A VINTAGE 1920s Bugatti car, sold in 1964 by a Bury man for just £30, could fetch a staggering £60,000 in the USA later this month.

The gleaming vehicle, previously owned for 18 years by classic car buff Mr Andrew Heib, will come under the hammer at an auction in Pebble Beach, California, on August 20.

But Mr Heib, of Brandlesholme Road, Bury, says he is unconcerned over the spiralling value of the type 13 Brescia Bugatti which he acquired in 1946.

"That's just the evolution of prices," he said. "The fact the Bugatti could go for £60,000 doesn't bother me at all."

He recalled: "I bought the car, which dates from around 1922, for the same money as I sold it for.

"It was just a bare chassis. In fact, the chassis frame had been cut in two when I acquired it."

For the next seven years, he painstakingly carried out restoration work on the prized Bugatti, pictured in its full glory. "I started to build a body for it in the hope I would get it running. I had it bricked up in my greenhouse and when I sold it in 1964 the car was driveable. It has four gears and is capable of reaching 75mph."

It was purchased by Tony Oldham of Rochdale and then subsequently sold again in 1975.

This time, the buyer was Robert Sutherand, one time president of the American Bugatti Club, who died some time ago.

Proceeds from the auction, which is being handled by Christie's, will go to the Robert Sutherland Memorial Fund, established to help people diagnosed as manic depressives.

Despite the huge amount of money the Bugatti is expected to fetch, it was not the most valuable model ever owned by Mr Heib.

"In 1954, I bought a full Grand Prix 1951 Bugatti racing car for £475," he disclosed."And today it would be worth £600,000."

Mr Heib sold the vehicle nine years later for £4,750.

But his prize possession in an old three-litre Sunbeam car, built virtually from scratch from a pile of components he obtained in 1956.

"I bought the box of bits for £55 and today I'd say the Sunbeam is valued at £40,000," said the 75-year-old former divisional engineer with Beloit Walmsley.

Christie's car expert Colin Warrington had some consoling words for Mr Heib over the £60,000 value of the Bugatti.

"He shouldn't be kicking himself. What we are seeing here is a reflection of the rise in prices for rare vehicles since the 1980s.

"Before then, collecting cars was very much the preserve of enthusiasts, but it was in the '80s that investors moved in and that's when prices rocketed."

He added: "If Mr Heib had kept it, he would have had to spend a lot on keeping it in good condition."

And on the car itself, Mr Warrington said: "The type-13 Bugatti is for many people a combination of engineering skill and artistic achievement. It is the epitome of Bugatti racing cars.