Bugatti news, 2026 Plus events

One of the most mysterious modern supercars is back in the spotlight. The only Bugatti La Voiture Noire, shrouded in rumors for years, is now for sale, and the owner's identity has finally been revealed.

Ownership mystery solved after years
The hypercar turns out to have been purchased by former Volkswagen Chairman Ferdinand Piëch. The transaction actually took place in 2019 but was never officially confirmed, fueling endless speculation - including rumors that various celebrities had bought the car.

After Piëch's death, the car passed to his son Anton Piëch, who has now decided to sell it. This brings an end to the long-running intrigue surrounding one of the most expensive cars in history.

Price rises to 25 million euros
Originally, the La Voiture Noire cost approximately 16.7 million euros, making it already the most expensive new car ever. Since then, the price has risen to approximately 25 million euros, underscoring its status as a true collector's item.

The sale is taking place privately. Potential buyers must demonstrate they have the means, pass vetting, and only then gain access to all details about the car.

A quiet, discreet sale
The organizers of the deal had initially planned to keep everything secret, without any publicity. However, the news leaked out anyway, which only increased interest in the vehicle.

At the same time, attention is also focused on the situation surrounding Piëch Automotive - a project that has still not reached series production. That adds some context: the sale of the hypercar may not be solely about finding a new owner, but could also be linked to broader business decisions.

Ultimately, the story of the La Voiture Noire is entering a new chapter. A car that became a symbol of luxury and exclusivity is returning to the market - now as an asset with a higher price tag and a fully documented history.

From: speedme.ru

It is a two-wheeler though, and has 1/2 horsepower at best...

Bugatti teamed up with the bicycle manufacturer Factor, and presents the Bugatti Factor One, relatively cheap at $23,599 if compared with the 4-wheel Bugatti's. Relatively expensive when compared with other bicycles, even those made by Factor.

Below that what Bugatti has to say about it.

The Bugatti Factor ONE: a radical fusion of hypercar engineering and elite cycling performance
Bugatti has partnered with Factor Bikes, a high-performance bicycle manufacturer and engineering-first brand, in a groundbreaking collaboration that redefines what is possible at the intersection of automotive engineering and high-performance cycling. Founded in Norfolk, UK by former professional cyclist and carbon-engineering pioneer, Rob Gitelis, Factor Bikes is building the fastest UCI-legal racing bikes in the world. Factor designs, prototypes, and manufactures its frames in-house, enabling unmatched speed of innovation and uncompromising control over performance.

Both worlds' greatest races demand the same things: absolute excellence, marginal gains, and the kind of engineering precision and personal dedication that separates victory from defeat. Designed without compromise, the Bugatti Factor ONE melds the DNA of the legendary hyper sports cars brand with the most innovative bicycle engineering to create a bike that exemplifies absolute speed, precision, and exclusivity.

Born from a shared philosophy of obsessive attention to detail and performance without limits, the Bugatti Factor ONE represents a new benchmark in pioneering cycling design. Every element of the bike has been meticulously engineered to deliver uncompromising aerodynamic efficiency, stiffness, and ride quality, drawing directly from Bugatti’s legacy of engineering excellence and Factor’s proven expertise in elite-level bicycle design

Limited to just 250 individually numbered units worldwide, the Bugatti Factor ONE reflects the same exclusivity and attention to detail that defines every Bugatti automobile.

From the Type 35 race car dominating Grand Prix in the 1920s, to the Veyron and Chiron redefining the possibilities in terms of road cars, Bugatti has always aimed at pushing the boundaries to remain incomparable. Similarly, Factor Bikes have been developed to be the fastest, high performance bikes in the world. With the release of the Factor ONE, the world’s fastest UCI-legal road bike, it became clear how much innovation within the rulebook confines of the UCI, cycling's controlling body, could achieve. The Bugatti Factor ONE eschews the rulebook, resulting in a frame with a wider fork stance and lower drag numbers.

Based on trust and mutual respect, the collaboration enabled Factor to pursue the fastest configuration they could validate, regardless of complexity or convention with one philosophy: if a feature does not deliver a measurable advantage, it has no reason to exist.

"The Bugatti Factor ONE is not simply a bicycle. It is a statement. This project challenged us to rethink every assumption and push engineering boundaries in the same way Bugatti has done in the automotive world for over a century."
Rob Gitelis, Founder of Factor Bikes

Advanced carbon construction, sharp aerodynamic profiling, and a fully integrated design language result in a machine that is as visually striking as it is technically sophisticated. The bike features a distinctive two-tone split graphic, a design signature synonymous with Bugatti. This bold visual division accentuates the bike’s sculpted surfaces and aerodynamic forms mirrors the Bugatti’s hyper sports cars.

"The Bugatti Factor ONE is the result of a shared vision between two brands devoted to mastery and ambition. Every element of this bicycle, like the wide fork, for example, has been meticulously engineered to deliver measurable aerodynamic gains, reducing drag through refined shaping and optimized airflow management around the leading edge of the bike. It translates the incomparable attention to detail of Bugatti hypercars into a completely new category. It demonstrates that our pursuit of excellence and craftsmanship extends beyond hypercars, creating a machine that pushes the boundaries of what is possible in high-performance cycling."
Wiebke Ståhl, Managing Director Brand & Licensing at Bugatti International

Honoring Bugatti's rich legacy and the brand's successful racing history, the bike is adorned with the famous Bugatti Blue. In the 1920s, when international racing colors were assigned by nationality, this shade represented France, and when Ettore Bugatti's Type 35 dominated Grand Prix racing, it became synonymous with victory itself. That same declaration of intent is carried here, with the prominent white 'BUGATTI' script along the frame ensuring the bike's identity remains unmistakable at speed.

Prominently positioned at the front of the bike is the 'Dancing Elephant', one of Bugatti's most iconic and historic symbols created by artist Rembrandt Bugatti, brother of the brand's founder, Ettore. Reinterpreted for the Bugatti Factor ONE, the emblem serves as a subtle tribute to the marque's artistic heritage, uniting engineering precision with timeless design.

Engineering innovation extends well beyond aesthetics. The front fork has been meticulously designed to reduce drag through refined shaping and enhanced airflow management around the leading edge of the bike. This design not only enhances high-speed efficiency but also improves front-end stability, ensuring precise handling under race conditions.

The collaboration extends deep into component development. Several bespoke components such as the Selle Italia saddle, CARBON-TI rotors and chainrings, and Continental tires have been customised exclusively for the Bugatti Factor ONE, each made to complement the frame's ultra-performance philosophy. At the heart of the specification list are the Black Inc Bugatti Hyper 62 Wheels, conceived as the cycling equivalent of a hypercar wheelset.

Incredibly light at 1298 grams for the pair, the 62 mm rim profile has been optimized for sustained high-speed efficiency, balancing drag reduction with exceptional crosswind stability. The advanced carbon layup has been tuned to maximize torsional stiffness and power transfer under load, while maintaining controlled compliance for refined ride quality. Groundbreaking technological advancements like the co-moulded boomerang spokes, precision-engineered hub internals, and enhanced hub/flange bonding allow for an ultra-bright ride quality that feels lively and direct, with unparalleled efficiency.

The Bugatti Factor ONE reflects shared values of innovation, precision, and performance at the highest level. The result is a bicycle designed for cyclists who demand the extraordinary, both from themselves and their equipment.

Intended for collectors, enthusiasts, and athletes who seek the rarest expression of performance cycling.

More info on the Factor website.

Gooding Christie's Amelia Island Auctions, March 5 - 6, 2026

• 1929 Bugatti Type 40 Grand Sport, Chassis 40801, Engine 701, Estimate: $350,000 - $450,000 - Without Reserve, sold for: $240,800
• 1938 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet by Vanvooren, Chassis 57742, Engine 516 (Supercharged), Estimate $800,000 - $1,200,000, sold for: $709,000

RM Sotheby's Miami auction, USA, February 27, 2026

• 2006 Bugatti Veyron 16.4, chassis # VF9SA15BX6M795013: Sold for $2,122,500
• 2024 Bugatti Bolide, chassis # VF9SX0V01RM795008: Sold for $4,955,000

More info

Kraft Auction Service, Valparaiso, USA, February 1, 2026

• Electric Bugatti Children's Size Pedal Style Car, Estimate $25-$10,000: Sold for $50,000 (€42,150)

This is really unbelievable! Where many of the real Bugattis struggle to even reach their lower estimates, see the news of February 1, this Baby replica, different from the original in almost all details with ugly wheels and ditto tires, reaches $50k! How? Did the bidder think it was original?

More info

Caroline Bugatti (on the right at Retromobile 2026) introduces a newly designed jewel, in cooperation with Benjamin Gratia, she explains:

My family history is a fabulous legacy.
Behind the wheel of the Type 35, I've traveled the beautiful roads of France and beyond, creating unforgettable memories and wonderful encounters.

I was eager to share this legacy through an iconic Type 35 piece.
I collaborated on and followed every step of its design, thanks to the expertise of an Alsatian jeweler, Benjamin Gratia.

Today, this piece of jewelry is a nod to the fabulous history of the Type 35 and my grandfather, Ettore Bugatti.

It is available in 6 versions, three metals: silver, white gold and yellow gold, and two types of finish: Polished and Brushed. Personally, I like the brushed silver version best, as it closest resembles the original Type 35 wheel.

Type 35 Heritage
The Type 35 is the founding father of a family of purebred racehorses from Molsheim, a true thoroughbred. When it was presented in 1924, the Bugatti Type 35 represented innovations in terms of technology, design, power, but above all, its consistency and versatility. It alone represents a new era in motor racing. The Type 35 was one of the highest-performing cars of its time and the first to be equipped with revolutionary wheels, cast in aluminum, with removable rims and integrated brake drums specifically designed for racing. These wheels improved suspension performance and brake cooling thanks to the clever orientation of the flat spokes, creating a turbine effect. Beyond being a technical feat, the beauty of these wheels undeniably contributed to the aesthetic success of the Type 35. Two years after launching the Type 35, Bugatti won its first World Sportscar Championship in 1926. With an unparalleled record of over two thousand racing victories, it is not only the most famous Bugatti but also one of the cars that has most significantly shaped automotive history.

For more information and ordering: CarolineBugatti.fr

Artcurial Auction, The Peninsula Paris, January 27, 2026

• 1926 Bugatti Type 37, Chassis no 37201, Engine no 92, Estimate: €600,000 - 800,000: Not Sold
• 1931 Bugatti Type 51 Ex-Works, Chassis N° 51132, Engine N°189 ex-51138, Estimate: €1,300,000 - 2,000,000: Not Sold
• Bugatti vice, First series, Estimate: €8,000 - 12,000: Sold for €15,888 incl. premium
• ca. 1990 Bugatti 35B replica Pur Sang, Estimate: €250,000 - 350,000: Not Sold

RM Sotheby's Paris Auction, January 28, 2026

• 2024 Bugatti Bolide, Chassis no. VF9SX0V08RM795037, Estimate: €4,000,000 - €6,000,000: Sold for €3,998,750 incl. premium
• Bugatti Type 35 Children’s Car, handcrafted by Radek Bina, Estimate: €35,000 - €45,000: Sold for €54,000 incl. premium
• Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Children's Car by the Cyclekart Company, Estimate: €50,000 - €100,000: Sold for €78,000 incl. premium

Gooding Christie's Retromobile Auction, January 29, 2026

• 1928 Bugatti Type 40 Grand Sport, Chassis 40662, Engine 586, Estimate: €350,000 - €450,000: Not Sold (max bid €220,000)
• 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante, Chassis, 57718, Engine 45C, Estimate: €2,250,000 - €2,750,000: Sold for €2,255,000 incl. premium

Gros & Delettrez 100% Automobilia Arts & Cars Auction, January 30, 2026

• Bugatti vice, Estimate: €8,000 - 14,000: Sold for €14,000 plus premium

Bonhams the Paris Sale Auction, January 30, 2026

• 1934 Bugatti Type 57 Galibier, Chassis no. 57140, Engine no. 35, Estimate: €220,000 - €280,000: Sold for €218,500 incl. premium

And it looks exactly like a Veyron

The latest one-off in the "Solitaire" Programme is a hommage to the founder of the Bugatti-rebirth, the then director of Volkswagen, Ferdinand Karl Piëch. Hence the name: F.K.P.

