Bugatti news, 2025 Plus events

Next month, the Hawkes Bay Vintage Car Club, in collaboration with the Art Deco Trust, will host the annual Art Deco Rally in Napier. This year, the focus falls on Bugatti, the French marque being the Art Deco Festival’s featured car.

From February 12th to 16th, expect to see a number of Bugattis and other cars from the 1920s cruising the streets of Napier and the wider Hawke’s Bay region, participating in the various rally events organised by the Hawkes Bay Vintage Car Club.

The highlight of the weekend will be the gathering of cars on Saturday the 15th in front of the Napier Sound Shell. Of the 15 known Bugatti’s in New Zealand, 12 will be present, including an impressive collection of four Type 57 models.

One of these is a Type 57 Atlantic recreation. Of the four Atlantics originally produced, only two are known to survive. Tom Andrews from the Classics museum in Hamilton, New Zealand, acquired a barn-find Type 57 (57579) in France ten years ago. As Andrews set about fully restoring the Type 57 Ventoux, he was inspired to also build a faithful recreation of one of the lost Atlantic models too. This recreation will be unveiled to the public on Thursday, February 15th, at the Masonic Hotel on Napier’s Marine Parade.

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• 1930 Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix, Chassis: 4947, Engine: 201T, Estimate: $1,000,000 - $1,800,000

Offered from the Collection of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

• A genuine supercharged Type 35B model, with known history since new
• Raced in Europe both before and after WWII at notable venues, including Monaco, Dieppe, Comminges, Bugatti Grand Prix at Le Mans, and Chimay, as well as hillclimb events
• Only six owners, including Georges Bouriano, Arthur Legat, and Colonel George “Fearless” Felton
• Part of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum’s collection since 1960
• Retains its original chassis frame, engine, and rear axle
• A provenance-rich competition Bugatti, from 65 years of distinguished ownership

THE BUGATTI TYPE 35
With the Bugatti Type 35’s first appearance at the 1924 French Grand Prix held at Lyon, there was no doubt to anyone who saw the car run that this was an automobile that had it all: durability, mechanical functionality, and a wonderful sporting exterior design. The Type 35’s best finish for that race was a respectable 7th overall, but it was clear that the car had the potential for greater success following future tuning and refinement. Indeed, in its many variations, it would eventually become the most successful racing car, in number of total victories - a record which it still holds today and likely will never lose.

Bugatti’s final iteration of the Type 35 would be the Type 35TC, or as the model came to be called, the Type 35B. This new model, which bore the same 2.3-liter, eight-cylinder motor as the earlier Type 35T, was outfitted with a supercharger that was similar to the one in the Type 35C, albeit slightly larger and more powerful. In its day, the Type 35B boasted incredible performance figures, and these figures are still respectable today. It was capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in just six seconds, and it had a top speed of 125 mph.

CHASSIS 4947 IN ACTION
The Type 35B in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum’s collection, chassis number 4947, was completed in the autumn of 1929. While the American Bugatti Club Register postures that the car was retained and raced by the factory in the European Grand Prix, there were no significant races on the schedule between the car’s completion and its final sale in March 1930 to Romanian racing driver Georges Bouriano. Bouriano is best-remembered for his 2nd-place finish in a Bugatti Type 35C at Monaco in 1929, behind only the famous Bugatti works driver William Charles Frederick Grover-Williams, also known as “W Williams,” in a Type 35B. Bouriano registered this car, chassis number 4947, on temporary plates “1656-WW5” and drove it away from Molsheim.

According to historian Pierre-Yves Laugier, Bouriano recounted that his successes in his previously, used Type 35 had resulted in Ettore Bugatti selling “me a new car at a very special price. I entered the new 35B in the 1930 Monaco race. I slowly gained on Chiron and Bouriat; we all three arrived at a certain corner. It is characteristic of me that I will not accept to be passed and I came out first, but had hit a sandbag, sand got into the carburetor, and then into the compressor which seized, and I had to abandon [the effort].”

His subsequent entries in the car included the Bordino Grand Prix, where the car survived a rather spectacular accident only to be repaired by the factory. It was also run in grand prix races at Dieppe and Comminges, both in France and important circuits in the early days of motor racing; Bouriano retired in both cases, with unspecified mechanical issues and a broken piston ring, respectively.

The last known racing event for 1930 was the Bugatti Grand Prix at Le Mans. Held from 1928 through 1930 at the venue that is famous for its 24-hour endurance race, the Bugatti Grand Prix was an interesting event open to all Bugatti owners; although both amateur and professional drivers were eligible to compete, no factory-backed cars were permitted. Unfortunately, Bouriano retired from the 1930 event with a bent steering arm after hitting an animal on the track.

