Two cute little Type 52, "Baby", Bugattis on diplay.
Photo: Jacob Munkhammar, Reference

Just for fun, Ettore Bugatti built a miniature Type 35 racer with an electric motor for his youngest son, Roland.
This little toy car became so popular among the rich of Europe at the time, that he decided to put it into production. The first - Roland's car - was built in 1927, but judging from the Type 52 designation, production didn't start until 1930.

Type 52 wasn't just a toy-car, it was a serious racing machine - at least it was sometimes used as one. Competitions were held with these cars, and fields of a dozen Type 52 could be seen competing on oval tracks. A Bugatti owner is always a Bugatti owner!

Around ninety Type 52 are thought to have been made, in two different sizes: the "true" miniature, and a longer version with larger driver's compartment, for larger children. Like any Bugatti you could have it as you wanted it, as long as you could pay for it.

It wasn't always easy, though. When the Hungarian distributor fancied the idea of importing Type 52, the custom office decided it was an automobile and applied the same duty as for a normal Bugatti!