Below the text how Bugatti SAS announces this one-off edition.

The Bugatti F.K.P. Hommage: Honoring the Veyron and its visionary creator

Twenty years ago, the Bugatti Veyron rewrote the rules of automotive possibility. With 1,001 hp, a top speed exceeding 400 km/h, and a level of refinement unheard of in a performance car, it created an entirely new category: the hyper-GT. Today, as the second creation of Programme Solitaire, Bugatti unveils the F.K.P. Hommage – a masterpiece that honors both the revolutionary spirit of the original Veyron and the visionary engineer who made it possible: Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Karl Piëch

The story of the Veyron begins not in Molsheim, but on a bullet train in Japan, where Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Karl Piëch sketched the revolutionary W engine configuration that would become the beating heart of Bugatti's renaissance. As Chairman of the Volkswagen Group, Piëch had already demonstrated his engineering genius through the development of Volkswagen's unique VR engine architecture – from the compact VR6 that transformed the Golf, through the W8 and W12 that powered Passats and Bentleys, to the ultimate expression: the quad-turbocharged W16.

The W16 engine itself represents a marvel of packaging. By staggering cylinders in a short and wide-bank configuration, engineers compressed what would typically be a meter-long powerplant into just 645 millimeters – enabling the Veyron's remarkably compact 2,700mm wheelbase. This architectural brilliance, combined with all-wheel drive and near-perfect weight distribution, created a hypercar that was as civilized as it was devastating.

“Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Karl Piëch was a man who saw the impossible not as a roadblock but as a challenge. His vision for Bugatti was absolute: 1,000 horsepower, 400 km/h top speed, all-wheel drive, and refined enough to arrive at the opera in a tuxedo or a ball gown. The F.K.P. Hommage celebrates this uncompromising pursuit of excellence, combining the timeless proportions of the original Veyron with two decades of engineering evolution.”

Hendrik Malinowski - Managing Director of Bugatti

When the Veyron debuted at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show, designed by a young Jozef Kaban under Hartmut Warkuss's direction, it presented a radically different aesthetic philosophy. Where many supercars still followed the forward-leaning wedge shapes popularized by Gandini, the Veyron reclined. Noble and self-assured – it was a 1,000-horsepower car defined by composure rather than spectacle. This confident, Bauhaus-influenced design language has aged remarkably well, remaining contemporary two decades later.

Built upon the highest evolution of Bugatti's W16 platform, the F.K.P. Hommage features the 1,600 hp quad-turbocharged engine first introduced in the Chiron Super Sport – the very car that fulfilled Piëch's speed ambitions by exceeding 300 mph. This represents the pinnacle of W16 development: larger turbochargers, enhanced intercoolers, upgraded cooling systems, and a reinforced gearbox capable of handling the increased torque.

The exterior showcases a subtle yet significant evolution. While maintaining the Veyron's leaning-back posture and dropping belt line – at a time when supercars were simply repeating the wedge-shaped, forward-angled look – every surface has now been refined. The three-dimensional horseshoe grille, machined from a solid block of aluminum, now flows organically into surrounding bodywork, rather than its original more two-dimensional approach. This new clarity extends to the color division, which aligns precisely with the updated panel layout, creating a more harmonious visual split across the body. Larger air intakes within the front feed the more powerful engine, while the signature air ducts are maintained right behind the occupants’ heads. Updated wheel sizes – 20-inch front, 21-inch rear – utilize the latest Michelin tire technology, improving both performance and visual balance.

Cutting-edge paint technology has made incredible strides in the 20 years since the Veyron’s introduction, and the F.K.P. Hommage sits right at the vanguard of these improvements. A distinctive red exterior finish employs advanced layering techniques: a silver aluminum-based coat beneath a red-tinted clear coat, creating extraordinary depth and three-dimensionality that reveals itself as one moves around the car. Black-tinted exposed carbon fiber – as opposed to standard black paint – provides contrast with a 10% black pigment integrated into the clear coat, offering both visual and tactile richness upon close inspection.

“The Veyron was the first of its kind, and in the world of collectible automobiles, the first and last of a kind are always the most significant. It created an entirely new segment – the million-euro hypercar that could travel to the opera in the evening and break speed records by day. When I first arrived at Bugatti, I was sketching developments of the Veyron, looking at how we could evolve the styling; ultimately these projects never came to fruition, but it feels almost as though Prof. Dr. Piëch could see we would have a need for them one day. If he was still here to see this ‘next opportunity’ made real, I’m sure he would agree that this is the most appropriate celebration of his vision that we could possibly create.”

Frank Heyl - Bugatti Design Director

The F.K.P. Hommage’s interior represents a near-complete revolution compared with any other recent W16 model, including both Chiron and Mistral. A unique steering wheel – circular and Bauhaus in character like the original Veyron – joins a completely bespoke center console and tunnel cover machined from solid aluminum blocks. Custom Car Couture fabrics, woven exclusively in Paris, represent Bugatti's latest advancement in interior personalization, introduced with the Tourbillon – an evolution of the leather-only interiors of the Veyron.

Dominating the dashboard is an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon, a 41mm timepiece integrated into this vehicle at the request of the future owner of F.K.P. Hommage. The octagonal watch sits within an “island” finished in engine-turned polish, a technique borrowed from the finishing of Ettore Bugatti's original straight-eight cylinder heads. The watch features an ingenious self-winding mechanism: a gondola that rotates on a diagonal axis several times per hour, powered by the car itself without electrical connection. This unique integration reflects the customer’s personal vision and Bugatti’s ability to accommodate highly individual requests as part of the Programme Solitaire.

"Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Karl Piëch was the ultimate engineer, always demanding that his cars had the very latest and most advanced technology. So for the F.K.P. Hommage we honor his vision with the highest specification engine of 1,600 hp, the reinforced double-clutch gearbox, the latest tire compounds and optimized thermo- and aerodynamics – all the latest developments across 20 years of W16 evolution, wrapped in the timeless shape of a Veyron. It was a tremendous honor to work directly with the client on this project, refining every detail through multiple iterations to create what I consider the ideal, definitive Veyron."

Frank Heyl - Bugatti Design Director

The F.K.P. Hommage joins Brouillard as the second creation of Programme Solitaire, Bugatti's exclusive initiative creating up to two bespoke masterpieces annually. Like all Solitaire projects, it completely reimagines the bodywork, interior details, and delivers ultimate personalization that celebrates the deep stories woven throughout Bugatti's heritage.

Bring a Trailer Auction USA, December 23, 2025

• 2022 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, Chassis no. VF9SW3V34NM795044, Sold for $4,000,000

Oldtimergalerie Toffen Gstaad Auction, December 29, 2025

• 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Sports Coach by Graber, Chassis: 57443, Not sold

Bring a Trailer Auction USA, December 31, 2025

• 2006 Bugatti Veyron 16.4, Chassis no. VF9SA15B46M795041, Sold for $1,350,000

We invite owners of prewar Bugatti cars to join us for an eventful week, where the keywords will be fine hotels, hills, heathland, seaside, lakes, forests, castles, museums, ships, craft & production, churches, gastronomy, entertainment and surprises.

For the 2026 International Bugatti Meeting Bugatti Club Denmark has spared no effort in creating a truly enjoyable and memorable event for the participants and their classic Bugatti cars.

By holding the meeting in late June, we hope to take advantage of a lovely Danish summer, with weather, landscapes and cities at their most beautiful.

Over six days of driving, we will cover approximately 1,000 km along scenic country roads, passing through varied landscapes and charming villages.

Along the way, participants will experience some of Jutland’s most notable highlights, enjoy exquisite meals and drinks, all in good company—and with relaxed driving, since Denmark’s highest point reaches only 170 metres above sea level.

During the event we will be based in two cities: Kolding and Silkeborg.

Near Kolding, from Sunday to Thursday, participants will stay at the elegant Hotel Koldingfjord, beautifully situated on the shores of the Kolding Fjord.

On Thursday, a transfer drive will take us to the historic Hotel Gl. Skovridergaard, where we will spend the last three nights.

Hotel Gl. Skovridergaard is surrounded by picturesque grounds with magnificent old trees close to the river Gudenåen, the woods and Silkeborg city centre.

Please follow this link to sign up (Until September 30, 2025!)

More information about the IBM 2026

The museum organisation is currently preparing the first Concours d'élégance international SCHLUMPF, in the Musée National de l'Automobile - Collection Schlumpf, by bringing together partners who share the same demand for excellence and image.

The ambition: to create an event with strong aesthetic, experiential and relational value, in an emblematic place.

Several partnership formats are offered, in order to adapt to the objectives and positioning of each brand.

More info

If you want to participate or are simply curious, please contact: pro@concourseleganceschlumpf.com

• Baby Bugatti ca. 1926 to 1932 s/n 309A

In 1976 the Bugatti was completely restored by two master craftsmen from the Kraftfahrzeugschule Hockenheim. Brake shoes, wire cables, leather straps, leather upholstery, tires and inner tubes were replaced. Original old leather upholstery and old tires are present.

The car is in excellent condition. Has been in family ownership for 50 years. With 4 specially made stands, extra battery and tires. S/n 309A with long wheelbase (1.32 meters)

Further info and bidding

Discover the fascinating story of the Bugatti EB110 in the documentary RASÒUN D'ÈSER. Free screening May 29 at Cinema Raffaello Modena. Registration required.

A new documentary titled RASÒUN D’ÈSER explores the story of the Bugatti EB110. The screening takes place on May 29 at 8:30 PM at Cinema Raffaello in Modena, during the MVF event. Admission is free, but advance registration is required until all seats are taken.

The project was produced by the Associazione Storico Culturale Bugatti Automobili Campogalliano APS. The film was conceived by students Matteo Esposito and Leonardo Gatto, who grew up with a fascination for the Bugatti EB110. The documentary uses archival material, including video from original VHS tapes recorded at the Bugatti factory in Campogalliano. The factory opened in 1990 after three years of construction and has since closed. The film also features behind-the-scenes footage and memories from those who helped create the supercar in the early 1990s.

Among those interviewed are Romano Artioli, Giampaolo Benedini, Loris Bicocchi, Dieter Gass, Maurizio Reggiani, and Mate Rimac. The filmmakers highlight not only the technology of the EB110 but also the people involved. For racing and supercar enthusiasts, the documentary promises to provide a rare insight into the history of one of Bugatti's most famous models.

• 1926 Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix, Chassis # 37226, Engine # 125, Estimate: €1.000.000 - €1.300.000
• 1929 Bugatti Type 43 Roadster by Eugène Matthys, Chassis # 43248, Estimate: €2.500.000 - €3.500.000

With its 1.5-liter straight-four engine, featuring a single overhead cam and three valves per cylinder it produced only 60 horsepower less than the Type 35's eight-cylinder engine and thanks to its lighter weight, the Type 37 was nevertheless almost as fast reaching a top speed of 150 km/h.

Of the 270 examples ever produced, three Type 37s were sold in November 1926 to William Sorel, Bugatti's official dealer in London, including chassis number 37226 fitted with engine 125.