No records exist of Bouriano racing the car in 1931, but in 1932 he returned to Chimay, Belgium for the Grand Prix des Frontières, held on 15 May on an approximately 6.5-mile street circuit. There, he led the race in the first lap and set a lap record for the circuit at 125 km/h, only to DNF following a carburetor fire.

In 1934, Bouriano sold the car to a prolific competitor and three-time winner at Chimay, Belgian racing driver Arthur Legat, who upgraded from his prior Type 37A. Legat dubbed his new Bugatti La Boule II and also competed with the car, and with much greater success than its original private owner. Legat continued to compete at Chimay until 1939, driving chassis 4947 with the exception of 1936, when the event organizer asked him to use his Type 37A instead. Although outright victory eluded him, he placed 2nd in 1937, 7th in 1938, and 2nd again in the 1939 running of the Grand Prix des Frontières.

Yet circuit racing was not the Type 35’s only strength, and Legat also put his La Boule II through its paces at hillclimb events. Not long after acquiring the car in 1934, he took 2nd at the hillclimb held at Opbrakel in Belgium, as well as 1st in both the Bomerée and Wavre hillclimbs, also in Belgium.

During World War II the car was sold to Pierre Vingerhoedts of Antwerp, who modified it with an “aerodynamic body” that would be used until 1948. As shown in a photograph taken in 1946, however, this “new” body was in fact a superficial update of the original Molsheim sheet metal, consisting largely of a streamlined radiator surround and a tailfin that was attached to the car’s original tail section.

Despite Vingerhoedts’ ownership, he continued to allow Legat to drive the car in events for at least two years. Its first post-war outing was on familiar turf: The Grand Prix des Frontières in Chimay, Belgium, where Legat, and the car, retired during the 10th lap with engine trouble. The car once again retired from the 1947 edition of the race due to drive shaft issues, again with Legat driving. That June, chassis 4947 again proved its mettle as a hillclimb contender: Vingerhoedts piloted it to victory at the 1 km hillclimb at Huy, Belgium, at what would be that event’s final running. It would prove to be chassis 4947’s final European race outing, as well.

FEARLESS FELTON’S BUGATTI
Following a crash in 1948, which reportedly occurred during preparations for that year’s grand prix in Chimay, Vingerhoedts fitted the Bugatti with a modern, Maserati-style single-seat racing body. The car was apparently never raced in this configuration, however, and by 1955 Vingerhoedts had resold the car to the prolific Dutch (Belgian, Ed.) Bugatti dealer Jean de Dobbeleer. A photo on file shows the car in de Dobbeleer’s garage, wearing this updated bodywork.

De Dobbeleer handled an enormous number of cars in the post-war era, dealing many of them to enthusiasts elsewhere in Europe and the United States. In this instance, the car was sold to Colonel George S. Felton. “Fearless Felton” was one of the best-known figures in the early automobile hobby on the East Coast, famously serving as the first vice-president of the Vintage Sports Car Club of America. He had the Bugatti restored by another notable participant in the dawn of the hobby, Edgar Roy of Roxbury, Massachusetts.

It is presently unknown whether Felton received chassis 4947 (which he called it 'Decibelle') - from de Dobbeleer with the updated monoposto bodywork still fitted, or whether it had been returned to its original configuration prior to its export to the United States. Close inspection of the bodywork, including by RM Specialists, indicates that the hood, belly pans, and tail sections of the bodywork are original, Molsheim-made components, with only the cowl area showing evidence of later fabrication or significant repair.

Further, the Winter 1956 issue of Bugantics includes a photo of chassis 4947, with a caption indicating that the car was then “nearing the end of a rebuild” and showing the cowl, tail section, and belly pans already fitted to the chassis. The Spring 1957 issue shows Felton behind the wheel of his completed Bugatti—a relatively rapid restoration timeline that further supports the fitment of original body components with minimal fabrication work.

Alas, after racing the Bugatti only once, Colonel Felton passed away suddenly in November 1959. Edgar Roy sold the car on behalf of the estate to Anton "Tony" Hulman Jr. for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, which took receipt in 1960 and has now owned this special automobile for a remarkable 65 years.

Inspection of the car today shows that it retains much of the Roy restoration, with certain liberties often taken by even the best craftsmen in that early “enthusiast” era of collecting, including non-original instruments, an AC fuel pump, and a Zenith 38U carburetor, likely for durability in racing, just as the hydraulic brakes were fitted for safety, although the latter was done with minimal modification and utilizing the original backing plates and shoes.

