. I MEAN, IF I CAN DRIVE A PRE-WAR BUGATTI ACROSS YOUR BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY, YOU CAN DO IT IN A 60 CAR, 70 CAR AND JUST GO OUT AND ENJOY AND USE THE CARS. THEY’RE MADE FOR DRIVING.”> THE PRE-WAR VEHICLE WAS FULLY RESTORED BEFORE THE TRIP. AND A MECHANIC FOLLOWED BURKHARD, IN A BRIGHT RED MUSTANG ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO TAKE CARE OF THE CLASSIC. REFLECTING ON THE JOURNEY..THEY ARE HAPPY IT’S OVER..BUT MISS THE RIDE..THINKING ABOUT WHERE THEY’LL HEAD NEXT. THE PEBBLE BEACH CAR SHOW IS SLATED FOR AUGUST 17 WHERE YOU CAN FIND THE 88-YEAR OLD PIECE OF HISTOR

Collector drives $30M 1937 Bugatti 3,600 miles to Pebble Beach Car Week

Classic car collector Fritz Burkhard drove his freshly restored 1937 Bugatti from Rhode Island to California, proving that even an 88-year-old car was built to be driven.

Updated: 6:23 PM PDT Aug 13, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Classic car collector Fritz Burkhard teamed up with Audrain Automobile Museum for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, driving his $30 million 1937 Bugatti from the Rhode Island Museum to Pebble Beach for Car Week.Burkhard won Best of Show in last year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. This year, he wanted to share the car’s history while also showing it’s meant to be driven. He said, “I wanted to show that it’s possible. I mean, if I can drive a prewar Bugatti across your beautiful country, you can do it in a ’60 car, ’70 car, and just go out and enjoy and use the cars. They’re made for driving.”The vehicle was fully restored before the trip, and a mechanic followed Burkhard in a bright red Mustang across the country to take care of the classic. Nicholas Schorsh, chairman of Audrain Automobile Museum, said, “He took a just-restored car and broke it in on the ride. Yeah, and it rode 3,500 to 3,600 miles across the country, and they made it.” Reflecting on the journey, they are happy it’s over but miss the ride. They are now thinking about where they’ll head next. Burkhard said, “Maybe next week I could start again, maybe this time north to south.” The Pebble Beach Car Show is slated for Aug. 17. There, you can find the 88-year-old piece of history.

Burkhard won Best of Show in last year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. This year, he wanted to share the car’s history while also showing it’s meant to be driven.

He said, “I wanted to show that it’s possible. I mean, if I can drive a prewar Bugatti across your beautiful country, you can do it in a ’60 car, ’70 car, and just go out and enjoy and use the cars. They’re made for driving.”

The vehicle was fully restored before the trip, and a mechanic followed Burkhard in a bright red Mustang across the country to take care of the classic.

Nicholas Schorsh, chairman of Audrain Automobile Museum, said, “He took a just-restored car and broke it in on the ride. Yeah, and it rode 3,500 to 3,600 miles across the country, and they made it.”

Reflecting on the journey, they are happy it’s over but miss the ride. They are now thinking about where they’ll head next. Burkhard said, “Maybe next week I could start again, maybe this time north to south.”

The Pebble Beach Car Show is slated for Aug. 17. There, you can find the 88-year-old piece of history.

link