The Brighton County Borough Council Vehicle Licensing Register reveals, via an archivist in a letter dated 2001, that the registration UF 2314 was assigned to the Bugatti of a certain Mr. Moore in July 1927, most likely Mr. Moore of Limited Motor Engineers in Brighton. It is under this registration, inseparable from its history, that chassis number 37226 would be traced in competitions, in the hands of its various owners in England over the years.

According to the 1995 David Sewell Report accompanying the car, it is believed since many years by word of mouth, that the vehicle was entered in competitions from its earliest days by Malcolm Campbell, the renowned British racing driver, who set nine records between 1924 and 1935 and notably won the 1927 Grand Prix de Boulogne behind the wheel of a Bugatti Type 39A.

In 1929, shortly after the founding of the Bugatti Owners' Club, Jack Lemon Burton, a founding member and its President, acquired the car for £200 to replace his racing Brescia. On his very first official outing behind the wheel of UF 2314, his excitement was immortalized at the B.O.C. Hillclimb in Chalfont St. Peter, in a famous photograph reproduced in Hugh Conway's Magnum Bugatti. He would later claim to have reached the symbolic milestone for British enthusiasts of 100 miles per hour, about 160 km/h, at its wheel.

He would later sell it to Ken Hutchison, who would do it proud when not behind the wheel of his Alfa Romeo P3, notably setting a 10-lap class record at Donington in 1933 driving 37226.

The Sewell Report also notes a certain John Ching as one of the car's owners prior to the United Kingdom's entry into the war.

After the war, its original logbook, dating from 1948 and still preserved with the car, records the same registration, UF 2314, as well as the original engine number, 125, which remains in the car to this day. At that time, the logbook lists Arthur Donald Underwood as the owner, followed by John Craven Wilkins.

John Henry Pratt, who acquired the car in the mid-20th century, returned it to the racing circuits and, twenty-four years after it left the factory, secured two consecutive victories at the Bugatti Race at Silverstone in 1950 and 1951. The logbook records Pratt's successive changes of address, with a final registration in his name in 1956, before the car passed into the hands of Philip Ashley Mann, the last owner listed in this valuable record of owners and registrations. The Sewell Report notes that Mann reportedly achieved several victories behind its wheel in events organized by the Vintage Sports-Car Club.

In 1964, Joseph Murcott acquired chassis 37226 and kept it until his death in 1985, after which it was inherited by his son, Alan. Who then entrusted the car to Bugatti specialist Ivan Dutton for a comprehensive overhaul.

After 31 years in the same family, the car was acquired by John Gurney in 1995. That year, David Sewell wrote in his report: "To this day, the car remains remarkably original in all respects, retaining its original engine, front and rear axles, gearbox and coachwork. There are very few surviving Grand Prix Bugattis today which can claim to retain such a high proportion of their original components, and therefore this fine example must rank among the most desirable of its type."

Gurney then decided to undertake a major restoration, carefully preserving the car's originality. The impressive file of invoices, notes, drawings, and correspondence, dating from 1996 to 1998, accompanies the car and is available for review.

At the dawn of the 21st century, it was acquired by Michael Benwell, who enjoyed it alongside his son Nicholas, both pre-war car specialists. They entrusted it once again to Ivan Dutton in 2001, with the detailed invoice for the work included in the file.

A Vintage Sports-Car Club eligibility document, dated August 2002, confirms that all the main components are original from 1926 and that, in detail, the car conforms to standard specifications, with the exception of modified carburetors. In June 2003, it was sold in a public sale in London, where the current owner acquired it. Dutch by nationality, they brought 37226 from England to the continent and registered it with the Bugatti Club Nederland.

This year, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Bugatti Type 37, chassis number 37226, which left the Molsheim factory in 1926. The car survives in a rare, near-original condition, with matching numbers and a comprehensive history file.

1929 Bugatti Type 43 Roadster by Eugène Matthys, Chassis # 43248
1927 was the year that saw Charles Lindbergh complete his first solo flight between New York and Paris, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry fly daily over the Mediterranean and the Sahara, and Robert Benoist, a former fighter pilot, win four of the five Championship Grand Prix. During that same year Ettore and Jean Bugatti presented to the world the fastest road car of its time: the Bugatti Type 43.

The 1920s embodied an era of cultural liberation, optimism, celebration, artistic avant-garde, and industrial modernization. This effervescence found its echo in the rise of two major sectors, automobiles and aviation, which would illuminate the decade with feats both on the road and in the air. The Type 35B that would win the first Monaco Grand Prix in 1929, driven by William Grover-Williams, needs no introduction and the Type 35B owes its numerous successes, not only to the daring drivers who piloted the cars, but also to the power produced by its supercharged engine. It was this legendary engine that was fitted at the heart of the chassis of the Bugatti Type 43.

The engine in the type 43 was the same 2.3-litre inline eight-cylinder overhead camshaft engine from the Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix, albeit with a slightly more civilized compression ratio. From the Type 38 road-tourer, it borrowed the front and rear axles, steering system, and gearbox, with the gearbox's one-piece cast housing bolted directly to the chassis for added rigidity. This combination made the Bugatti Type 43 the brand's first road car with a supercharger, producing 120 horsepower and reaching 160 km/h, the fastest road car of its time.

Although intended for touring use, and despite a price equivalent to that of the Bugatti Type 35B, owners and even the factory soon began entering The Type 43 in competition. Three cars took the start of the 1928 Mille Miglia, raced by Tazio Nuvolari, Pietro Bordino, and Gastone Brilli-Peri, who finished 6th, 13th, and 16th respectively. That same year, three others entered the RAC Tourist Trophy, one of them driven by Louis Dutilleux and entered by the factory, finishing 9th.

Chassis Number 43248
Of the approximately 160 examples produced, the Bugatti Type 43 chassis number 43248 was assembled in the Molsheim workshop and invoiced to the Belgian Bugatti agent Joseph Reinartz for the amount of 95,940 francs, then delivered new with a temporary two-seater body on 15 January 1929, to its first owner, Frédéric Deflandre, in the Sauheid-lez-Chênée region near Liège, Belgium.

The chassis was entrusted in the early 1930s to the care of Belgian coachbuilder Eugène Matthys in Brussels, who bodied 43248 into a unique two-seat roadster with quintessentially early-1930s lines that foreshadow the later graceful Bugatti Type 57.

Before receiving the Matthys coachwork it still wears today, 43248 was fitted with a temporary body in its early years — was most likely of a sporting type. Upon close inspection of the original floorboards on the passenger side one can see that there was once fitted an auxiliary oil tank and hand pump, giving rise to the theory that the car may have been employed for light competition use early on, although the details of this are yet to be explored.

A great enthusiast of the marque, of which he would own at least five models, Frédéric Deflandre likely kept his roadster until the purchase of his new two-seater Bugatti Type 57 cabriolet in 1936.

Evidenced by a motor vehicle tax disc dated 1 October 1948, it appears that after the Second World War, the Bugatti roadster was located in the neighboring village of Angleur, in the hands of Edouard Hanquet. The roadster was then described as a “Chevrolet type 43,” owing to the fact that it was by this point temporarily powered by a six-cylinder Chevrolet engine.

In 1965, during a classic car rally in the Belgian Ardennes, two young participants and collectors were approached by a man who told them of a Bugatti he was willing to let go for a modest price. André Monin, one of the two young men —still with us today to recount the story— went to the home of this gentleman, who turned out to be none other than Edouard Hanquet, to acquire the roadster. Living in Brussels, Mr. Monin loaded the Bugatti onto a trailer and brought it away from the region where it had remained since new.

Monin, the owner of one and later two Type 38s, one of which was fitted with the original windshield from 43248, retained the Type 43 for over a decade, later parted with it in 1978, selling it to coachbuilder Luc Janssens. The latter soon sold it to British dealer Keith Butti, who in turn passed it to the specialist in fine British cars Roland J. B. Duce in 1980, who then offered it for sale himself.

Spotted by one of England's greatest collectors of classic automobiles for its remarkable originality, Bugatti Type 43 chassis 43248 joined, in April 1981, the collection to which it still belongs today through family descent. The car was then presented with its one-off Eugène Matthys bodywork, the leather of its seats and doors in a most elegant burgundy shade, its chassis frame stamped 93, its brass identification plate engraved 43248, its front axle, both sides of its bulkhead, its rear axle stamped 95, its gearbox and cover numbered 93 and its radiator—all original, as per the accompanying Laugier report.

In order to restore its mechanical integrity and replace the Chevrolet engine that had been fitted to the roadster, its owner acquired from Hugh G. Conway, a prominent Bugatti authority whose legacy is still referenced today, a Type 43 engine, built from parts bearing different numbers, including an upper crankcase from a racing model numbered C28.

Over the past thirty years, it has undergone a series of carefully documented interventions, the full list of which is available in the file, including two new cylinder blocks, a rebuilt rear axle, a repaired wooden trunk floor, a replacement fuel tank, renewed iron drums, a radiator wiring harness, and a full repaint. The original leather was entrusted to The Leather Conservation Centre in Leicester, UK, for preservation rather than retrimming, with only a few minor patch repairs. Such comprehensive care ensures the car looks and performs beautifully today.

For the first time in nearly half a century, the Bugatti Type 43 chassis number 43248 is being offered for sale, an exceptional opportunity for Bugatti enthusiasts to acquire this unique roadster, with its sublime lines, unmatched performance, and rare authenticity.

Further info

• 1999 Bugatti EB112, Chassis # ZA9CC030ERCD39003, Estimate: €1,500,000 - €2,000,000
• 2024 Bugatti Bolide, Chassis # VF9NX0V08RM795004, Estimate: €3,500,000 - €4,500,000

A 1999 Bugatti EB112, you will ask. Didn't the company go bankrupt in 1995?

Well, read the text below, two additional cars were assembled later, using parts which had been bought from Artioli's company.

1999 Bugatti EB112, Chassis # ZA9CC030ERCD39003
Bugatti is, today, a marque that exudes confidence, with its Molsheim-built automobiles once again sitting at the very pinnacle of the luxury-performance space. Four decades ago, the situation was rather different. The rights to the Bugatti name had been acquired and revived in 1987 by Italian businessman Romano Artioli, who recruited industry veterans and experienced designers to develop a world-class supercar. Production would take place at a futuristic factory in Campogalliano, Italy.

The Bugatti Automobili project was hugely ambitious and, though long-term success ultimately eluded Artioli, it was an undeniably exciting moment in marque history. With a decades-long production gap, the resurrected Bugatti had, effectively, carte blanche to reinterpret Ettore’s legacy using the most advanced materials and methods available in the late 20th Century—and to do so with a wholly new design language and cutting-edge technology.

The Bugatti EB110 captivated enthusiasts upon its debut in September 1991. Built around a carbon-composite chassis supplied by French firm Aerospatiale, the EB110 was powered by a quad-turbocharged 3.5-litre V-12 with five valves per cylinder, capable of producing in excess of 600 horsepower depending on the application. All-wheel drive, a feature of many of today’s most powerful performance vehicles, was standard.

The EB110 set numerous performance records and even tasted success in motorsport. Yet Artioi’s vision for Bugatti was much bigger, and broader, than only two-door supercars.

A ROYALE FOR THE MODERN ERA
In its glory years, Bugatti built everything from monoposto racers to luxurious limousines, including the titanic Type 41 Royale. It was only fitting that Artioli’s Bugatti Automobili sought to expand into the realm of saloons with the EB112, a model that would ingeniously adapt key EB110 components to create a dramatic four-door fastback.

The EB112’s carbon fibre chassis was derived from that of the EB110; however, the engine was front, rather than rear, mounted. Its V-12 was based on the EB110’s, though displacement grew to 6.0 litres, and it was naturally aspirated rather than turbocharged; output was said to be 460 horsepower at 6,300 rpm, with 590 Newton-metres of torque from 3,000 rpm. All-wheel drive (here with a 38:62 front-rear torque split) and a six-speed manual gearbox were once again standard.

While the EB110 was thoroughly modern in appearance, the EB112 drew more obviously from Bugatti’s past. Flowing, curving bodywork penned by ItalDesign’s Giorgetto Giugiaro incorporated a subtle longitudinal spine and split rear window, recalling one of the Type 57 SC Atlantic’s defining features, while the wheels were an updated interpretation of the solid, vented alloy units used on the Type 41. The famous Bugatti “horseshoe” grille, a vestigial element within the EB110’s fascia, is far more prominent on the EB112. Even the accompanying umbrella was a nod to marque history, incorporating a scaled-down copy of Rembrandt Bugatti’s elephant sculpture (used as a radiator mascot on the Royales) as its handle.

The EB112’s interior accommodates seating for four, with rear seats separated by a fold-down armrest. Headrests are emblazoned with the Bugatti “EB” logotype, and the instrument cluster surround, central dashboard, and door panels sport metal panels accented with a classic Perlée finish. But the interior is otherwise restrained and refined. In many ways it anticipates the cabin of the Bugatti Veyron, which involved Giugiaro and Italdesign in its initial development stages.

In a 2021 article in Magneto, Artioli summed up the EB112 as “an incredible car, a delight to drive, with a 6.0-litre V-12 installed behind the front axle. The chassis was made of carbon fibre and the internal suspension was lightweight. It drove like a go-kart.” Projected performance was impressive, with a 0-100 km/h sprint of 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 300 km/h. The EB112 had the makings of an ultra-luxury super-saloon unlike anything else built at the time, but it was not to be. Bugatti Automobili completed a drivable EB112 prototype, which debuted at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show, as well as two styling models. Further pre-production chassis were partly constructed when operations at Campogalliano ceased in 1995.

This is where things might have remained, if Monegasque businessman Gildo Pallanca Pastor had not purchased assets from Bugatti Automobili following its bankruptcy. Pastor ran an EB110 SC in motorsport competition under the auspices of the Monaco Racing Team and was seeking a stock of spare parts. As part of the deal, he also acquired the incomplete EB112 chassis and components.

Pastor eventually completed two EB112 examples. He retained this car, the second of two chassis completed by Pastor and thus the last of three EB112 constructed, until 2015, when it passed into present ownership. In addition to periodic exhibition, including a stay at the renowned Schlumpf Collection in the mid-2000s, it was registered on Monaco plates and occasionally driven on the streets of the Principality. To keen enthusiasts, it would have been truly exciting to spot this near-mythical machine in motion, while more casual onlookers must have been baffled by such a distinctive, unfamiliar car wearing a horseshoe grille and Bugatti badges!

As offered today, the EB112 is still very much as it was when completed by Pastor. It has remained registered in Monaco and is offered by only its second owner from new, with the odometer displaying a mere 388 kilometres at time of cataloguing. The consignor enlisted specialist shop Garage des Moneghetti to service the Bugatti, with work conducted in 2021 and 2022 including repair of the car’s braking and suspension systems, an overhaul of its emissions control system, including replacement catalytic converters, as well as attention to the car’s cosmetic condition and fitment of new Michelin tyres. Further engine work was completed by Lorrtec Race Engines in May 2022. In total, service invoices on file reflect over €37,000 invested in the EB112 under current ownership. The car is now accompanied by two pieces of luggage, a tool roll, and, importantly, its special umbrella with the elephant mascot handle.

Under current Volkswagen ownership, Bugatti commissioned the Giugiaro-penned EB218 concept, as well as the more recent 16C Galibier. But it has not yet produced a four-door model. The EB112 is, then, the only opportunity to possess and drive a modern Bugatti saloon. Technologically fascinating, visually unmistakable, and incredibly exclusive, it is everything a Bugatti should be—and with the first EB112 in the collection of Italdesign and the second in private ownership, the opportunity to acquire an example such as this is exceedingly rare indeed.

Further info

• 1930 Bugatti Type 40 Sports, Chassis no. 40667, Engine no. 574, Estimate: Estimate: £80,000 - £120,000 / € 92.000 - € 140.000

Introduced in 1926, the Bugatti Type 40 replaced the earlier Brescia models. Early versions used 16-valve Type 23 chassis frame side rails and had a wheelbase of 2,564mm, while later cars were built on a longer 2,714mm wheelbase chassis. Power came from a 1,496cc four cylinder engine, closely related to that of the Type 37 Grand Prix car. Featuring a single overhead camshaft operating three valves per cylinder, the engine produced approximately 45bhp and drove the rear wheels through a four-speed gearbox. Production ended in May 1931 after just over 790 cars had been built. Of these, around 32 were Type 40A models, which were fitted with a larger 1,627 cc engine.

In the early 1930s, 17-year-old Frank Sergeant was eager to own his first sports car. His dream was to buy a second-hand Amilcar or Salmson, which in those days could be picked up for around £25. However, Frank's father had something more ambitious in mind, despite the difficult economic times. "If you want a sports car, then it must be a Bugatti," he insisted. And so, in 1933, Frank became the proud owner of his first Bugatti. It was a 1½-litre Type 40 with a Grand Sport body, purchased from a Cambridge garage for £70. Frank kept the car until the outbreak of World War II, when he sold it for £50. During the war years he had no car, but the Bugatti passion would return in 1949. This time he chose something sportier - a Type 37A, a supercharged 1,500cc Grand Prix car.

For several years, Frank enjoyed success in club racing. However, when the opportunity arose to start farming on his own, the Bugatti had to be sold to help finance a combine harvester. His only consolation was that he managed to sell the car for £400 - £125 more than he had paid for it. During the late 1960s/1970s Bugatti spare parts were becoming less available. Frank later recalled: "One of the leading racing drivers kept urging me to sell a spare alloy wheel I had retained after selling my Type 37A." Eventually, Frank agreed, on the condition that the man found him a cheap car to restore.

This led to the acquisition of his second Type 40, chassis number '40667', the car offered here. The car cost £100 but was far from complete. It had a smashed cylinder block and upper crankcase, and there was no body at all. The Bugatti Owners' Club was able to supply new cylinder blocks, valves, and guides, but no upper crankcase was available. Fortunately, Bugatti historian Hugh G. Conway, who had been permitted to copy the original factory drawings, provided access to a Type 37/40 crankcase drawing. Using this, Frank took the bold step of having a pattern made and commissioned the Peterborough firm Barron Clark to carry out the casting. This major undertaking eventually made it possible to complete the car's restoration, which also included the replacement of the original chassis frame with a Type 23 Brescia frame sourced from Bart Loyens in Luxemburg. Additional parts were sourced from London-based Bugatti specialist Jack Lemon Burton, who had purchased the remaining stock of Bugatti spares from the Brixton Road Depot. A notebook documenting the work carried out was carefully maintained, with particular attention given to the bearings. This information has been preserved and remains available alongside copies of the original drawings.

The opportunity now arises for a new owner to write the next chapter in the continuous history of '40667', which has remained in the same family ownership for over 50 years. From being first recorded in the Bugatti Register and Data book published in 1962 by the noted Bugatti Historian Hugh G Conway, its record of ownership dates back to Peter John Ellis in London, who is believed to have been the first registered owner of the car in March 1930. In the early post war years M W Howes from Peterborough owned '40667', before Tony Hutchings took on ownership during 1970. It was around this time that the original chassis frame was replaced (see above). By incorporating this chassis frame the car now conforms to the early Type 40, which used Type 23 frame side rails. It is worthwhile noting that both '40667' and '40668' were delivered new in 1928 to Colonel Sorel at the British Bugatti Depot, 1-3 Brixton Road, London, and that both would later be owned by Frank Sergeant.

It was his ownership of '40668' ('XV 1626') and also the Type 37A '37299', that gave Mr Sergeant the skill and confidence to take on the restoration of this car. Though there are no pre-war images of '40667' ('GF 299'), it is believed that it was originally supplied with Grand Sport coachwork, this being supported by the invoice price of 22,880FF for both Type 40s at the same time when new. The history file contains notebooks written by Mr Sergeant recording the work carried out, and also a post-restoration service record, plus photographs of the car during the rebuild. The Type 40 was re-bodied at this time with its 'all-steel' two-seat roadster coachwork. It was upon completion of the work, that that the car was issued with a replacement Bugatti Owners' Club chassis plate stamped '40667'.

According to our vendor (the daughter of Frank Sergeant), the Bugatti was stripped down to the bare chassis and completely rebuilt in the 1980s. Works carried out included replacing all the gearbox bearings; renewing the rear axle; fitting a new clutch; restoring the engine with a new cylinder block and pistons; regrinding the crankshaft; re-white-metalling all bearings; fitting new valves and guides; rebuilding the oil and water pumps; and overhauling the magneto. On the chassis side, all steering joints and the kingpins were re-bushed, and the brakes relined.

The Bugatti has covered fewer than 3,000 miles since completion and is described by the private vendor as mechanically very good, running extremely well and very smooth. A jack and the original dynamo are included in the sale.

Bonhams would like to thank Bugatti authority Mark Morris for his help in the preparation of this description (detailed illustrated report available).

Further info

Three Bugatti T41 Royale's at the show
In the '100 Years of Bugatti Royale' exhibition by Eric van Lammeren in Hall 3, three exceptional cars are on display.

Reconstructions of the 'missing Royales': the Prototype Packard from 1926, the Weymann prototype from 1929, and the Esders Roadster from 1932.

The three vehicles revive a virtually lost chapter of automotive history as rolling works of art and impressively pay tribute to the visionary power of the Bugatti brand – crowned by the iconic radiator mascot of the dancing elephant by Rembrandt Bugatti.

More info

Bugatti cars in the exhibition:
Type 13 Roadster, Type 13 Brescia 1925, Type 23 Boat-tail 1925, Type 35, Type 35B, Type 37, Type 40 Jean Bugatti Roadster 1929, Type 44 Roadster by Gangloff, Type 44 rolling chassis 1931, Type 46 Limousine 1930, Type 55 Sport 1933 (55223), Type 57 Galibier 1934, Type 57 Ventoux 1936, Type 57 Stelvio 1939, Type 57 Atalante 1939, Veyron, Chiron.

More info

Bugatti is one of the most legendary car brands and represents the rarest of the rare within classic cars. The exhibition is therefore a very special opportunity to get close to and behold some of the most iconic and rare Bugattis ever produced.

The exhibition tells the story of the French brand from its early and humble beginnings in 1909 until the present day – a story of greatness, tragedy and a car brand unlike any other. Bugatti has cemented its place in history and always pushed boundaries within automotive sport, craftsmanship and design. Visitors have the opportunity to experience outstanding examples of the Type 35 – the most successful race car ever, with over 2,000 victories to its name. Just as fascinating, we see the Baby Bugatti – a car which the founder Ettore Bugatti, initially built for his son.

We also see unique cars such as the Type 57SC Atlantic which, with its characteristic riveted ‘spine’ and assembly, is indeed one of the most iconic cars in history. Visitors are introduced to the Type 101C, formally owned by both Nicholas Cage and the founder of Caesars Palace casinos in Las Vegas.

On display is a Type 37 buried during World War II, with its parts later dug up and assembled in less than three months, and the only Type 39 Bugatti remaining in Monza specification, and is the only fully original Type 39 in the world, retaining all original, Bugatti made mechanical and body panel parts as raced at Monza in 1925.

Visitors can also experience two legendary recent supercars, the EB110 Dauer and Veyron, integral to Bugatti’s history.

Where are the cars from?
The exhibited cars are partly owned by Classic Car House and partly on loan from private collectors in Sweden, Denmark and England.

Bugatti cars in the exhibition:
Type 13, Type 30, Baby Bugatti, Type 35, Type 37, Type 39, Type 51, Type 40, Type 43A, Type 57, Atlantic, Type 101C, Veyron, EB110 Dauer

More info

• 1929 Bugatti Type 40 Grand Sport, Chassis 40801, Engine 701, Estimate: $350,000 - $450,000 - Without Reserve
• 1938 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet by Vanvooren, Chassis 57742, Engine 516 (Supercharged), Estimate $800,000 - $1,200,000

1929 Bugatti Type 40 Grand Sport, Chassis 40801, Engine 701
There are few such appealing collecting opportunities as the barn find of a major marque, arguably none more so than a Bugatti. And yet, here is one: an original-bodied, matching-numbers-engine Type 40 Grand Sport emerging after more than 60 years of ownership – and many decades of slumber.

Hailing from late in the production sequence, published registry records document that chassis 40801 was built in May 1929 and fitted with the marque’s iconic Grand Sport bodywork. Cleverly echoing the appearance of Bugatti’s hugely successful Grand Prix cars – albeit with space for passengers – the design offered competition-bred flair in a road-going format. Ordered by Dache Pilot & Cie of Valence in southern France, the car was completed on August 1st of that same year and registered for the road as “6207 FA,” although the identity of the original buyer remains unknown.

The Bugatti is recorded to have been moved south to the coast, passing through a sequence of owners in the Marseille area before returning to Valence in 1952. By 1955, it resided in Paris with M. Balieu, a butcher who entrusted famed Bugattiste Henri Novo with its sale. Although briefly owned by Dennis Talbot, a British man based in Holland, it quickly passed to Jean De Dobbeleer, the Bugatti dealer well-known for supplying numerous Pur Sang to the US.

As with many Bugattis that passed through his agency, 40801 was imported to the US by Gene Cesari and John O’Donnell, who in turn sold it to Robert Bramley, based in Rumson, New Jersey, in 1958. Bramley refurbished the Type 40 and reported his work to the Bugatti Trust in 1960; however, it is said that the distractions of marriage and flying soon curtailed his interest. In 1964, Robert J. Chevako of New York acquired 40801, and retained it until his passing in 2024.

Mr. Chevako used the Bugatti at select events in the 1960s, but it otherwise remained largely off the radar – so much so that it was not included in the American Bugatti Club’s register for 1988. Nevertheless, the Bugatti was certainly cherished and, while it aged gently through use and later long-term storage, it has retained its intrinsic purity. Today, it presents with the ever-popular “oily rag” look, such that, once recommissioned and if carefully preserved, it would no doubt prove a considerable draw at a wide range of events.

A Type 40 balances all the marque’s wonderful ingredients during this period in its design and is eminently usable in club events. Owing to its period use, chassis 40801 carries the additional benefit of being eligible for the 1000 Miglia Storica by definition, subject to Registro acceptance.

Please note that this vehicle is titled 1928. Please also note that this vehicle has been in long-term static storage and may not be currently operational. It will require mechanical attention prior to road use.

1938 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet by Vanvooren, Chassis 57742, Engine 516 (Supercharged)
Introduced in 1934, the Bugatti Type 57 represented the fullest expression of Jean Bugatti’s creative and engineering vision. Powered by a jewel-like 3.3-liter, twin-cam straight eight and constructed with the marque’s customary delicacy, the Type 57 embodied all that defined Molsheim’s artistry: exceptional mechanical refinement, extraordinary aesthetics, and an unmistakable sense of exclusivity.

As production evolved, Bugatti continually refined the Type 57 chassis, incorporating strengthened rear-axle components, a cross-braced frame, rubber engine mounts, and upgraded braking systems. In 1937, these improvements culminated in the introduction of the supercharged Type 57C. Equipped with a Roots-type supercharger, four-wheel hydraulic brakes, and enhanced instrumentation, the Type 57C produced approximately 160 hp. Performance was formidable for the era, with top speeds comfortably exceeding 100 mph, accompanied by impressive braking ability and high-speed composure.

While Bugatti offered an array of bodies designed and built in-house at Molsheim, the Type 57 chassis also served as a platform for Europe’s most esteemed coachbuilders, including Gangloff, Corsica, and Vanvooren. These bespoke bodies allowed discerning clients to further individualize what was an already rare and sophisticated automobile.

According to the American Bugatti Register and Data Book, chassis 57742 was completed at Molsheim in November 1938, fitted with engine no. 516 and originally clothed in factory-built Galibier berline coachwork. On May 31, 1939, the car was ordered by Garage Carnot on behalf of its first owner, M. Saint Martin, with delivery arranged through Bugatti agent G. Groslambert in Besançon, France, near the Swiss border.

Little is known of the Bugatti’s history until the 1960s, when it was acquired in unrestored condition by French collector Jean Serre. Within M. Serre’s private collection was also a sporting Vanvooren cabriolet body that had originally been fitted to another Type 57, chassis 57430. That car had been supplied new to Prince Louis Napoleon, a direct descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte, as well as an enthusiastic Bugatti patron and amateur racing driver.

Founded in 1888 by Achille Vanvooren in Courbevoie, northwest of Paris, Carrosserie Vanvooren earned renown for its elegant, lightweight, and finely constructed coachwork.

The firm reached its zenith during the 1930s, producing refined bodies for elite manufacturers including Hispano-Suiza, Delage, and Delahaye. Vanvooren’s designs are celebrated for their subtle proportions, restrained ornamentation, and modern sensibility – as exemplified by this handsome Cabriolet body seen here.

M. Serre retained both chassis 57742 and the Vanvooren cabriolet body until 2000, when they were sold as a package to prewar French car specialist Charles Bronson. Under his ownership, the Vanvooren coachwork was mounted onto chassis 57742, and the original engine was fitted with a supercharger. Notably, the chassis already featured the factory indentation required for supercharged specification, allowing the upgrade without the need for structural modification.

In 2005, this Bugatti was displayed by Dutch classic car specialist Tony Paalman at Techno-Classica Essen, after which it was sold to Bugatti specialist Competition Motors of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Ownership subsequently passed to noted collector Howard Fafard, who commissioned an extensive concours-quality restoration. Documented by invoices and photographic records on file, the restoration was completed in the tasteful black and aubergine color scheme seen today, complemented by an exquisitely tailored interior trimmed in exotic ostrich leather.

Completed in 2012 at a reported cost exceeding $800,000, the Bugatti was reacquired by Competition Motors and debuted that year at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Later in 2012, it was professionally photographed for Ralph Lauren Purple Label advertising for the Fall collection.

In 2023, chassis 57742 joined a prominent East Coast collection and returned to Pebble Beach in 2024, where it was displayed in Class J-2, European Classic Touring Late. Carefully maintained, the Bugatti presents today in outstanding concours condition and would be an ideal candidate for future concours events or vintage rallies, including those organized by the American Bugatti Club.

A desirable late-production Type 57 retaining its matching-numbers engine, enhanced with a supercharger, clothed in original Vanvooren cabriolet coachwork, restored by marque specialists, and twice exhibited at Pebble Beach, chassis 57742 stands as a compelling and versatile example – one that embodies both the artistry and performance that define the very finest vintage Bugattis.

Please note that this vehicle is titled 1937.

Further info

• 1926 Bugatti Type 37, Chassis no 37201, Engine no 92, Estimate: €600,000 - 800,000
• 1931 Bugatti Type 51 Ex-Works, Chassis N° 51132, Engine N°189 ex-51138, Estimate: €1,300,000 - 2,000,000
• Bugatti vice, First series, Estimate: €8,000 - 12,000
• ca. 1990 Bugatti 35B replica Pur Sang, Estimate: €250,000 - 350,000

1926 Bugatti Type 37, Chassis no 37201, Engine no 92
This Bugatti Type 37, chassis no. 37201 and engine no. 92, left the factory in August 1926 as a ‘Touriste’ model (a cabriolet which was better equipped than the racing version, with lights, wings and a passenger door), before being delivered on 10 September that year to the Bugatti dealer René Ring, in Strasbourg. Ring had ordered the same model three days earlier, for 43,000 francs, and therefore took advantage of the availability of this example, which had just been built. Its first owner, Pierre Larrige, lived nearby in Sélestat and wasted no time before collecting the car, which he used with the temporary registration number 1641 WW5, valid from 10–15 September 1926.

According to the history established by the specialist Kees Jansen, from which the information regarding the car has been taken, it was probably damaged in an accident in 1930. It was later to be found in Austria, where it was registered A 15-745 on 25 November 1932 in the name of Heinrich Opitz, a coachbuilder in Vienna. By then, it had been fitted with a new body, no doubt by Opitz, a cabriolet with a scuttle with twin curves, substantial cycle wings, and doors, and all the control levers inside the car. In 1946, it was given the registration number A 13-363, still in the name of Heinrich Opitz.

It is likely that he died in 1952, as the car was transferred into the name of Magdalena Opitz, no doubt his wife or daughter. She evidently did not wish to keep it, as she consigned it to a scrap merchant, from where it was salvaged in 1954 by Herbert Lackner, a young engineer from Krems, in Austria. He stored it in a shed belonging to a neighbour, but, needing to reclaim the building, the neighbour later dismantled the car, put the mechanical components into storage and disposed of the body in the Danube.

Nothing happened until Walter Ledl, the owner of a Bugatti Grand Sport (chassis no. 40721), who lived in Vienna, needed a water pump for his car and acquired all the parts from the Bugatti 37 in 1958. This purchase was mentioned to Hugh Conway in 1962, who recorded it in his Bugatti Register, and again in 1973. After retrieving the water pump for his Grand Sport, Ledl kept all the mechanical components from the Type 37 for more than 40 years, until selling them in 2003 to René and Hans Winkler.

The two brothers were Austrian, but Hans, a classic car restorer, had married a British woman and gone to live in England. He gathered several missing parts (both old and remanufactured), but did not complete the restoration. The project was inspected on several occasions by the specialist David Sewell: on 26 October 2009, 4 July 2017 and 4 May 2018. Sewell mentioned that several jobs had been carried out, including: realignment of the chassis by the Bugatti specialist Malcolm Gentry; restoration of the radiator by Star Engineering; fitment of the correct ‘Molsheim-Alsace’ chassis plate, riveted to the base of the scuttle; fabrication of a 50-litre fuel tank by Frank Underwood; production of a new body by Ivan Dutton Ltd; fitment of two gearbox casings, both numbered 214, with and without the drive for the starter; installation of a higher-quality Hardy Spicer drive shaft; restoration of the Bosch headlamps to the original specification; fitment of a combination of new and old instruments ...

René Winkler ended up selling the car during its restoration to Jaap Braam Ruben, who turned to the Dutch specialist Simon Klopper to complete the work. He had previously asked the Dutch authorities, who were very wary of the proliferation of Bugatti replicas, to inspect the car and confirm its authenticity.

Today, the car is presented as a lighter Type 37 ‘Grand Prix’ model, which enthusiasts prefer to the ‘Touring’ version it started out as. Attractively finished in dark blue with Bugatti aluminium wheels, it looks very similar to the bigger-engined Type 35. Its interior is typical of the racing Bugattis, with which it shares all the characteristics: a machine-turned aluminium dashboard, the engine exposed to view, external controls for the gearbox and brakes, and a huge wooden steering wheel with four aluminium spokes. This Bugatti Type 37, which has been restored to its original technical specification, comes with numerous documents and photographs, including a ‘Provenance Report’ by the specialist Kees Jansen. It has the advantage of a continuous history since leaving the factory, with the exception of five years between 1926 and 1932. With several original elements, including its chassis and engine, it is among the few genuine Type 37 models still on the road, making it especially desirable.

1931 Bugatti Type 51 Ex-Works, Chassis N° 51132, Engine N°189 ex-51138
This car is exceptional in more ways than one, having been one of the cars entered by the factory for the 1931 season and then one of the Bugattis used by driver Jean-Pierre Wimille before he switched to Alfa Romeo. This car, originally chassis 51132 with frame number 704, still has many original parts and has the advantage of having been fully appraised by Pierre-Yves Laugier, whose historical analysis is summarized here. We advise buyers to consult the full version of the lot description and his formidable research in the online catalog.

FACTORY DAYS July to December 1931.
This particular chassis has been assembled in the early days of July 1931 by the Bugatti Factory to get type 51 engine 2300 cc N° 15. It is the first of five Type 51's assembled in july 1931.

The Bugatti factory asked the Police in Strasbourg to get car licence 4799 NV 1 the first of five types. We can tell, from pictures, comparing 51132 at Spa in july 1931 and 51132 the delivery day to Wimille in december 1931, that it is really car engine 15 which first got car licence 4799 NV 1 for Spa and not any of the two other factory 51 in that race. On 12th july 1931, together with type 51 cars engines 13 and 14, 51132/15 went to Belgium to enter the 3rd Belgian Grand prix in Spa.

The car bearing the race number 6 was driven by Albert Divo and Guy Bouriat. It had to go back to the pits on the 51th lap after mechanical troubles. There are very few chances for 51132/15 to have been checked or repaired to race at Nurburgring the following weekend. And for the last race of the season on 27 September 1931, the Grand Prix of Brno, we can tell from pictures that 51132 is not one of the 3 cars driven by Bouriat, Chiron or Varzi.

The chassis number 51132 is definitely allowed the engine number 15 when it was delivered to French pilot Jean- Pierre Wimille. During the 1931 season of races, J.P. Wimille made progress in driving his friend's Jean Gaupillat type 51 chassis 51130 in some races.

WIMILLE-MAREUSE ownership 1932-1934.
The delivery and Monthlery test drive, December 1931.
Between 19th and 21th December 1931, the Bugatti 51132, with temporary plates 1764 WW 5 left Molsheim for Ville d'Avray.

The Bugatti Type 51 chassis 51132 was purchased for only 80.000 ff. The factory price in October 1930 for the newly coming type 51 was 165.000 ff, but very few first owners in 1931 got strictly new cars. Many of the 20 cars built in 1931 were sold as second hand cars as they entered one or two races for the factory before being sold to private pilots.

The car arrived from Molsheim to Ville d'Avray and soon went for practice at Monthlery around 21th December 1931.

We were lucky to find a dozen of pictures of brand new 51132, the day it was driven for the first time by M. Mareuse and J.P. Wimille on the Monthlery circuit. The Molsheim temporary plate 1764 WW 5 left no doubt about its identity.

The car is registrated in Paris on 12th january 1932 with number plate 3397 RF 5.

As Wimille was not living in Paris but in Ville d'Avray which is in Seine et Oise department, we suppose the car was registrated in the name of Marguerite Mareuse at her parisian address on 81-83 Boulevard Hausmann.

The Wimille Mareuse racing period 1932-1934.
The Spring 1932 trip to North Africa.
A few days after the first victory of Wimille in the hill climb, the three Bugattis and their pilots, Marguerite Mareuse and Jean-Pierre Wimille took a boat to Tunisia on the way to their first rendez-vous, the Tunisian Grand Prix on 3 April 1932.

Wimille drove the type 54 but had to retired because of oil pressure trouble, M. Mareuse finished 14th at the wheel of her 51A chassis 51138, race number 24.

Three weeks later for the Grand Prix of Oran on 24th April, Wimille drove for the very first time in a race, his new 51132, number 8 and won the race.

It is the first victory of the young Bugatti driver in a Grand Prix.

His original silver trophy marked « A.C.O » (Automobile Club d'Oranie) is preserved in the Sport Museum in Nice. M. Mareuse has an accident with 51138.

The last race of the North African trip was the Casablanca Grand Prix on the circuit of Anfa on 22nd May 1932. Wimille is on the first line at the wheel 51132, race number 2, which is the only left running car of the team. He was leading the race during 32 of the 67 laps, breaking the lap record, but had to retire having blown up his engine!

For the Picardie Grand Prix at Peronne on 5th of June, Pierre Leygonie, Wimille’s best friend was supposed to enter the 2300 cc Type 51 but he didn't appear, the 2300cc engine was surely not repaired.

The Dieppe Grand Prix on 24th July 1932.
That date is important in the life of 51132. It is the exact day M. Mareuse arrived on the starting line of a Grand Prix with a 1500 cc Type 51, race number 5, which is 51132 having received 51138 engine.

M. Mareuse owned two Bugatti 51s, 51132 and 51138. On April 24, 1932, M. Mareuse had an accident in Oran with 51138, which damaged the car's chassis. M. Mareuse's mechanics, so she could continue racing, installed the 1,500 cc engine from 51138, which was in good condition, in the chassis 51132 frame 704, which is the car we are interested in.

The original 51138 car was completely overhauled by M. Mareuse's mechanics and fitted with a replacement frame from the factory (No. 732, a 1933 number) and continued to race using the papers of 51132, from which it received the 2.300 cc engine. This car was sold to Robert Brunet in December 1932 and is now in an American collection. When this car, on the replacement frame no. 732 from 51138, with the 2.300 cc engine from 51132, was sold to Robert Brunet, it was given the chassis plate from 51132 and its French title by M. Mareuse, on the grounds that the registration document for 51132, showing 18 hp, was correct for its new 2.300 cc engine. The registration document for 51138, for a 12 hp engine, was no longer suitable.

She drove the car during the four first laps but it began to rain and she preferred to give the car to her copilot Pierre Leygonie.

The pictures of the car on the side of the road, after P. Leygonie caught fire, clearly show some important points:
The car is from an outside point of view exactly as 51132 when new. It retains 51132 registration number 3397 RF 5 on the back of the tail.

The body is still 51132 body. It is well possible the car already got the back axle from 51138, number 380, but the swap may have occured later in the life of the car.

After the Dieppe 1932 race, 51132 / 51138 engine (as we will designate it from now on, following the identity assigned by M. Mareuse to the car presented, which retains frame 704 of 51132) went back to M. Mareuse garage.

It was possibly overhauled by Framezelle in Neuilly sur Seine.

In 1933, M. Mareuse planned to enter Le Mans race in June with 51132/eng 51138 with Wimille as co-pilot. They are already in the list of the 1933 Le Mans entries as early as 26 december.

Early in 1933 M. Mareuse and Mlle Lamberjack enter the Monte Carlo rallye with good success. In a newspaper dated 14th February 1933, Mareuse confessed her plan for the year: "I want to enter any Grand Prix with my 1500cc 8 cylinder Bugatti, and my big wish is to enter Le Mans with JP Wimille. "

Actually, 51132/51138 would never enter any Grand Prix in 1933 and Wimille had moved to Alfa Romeo since june 1932... even if M. Mareuse seemed to try and convince him to race again on her 51A Bugatti at Le Mans. That information confirms that in early 1933 the car is still in Grand Prix configuration as M. Mareuse wished to race it.

In l'Auto dated 14 th june 1933, we still have a note telling Mme Mareuse and Wimille are supposed to enter the Le Mans event, but 3 days later they are not in the official entry list!

The Mareuse Paris-Nice Type 51A Torpédo 1934.
During the 1933 season M. Mareuse was already competing only in rallyes and not anymore in Grand prix as she was dreaming to. But in March 1934, she had modified 51132/51138 in a 4-seater torpedo to enter the Paris Nice.

We wonder if the car could have been modified as a Torpedo as early as June 1933.

On 24th March 1934 the cars of the Paris Nice left Paris at 6am. M. Mareuse drives a Bugatti 1500 cc with rallye number 27.

On 25th March, M. Mareuse did the best time of the Marseille Boulevard Michelet hill climb in 1500 cc class in 42 sec 1/5 at the average of 84.500 km/h.

On 29th March in La Turbie hill climb, M. Mareuse won the 1500 cc class in 5 min 15 sec at the average of 72 km/h.

A rare photo of the car in la Turbie hill climb shows partially the parisian plate which should read 7398 RF 6 or RF 8, which are plates dated January and March 1932. The car has the large radiator model and is equipped with lamps and sports wings. The race number 27 is painted on the bonnet. When we look carefully, we can see that the body has two small doors and a special undertrail with big louvers, which are quite similar to the ones still on the car the following year when modified by Figoni. The car has rear axle 14x54 as noted in the Paris-Nice results.

But the 1934 Paris-Nice body doesn't seem to be a first Figoni job, as there is no mention of any Bugatti in 1933-1934 which could have been that car in Figoni records.

In Newspaper l'Auto dated 12th February 1935 the car is put for sale by the garage owner who was probably in charge to overhaul the car for M. Mareuse.

« BUGATTI 1.500 cmc.8 cyl.,2 arb.à cames, équ.pr 24h du Mans ou Gd Px. Vites. Framezelle, special Bugatti,18,r.Perronet, Neuilly sur Seine » « Bugatti 1500.cc 8 cyl twin cam, equiped for 24 hours Le Mans race or Racing Grand Prix. "

It is an incredible advertising which tells us so much on 51132/51138 in February 1935!

It is the proof the car was prepared to race at Le Mans, probably in 1933, and that the Grand Prix body was still with the car, on the car or rather next to and ready to be put back for racing, which is quite logical.

The Pinay Figoni Roadster 1935.
In the archives of the late Bugatti collector Robert Corniere were some of the repair notes from Framezelle garage.

One note gives the clue of the enigma of the new 1935 owner of 51132/51138.

“Bugatti 1500 2 arbres à cames. M PINAY.”

That note is not dated, but two more documents will let us determine it has to be 1935.

In the archives of famous French coachworker Joseph Figoni, there is a mention of a body made by the shop for Mr Pinay.

“May 1935.M.Pinay.Paris.bill N° 49.Roadster 2 places s/chassis Bugatti type 1500 14.000 ff »

Strangely enough, the car seems to have been advertised for M. Pinay by the Bayard garage as soon as 4th july 1935.

The advert reads: "Bugatti roadster double arbre à cames, 1.500 cmc, voit splendide, 22 bis rue Bayard."

During the october 1935 Paris Show at Grand Palais, near by the Champs Elysees, the car was still for sale by the Bayard garage which was located very near by the Show.

Advertising about the "1.500 cc roadster double arbre" were put in L'Auto newspaper on 5th october and 15th novembre 1935.

We don't know exactly when Paul Pinay sold the car.

The next information on the car is its exportation to Great Britain and by Bugatti dealer Jack LEMON- BURTON, surely late in 1937.

GREAT BRITAIN 1937-2022.
The car is road registered between Feb-March 1938 GPE 230 with Surey CC.

The car is described as "Bugatti 1,5 Double cam sold to C.I. Craig of Wimbledon for £ 227 in February 1938."

The rest of the history of the car in M. Morris reports states the following owners after C.I. CRAIG. Gerald M. CROZIER bought it in 1939 from Craig, and raced it in July and August 1939.

The car suffered from a fire in a London Mews garage around september 1940.

In 1947 the Bugatti went to the garage of J. BLAKES & COMPANY LTD of Liverpool and was sold to Geoff RICHARDSON who registered the car with FWP 555 Worcester CC in April 1947. After racing in summer 1947, he sold the car to Blakes, having advertised the car in the November issue of Motor Sport.

It is clear that when Richardson raced the car in 1947, it already had narrow type 35 rad and unblown type 35 bonnet, but was still on type 51 wheels. The rebuild had been done by Vic DERRINGTON and MARSHALLS of Watford had also worked on the car.

During Christmas 1950, the Bugatti was bought by Mrs Avril SCOTT-MONTCRIEFF (1915-2006) in Forfar, Scotland, from Blakes. She entered the car with her husband David as copilot, in the "Paris St Raphael Feminin" rallye in February 1951.

Soon after the Monthlery control on 27th February, they broke the crankshaft in a Speed raliability test, the car was sent to a garage in Levallois to see the damage. It was too expensive to be fixed, so the car went back to UK later and waited for a rebuild which never happend and was sent to a crook called Ted.E. LLOYD in Welshpool, Powys, Wales, who asked to have the car dismantled in his shop to check what was wrong... He disappeared before Scott Montcrieff went to take it back when he realized there was something wrong with the guy.

In the 1954 "Bugatti Book" by C.W.P. Hampton and B. Eaglesfield, Llyod proclaims to be the owner of the car! He sold the 51A engine to Eri Richardson in the USA.

In the mid fifties Alan Kershaw HAWORTH (1920-1988) in Heywood, Lancs, acquired from Ted Lloyd the rolling chassis still with its 51 bulkhead, 51 front axle and other parts attached to the frame.

He rebuilt the car as a type 37 using type 40 engine ex 40424 and got BOC plate No "BOC 11" from Conway in 1984 after twenty years of work. The car was put on the road in 1987 with license plates DS 7548.

In December 1988, Alan Haworth passed away and his collection of cars and spares, were sold at auction by Sotheby's on 29 March 1989. The lot 684 in the sale was acquired by Bugatti enthusiast John WILSON, in Stevington, Bedford, a private airplane pilot, whose family owned since the 50s a rare type 46S Coach by Billeter & Cartier on which he used to work.

Soon after his purchase J.Wilson obtained from T.J.Cardy the 55 engine 17 ex 55229 and put it in the car instead of the type 40 unit. In 2014 the car was put on the market and exhibited on Dutton stand at Retromobile in February 2015.

Bought by English architect Mark NEWSON from London,it went to Derek Hitchman’s shop for a complete restoration, including a new body by Chesterton Coachwork and the engine from 51138 was acquired from T. Cardy and put back in the chassis it had left around 1954 when T. Lloyd sold it in the USA. The current owner bought it recently from M. Newson in 2022.

We remember the rediscovery in 2006 of frame 704 at John Wilson's farm and the proof it was 51132 original frame became obvious when we looked at it carefully. The car was from Allan Haworth estate and was supposed to be 51138 ex Scott Montcrieff.

The closed inspection of the frame and parts around let us discover the number 15 on various parts and the number 14 on the front axle. The various parts numbered 15 relating to chassis 51132 on which they were still fixed proved that the car still retains many original components which had never been dismanteled from 51132 original chassis.

Conclusion
The new light focused on type 51 frame 704 incline us to state that the car as it was modified by the mechanic of the Mareuse-Wimille team for the Dieppe july 1932 race was still 51132 in every detail apart from the engine swap from 51138. The car was not built up on 704 frame as it has been suggested.

The car still has the following parts from 51132: chassis, aluminum body panels, hood and dashboard, extra-long levers, steering arms, steering box mount, seat cross member, aluminum transmission output shaft cover.

Today, at the request of the owner, based on the analysis by P.-Y Laugier, FIVA and the German registration authorities have officially restored the car's original identity, with frame no. 704 corresponding to chassis 51132 of the Bugatti Type 51. The car has just been overhauled, and its engine has been increased to 2,300 cc. It has a superb patina.

Bugatti vice, First series
This is a real journey through time, to an era when the sound of hammers striking wheel hubs echoed and the scent of castor oil filled the air in the streets of Levallois Perret, once the proud stronghold of what was known as the Golden Triangle of the Automobile.

Among the pillars of this classic car Golden Age in France was Bernard Pigelet. As a leading automotive engineer, he set up his workshop (called "Racing Diffusion") at 52 Rue Carnot in Levallois-Perret in 1984. Just 150 metres from his home was a taxi depot which, in the late 1980s, was about to close its doors to make way for the construction of a new building. It was at this location that Bernard Pigelet spotted "the golden opportunity" and purchased this particular Etau Bugatti.

In need of restoration, the specialist carefully restored it, repainted it, adjusted the bits and preciously stored it in his workshop, where it remained unused. Only the bronze stop between the bench vice and the crank handle was replaced, but the original part is supplied with the bench vice. A test with a folded sheet of paper brilliantly demonstrates the tool's precision and its high-quality design. This is a rare and desirable model from the first series, instantly recognisable by its Bugatti logo, which is less prominent than on later versions. The number 17 is stamped on one of the bits and here's an interesting anecdote: the official Bugatti repair workshop was located at 75 Rue Carnot, only a few steps away from the workshop where it was found!

ca. 1990 Bugatti 35B replica Pur Sang
“Results from 24 January 1926 to 19 September 1926: 503 victories - More than 2 victories a day - 351 First Prizes - 47 Records”, the Bugatti catalogue in 1926 proudly stated! This inspiring tally of results, which would grow still further in the years to come, was due in large part to what many consider to be the masterpiece produced by Ettore Bugatti: the Type 35. The 35B version, which appeared the following year, was noteworthy for its supercharged 2.3-litre engine: it was the most powerful 35 and dominated a huge number of competitive events.

Lacking the means to buy a real one, Jorge Anadon, an Argentinian enthusiast, created his own replica by making each part himself, as in period. Given the enthusiasm it met with, he decided to build more cars and sell them under the ‘Pur Sang’ name.

The example presented here is one of these cars and was imported by a delegate of the FFVE, who kept it for some 15 years and took part in numerous Bugatti rallies. Its second owner kept it for about 10 years, deriving just as much pleasure from his powerful thoroughbred. All these years of rallies and historic races have given the 35B an exceptional patina, built up over time and many miles, whilst erasing some of the defects with which it was born. This example therefore clearly stands out from more recently built Pur Sang cars thanks to its thirty years of use. In 2022, it was given a full service, and the tyres, fluids and some of the hoses were replaced. The engine was also optimised, with changes to the carburettor jets and spark plugs; the ignition system was overhauled and the clutch tension adjusted. Since buying the car in 2022, its current owner has only driven it a few miles, but has enjoyed starting it up each month.

Supplied with its French title as a Bugatti 35T, this racer will give its next owner some true thrills and, above all, let them enjoy the most famous pre-war sports car, for a fraction of the price of a real one, which is virtually impossible to find!

Further info

Bugatti Autorail and Unusual Prototypes: Bugatti’s Genius at Rétromobile 2026

Get ready for an extraordinary exhibition! In partnership with the Cité du Train, the Musée National de l’Automobile, and Eiffage Rail, Rétromobile will celebrate Ettore Bugatti’s genius by presenting one of his most monumental creations: the last surviving Bugatti Autorail.

But that's not all! This exhibition, illuminated by the Mathieu Lustrerie workshops (certified as "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant"), will also feature some of the artist-engineer’s most unique creations.

A Formula 1 single-seater with a rear transverse engine, a prototype Type 73 sports sedan, and Ettore Bugatti’s personal Type 56 electric-powered vehicle… these are just a few of the mechanical oddities that will be showcased in Pavilion 7.1

More info

• 2024 Bugatti Bolide, Chassis no. VF9SX0V08RM795037, Estimate: €4,000,000 - €6,000,000,
• Bugatti Type 35 Children’s Car, handcrafted by Radek Bina, Estimate: €35,000 - €45,000
• Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Children's Car by the Cyclekart Company, Estimate: €50,000 - €100,000

2024 Bugatti Bolide, Chassis no. VF9SX0V08RM795037

• An “as-new” example of Bugatti’s track-only Bolide hypercar; one of just 40 built
• Features the most powerful iteration of Molsheim’s revered W16 engine; quad-turbocharged 8.0-litre powerplant is rated at a phenomenal 1,600 horsepower
• Exquisitely finished in Turquoise Carbon with Black Carbon accents over a Beluga Black Alcantara interior
• Single-owner car; displayed a mere 112 kilometres at the time of cataloguing
• Accompanied by two Bugatti flight cases, owner’s manual, car cover, tool bag, battery conditioner, and a spare set of wheels

Bugatti Type 35 Children’s Car, handcrafted by Radek Bina

• A 2:3 scale example powered by a 125-cc four-stroke petrol engine
• Handcrafted by an independent artist; one of just two built
• Features a manual gearbox with three forward gears, neutral, and reverse
• Top speed of 55 km/h
• Equipped with an electric starter, leather interior, and an external hand brake
• Measures 290 centimetres in length by 113 centimetres; suitable for children and adults up to 180 centimetres tall

Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Children's Car by the Cyclekart Company

• One of just 10 examples to be built by the Cyclekart Company
• A wonderful scale interpretation of one of the most iconic Bugattis built
• Powered by a four-stroke, 196-cc petrol engine producing 7.5 horsepower
• Features an automatic gearbox with forward and reverse
• Adjustable seating; suitable for children aged from around five to 15 years old

Further info

• 1928 Bugatti Type 40 Grand Sport, Chassis 40662, Engine 586, Estimate: €350,000 - €450,000
• 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante, Chassis, 57718, Engine 45C, Estimate: €2,250,000 - €2,750,000

1928 Bugatti Type 40 Grand Sport, Chassis 40662, Engine 586

The Bugatti Type 40 model was introduced in mid-1926 to replace the highly successful Type 22 and Type 23 “Brescia” Modifie 16-valve models, which had been in production with several improvements since 1920. Built on a chassis similar to the longer-wheelbase Type 23, the Type 40 was powered by the well-known Type 37 engine. This four-cylinder unit (69 mm × 100 mm) employed a five plain-bearing crankshaft, plain connecting rods, three valves per cylinder, and featured parallel crankcase arms – a contrast to the stepped arms found on the Type 37 sports model. A variety of coachbuilders, including Jarvis and Gangloff, supplied coachwork; however, many examples wore factory-supplied four-seat torpédo bodies. This was the famous Grand Sport, which would be later adapted to the larger Type 43.

This Bugatti Type 40 Grand Sport, chassis 40662 with engine no. 586, was delivered via Belgian Bugatti agent René de Buck to Joseph Reinartz of Liège on September 21, 1928, according to copies of factory records on file. While the next 27 years of the car’s provenance remains unknown, in 1955, the Type 40 belonged to Mr. Gillard, who traded it against a Type 49 to Brussels-based Bugatti dealer Jean De Dobbeleer. M. De Dobbeleer immediately sold the car to a priest named l’Abbe Dubois de Servey, who gave him a Type 57 in part exchange. De Dobbeleer later reacquired the car and sold it to an American in 1957, and by 1962, it was a part of the distinguished Harrah’s Automobile Collection in Reno, Nevada.

After Bill Harrah’s passing in 1978, the Type 40 was sold at auction the following year to noted collector Darryl Greenamyer. Mr. Greenamyer retained the car for 16 years, until it was sold to Emilio Comelli and exported to Italy in 1995. At that time, it was described as unrestored and retaining its original interior – although a driver’s door had been integrated into the Grand Sport coachwork at some point.

Under Mr. Comelli’s ownership, the Type 40 received a restoration that included changing its exterior color from black to the medium blue seen today, as well as returning the Grand Sport coachwork to its correct original configuration without a driver’s door. Following the restoration, this Bugatti was campaigned in numerous rallies, including the 1000 Miglia in 2003, 2004, and 2007, the International Bugatti Meeting in Tuscany in 2009, and the International Bugatti Meeting in Sardinia in 2017.

With its original coachwork and matching-numbers engine, this Type 40 Grand Sport presents a splendid opportunity to acquire an entry-level, sporting Bugatti with a well-documented ownership history and eligibility for many of the world’s most exclusive driving events.

1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante, Chassis, 57718, Engine 45C

Introduced in 1934, the Type 57 represented the pinnacle of Jean Bugatti’s creative and engineering vision. Powered by a jewel-like 3.3-liter twin-cam straight-eight and built with the marque’s customary delicacy, the Type 57 embodied everything that defined Molsheim’s artistry: superb mechanical refinement, extraordinary aesthetics, and an unmistakable sense of exclusivity.

As the model evolved throughout its production, Bugatti steadily improved the chassis with strengthened rear-axle components, a cross-braced frame, rubber engine mounts, and upgraded brakes. To complement these refinements, Bugatti unveiled the supercharged Type 57C in 1937. Equipped with a Roots-type blower, four-wheel hydraulic brakes, and additional instrumentation, the 160 hp Type 57C delivered performance far beyond that of most contemporaries, achieving speeds comfortably over 100 mph with excellent braking and on-road composure. Of the approximately 710 Type 57s built, just 96 were factory-supercharged 57Cs.

Alongside the bare chassis offered to outside coachbuilders, Bugatti produced several in-house body styles, each styled under the direction of Jean Bugatti and Joseph Walter. Among these, the Atalante – named for the heroine of Greek mythology, famed for her swiftness – stood as the most dramatic. Just 33 Atalante bodies were built for the Type 57 chassis, and approximately 10 of these were formed in lightweight aluminum alloy, the remainder in heavier steel.

Chassis 57718, fitted when new with engine 45C and Atalante body no. 30, is among the most desirable Type 57s ever constructed. It is one of only five Atalantes built on the supercharged 57C chassis, and crucially one of only three known to combine this mechanical specification with lightweight alloy construction. Within the canon of Bugatti production, this places 57718 at the pinnacle of road-going Type 57 desirability. In a broader context, few prewar sports cars combine such grace, rarity, and engineering sophistication.

Factory records show that 57718 was completed on July 15, 1938, finished in Beige over Havana leather, and dispatched to Bugatti’s Lyon agent, Monestier. Its first owner, Dr. Jacques Kocher, was a highly accomplished surgeon whose professional achievements earned him the French Legion of Honor. Dr. Kocher was not merely a Bugatti customer – he was one of the marque’s most valued clients, owning 14 examples between 1925 and 1938, including Types 35, 37, 43, 44, 50, 55, and no fewer than five Type 57s, many acquired new through Monestier.

Dr. Kocher’s passion for driving and deep loyalty to Bugatti made him an ideal customer for the most exclusive models. His succession of cars traces the evolution of the marque, culminating in this car, 57718 – his final Bugatti and the ultimate expression of his long association with Molsheim. Delivered to him in July 1938 and kept until 1950, it served as the pinnacle of his two-decade Bugatti ownership journey.

In 1950, Dr. Kocher sold 57718 to Monsieur De Fenoyl, who recalled collecting it from the doctor’s home in Valence. At that time the car wore metallic gray paint with a dark green accent; M. De Fenoyl later refinished it in gray and black. Maintenance was entrusted to Marcel Piottin, who had been the foreman of the Lyon Bugatti agency. In 1951, while M. De Fenoyl was away on his honeymoon, his father unexpectedly sold the car, beginning its transition into collector ownership.

By 1958, chassis 57718 had crossed the Atlantic to the US. Its first recorded American owner was Lennart Erickson of California, followed in 1962 by Dr. Grant White, a respected academic and early member of the American Bugatti Club. A dedicated collector and restorer of prewar thoroughbreds, Dr. White owned 57718 for roughly three decades. Under his fastidious care, the car remained remarkably intact, its originality preserved at a time when many Bugattis were subject to heavy-handed restorations.

In the early 1990s, the car returned to Europe, joining The Oldtimer Garage in Switzerland before entering one of the world’s premier private Bugatti collections – a stable that included the finest examples of the Type 35, 51, 55, 59, and 57S. Rarely shown, 57718 appeared at the celebrated Bugatti Family exhibition at Vence in 1995 and later, in 2019, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed’s Cartier Style et Luxe Concours. After returning to the US in 2023, the car received specialist mechanical attention from Ivan Dutton Ltd., including fresh upholstery in proper Havana leather, installed under the supervision of renowned trimmer Robert Smith.

Today, chassis 57718 presents with uncommon originality and authenticity. A recent inspection by Bugatti specialist Mark Morris confirmed that the body number (30) is stamped or inscribed on numerous original components – including the wood structures, aluminum panels, and trim elements. Traces of original beige paint were also found in hidden areas, and the original Molsheim data tag survives on the beautifully engine-turned firewall.

Mechanically, 57718 retains its matching-numbers engine, gearbox, and differential (all properly numbered 45C or C45), along with correct Type 57C-specific equipment such as the supercharger and hydraulic braking system. The car’s tasteful aubergine and black livery, mellowed with age, complements the handsome brown leather interior while reflecting its long, continuous preservation.

Among the limited production of Type 57 Atalantes, 57718 stands out for its factory supercharged “C” specification, lightweight aluminum body, matching-numbers driveline, and superb provenance, which dates to its original delivery. Representing Jean Bugatti’s most celebrated road-going design in its purest and rarest form, it is an exceptional example of the model long regarded as the ultimate expression of Le Pur-Sang des Automobiles.

For the connoisseur seeking one of the finest specifications imaginable in a Type 57, this rare alloy-bodied Type 57C Atalante offers a singular opportunity to acquire a masterpiece of prewar automotive design – one that has inspired admiration since the day Dr. Kocher collected it in the summer of 1938.

Further info

See this PDF for the most important of these items.

All items can be seen at Retromobile before the auction on the Arts & Cars stand (Baptiste Nicolosi): Hall 7.3 - Stand K.024.

Further info

• 1934 Bugatti Type 57 Galibier, Chassis no. 57140, Engine no. 35, Estimate: €220,000 - €280,000

The Bugatti Type 57 was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October 1933 as a pillarless four-door saloon named "Galibier". Following the construction of three prototypes built for the presentation, 38 production cars were released in 1934 before Bugatti's own coachbuilding department ceased manufacture of this model. A second, very limited production run of just four bodies in 1935, followed by nine more in 1936, constitutes the second series of Bugatti-built Galibiers, of which only three of the thirteen are known to survive today. Production of the Galibier body by the Molsheim factory then ceased until 1938, when the second series entered production with a more aerodynamic design.

Bugatti Type 57 Galibier chassis no. 57140, corresponding to production number 35, was the 18th example of its kind to leave the Molsheim factory, as confirmed by the number "18" stamped on various wooden and aluminium body components. It is the first of four "C-I" (Conduite Intérieure) bodies built at Molsheim in June 1934, with the coachwork completed on 7 June 1934. Bugatti factory ledgers record that chassis 57140 was invoiced on 1 June 1934 for 61,695 francs to the "Société Marseillaise", run by Gaston Decollas, located at 42 Avenue du Prado in Marseille.

The completed car was dispatched by rail on 8 June 1934 and delivered to its first owner, Monsieur Jean-Michel Storione, at 11 Rue Saint-Jacques in Marseille, registered as 1034 CA 7. The Storione family, originally from Italy, had enjoyed considerable success in Marseille since the late 19th century in the bakery business and were also the founders of the famous Francine brand. Jean-Michel Storione, also known as Jean Storione, was a true connoisseur of mechanical engineering, with a passion for aviation as well as automobiles. Prior to becoming a valued client of the Molsheim marque, he owned several Delage cars. While his Bugattis were purchased through Gaston Decollas, they were maintained twice monthly by Mr Meronni. His Bugatti ownership included a Brescia in 1921, a Type 44 Torpedo in 1929, a Type 55 Roadster in 1933, a Type 49 in 1933, this Type 57 Galibier in 1934, an Atalante in 1938 and finally a Type 57C Stelvio in 1939.

Chassis 57140 also appears in the Bugatti factory mechanical repair archives. On 20 October 1934, when the car was just four months old, its engine was returned to the factory under warranty due to malfunctions. The repair record states: "Overhaul of engine No. 35: the crankcase, cylinder block and one connecting rod were damaged. Piston No. 1 was seized. Rectification required for connecting rods Nos. 4 and 8."

Jean Storione retained his Galibier until 1936, when he sold it—almost certainly through Decollas—to Dr Gustave Cousin, of 27 Boulevard Montricher in Marseille, one of the city's most prominent physicians. Dr Cousin kept the car for many years, registering it under the new registration system on 24 December 1954 as 7983 AQ 13, by then residing at 7 Cours F. Roosevelt (formerly 7 Cours Devilliers). In 1966, Dr Cousin sold chassis 57140 to Jean Brignone, of 47 Rue Monte Cristo, Marseille.

In 1967, the car was acquired by renowned Bugatti hunter Antoine Raffaelli, who recalled his first encounter with 57140: "I went to see the car at the Paragalo garage, 268 Boulevard Baille in Marseille, around 1960. The car was in for servicing for Cousin, and the mechanic was fitting special brake linings for improved braking. He had also cut the cam boxes to make the engine resemble that of an Alfa Romeo 8C! The car was black with blue sides...".

Raffaelli sold the car in the spring of 1967 to Parisian architect Daniel Guidot, then registered as 71 GU 78 and located at 5 Allée du Colombier, Le Pecq. Shortly thereafter, Guidot participated in the Paris–Nice Rally with 57140. Born in 1922, Daniel Guidot had served in the French Resistance during the war as a navigator for the Royal Air Force. A devoted Bugatti enthusiast, he also owned a Type 46 Vanvooren coachbuilt car and a Type 35A.

In 1974, chassis 57140 was sold to Jean Vilette, a member of the Club Bugatti France. Although based in Paris, Vilette worked near the German border, and by the mid-1980s the car was listed by the German Bugatti Club in 1989 as belonging to Walter Metz of Moosbrunn.

Later acquired by Feierabend Klassic Technik, the Bugatti was offered for sale at the 40th Essen Classic Show in 2007. It was subsequently sold to Roland d'Ieteren and intended as the basis for a Type 57S project for Jean-Jacques Strubb. Sadly, Strubb's fatal accident at the wheel of his Type 51 in April 2010 brought the project to an end, and chassis 57140 was not sold again until 2013, when it was acquired by noted marque enthusiast José Piger. The car remained untouched until its sale in 2019 to a Danish owner, at which time it largely retained its 1960s condition.

Acquired by the current owner in 2024, chassis 57140 has since undergone a comprehensive restoration carried out largely by the owner's own specialist workshops. The body was restored with particular attention to the wooden frame and metal panels before being repainted in its original colour scheme, as evidenced by a photograph dating from 1966. At the same time, the interior was restored to its original patterns, trimmed in an elegant red hue that harmonises beautifully with the woodwork and beige carpets.

The car retains its original crankcase stamped "35 – 57140" and still features its Jaeger black-faced instruments on the dashboard. Several body components retain the stamped number "18", confirming its position as the 18th Galibier produced by Bugatti's coachbuilding department. The original identification plate remains affixed to the bulkhead. The chassis frame is stamped 33 which seems consistent with the factory numbering sequence.

Offered with its Laugier report, Danish registration document and a comprehensive history file containing period photographs and documentation of the recent restoration, this Bugatti Type 57 Galibier is regarded as "one of the most authentic surviving examples of this first design by Joseph Walter, created in 1932 for the new Type 57 chassis."

Further info