Yet underneath is an excellent and correct Grand Prix Bugatti, one that retains its original chassis frame, engine, and rear axle, as confirmed by Laugier, and, in fact, numbers in nearly all the areas that a Bugattiste would seek to find then. The gearbox cover still bears the correct original number markings, although the gearbox itself is believed to be a factory replacement casting. The fuel tank is even the original, and the replacement front axle is an original Bugatti piece, albeit from a Type 51! This is an unusually mechanically pure supercharged Grand Prix Bugatti, with, even more remarkably, continuously known history back to its original owner—indeed, it has had only six owners in its nearly century-long lifetime. With its record of European racing both before and after WWII, it contributed to the Type 35’s immortal motorsport legend, and it has been fittingly preserved on the grounds of one of the world’s great temples of speed, within the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, for over six decades.

Its offering here marks an exquisite opportunity to acquire a car of character and personality, still very much the automobile that Bouriano experienced at speed on some of Europe’s greatest circuits.

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• 1930 Bugatti Type 50 Roadster, relatively new body by Crailville, Chassis 50116

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Furthermore loads of parts, miniatures and books. And of course there's much more than just Bugattis...

Surprise at Retromobile

The surprise can be found at the booth of Julien Dubrulle, Hall 1 - A049.

I do not have further info.... Yet.

Than there will be the accompanying auctions, one by Artcurial, who shows the Automobiles on auction at the Retromobile itself, but also a few others, organised also in Paris around the same time, at other venues.

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• 1929 Bugatti Type 37, Chassis: 37363, Engine: 252, Estimate: €980,000 - €1,300,000
• 1933 Bugatti Type 49 Drophead Coupé by Van Rijswijk, Chassis: 49570, Engine: L458, Estimate: €400,000 - €550,000
• 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet by Gangloff, Chassis: 57431, Engine: 314, Estimate: €480,000 - €600,000
• 2022 Bugatti Centodieci, Chassis: VF9SE3V33NM795006, Estimate: €10,000,000 - €15,000,000
• 1920? Bugatti Baby II Children's Car by the Little Car company, number 043/500, Estimate: €40,000 - €70,000
• Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Children's Car by the Cyclekart Company, number 03/10, Estimate: €40,000 - €60,000

1929 Bugatti Type 37, Chassis: 37363

• One of approximately only 220 examples of the Type 37 built from 1926 to 1930
• Matching-numbers 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine
• Known ownership history from new in France; retained by prominent collector Jean-Michel Cérède for 43 years and bought by the consignor in June 2013
• Attended the 1966 opening of the Bugatti Circuit and 2009 International Bugatti Meeting
• Documented and inspected by renowned marque historian Pierre Yves Laugier

A more attainable version of the legendary Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix, the Type 37 of 1926 shared its bigger brother’s chassis and beautiful bodywork. Trading a straight-eight engine for a new single overhead camshaft inline four-cylinder motor, it delivered 60 horsepower via a four-speed manual transmission. It is thought that only 220 examples were completed.

Marque historian Pierre Yves Laugier reports that the engine numbered “252” was built in December 1927 and mated to chassis 37363 the following month. A letter dated December 1956 from the factory (available on file) notes that the completed car left Molsheim in September 1929 before being driven to Limoges to be delivered to its first owner, Bugatti dealer Léon Boucher. A regular hill climb entrant, he is said to have a hit 180 km/h on a stretch of road between Paris and Limoges aboard his Type 43 Grand Sport.

Chassis 37363 was likely spotted in public wearing dealership numberplates, since it was not formally registered until May 1934, when it was acquired by Mr André Fayette of Paris. The Type 37 then returned to Limoges in August 1935, having been bought by 21-year-old Jean-Pierre Labuze. Remaining in the city, the car was purchased by Maurice Jean Gaume in the spring before an August 1936 sale to entrepreneur Jean Benoit.

Come June 1946, the car was residing in Paris and surfaced again in April 1951 under the care of car and motorcycle repair business owner, Jean Renard. He sold the Type 37 to journalist Jacques Levy before, in December 1955, it was purchased by Yves Leriche. The following December, chassis 37363 moved to fellow Saint-Cloud resident, Francis Muel.

Mr Muel also owned a Type 37A, chassis 37374. When the supercharged car was damaged by fire, he swapped the two chassis plates. The example offered here then took part in the 1958 equivalent of the Le Mans Classic, where it was driven by George Delaroche, the runner-up in the 1934 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Muel had the engine rebuilt in time for his wedding before selling at the end of 1961, with the car registered in the December by Jean-Michel Cérède of Vésinet. The collector retained chassis 37363 for the next four decades. Notably, during his custodianship, this Type 37 appeared at the first public event held at the permanent Bugatti Le Mans Circuit in 1966.

The car was sold to an enthusiast in Normandy in February 2004, at which point it was mechanically and cosmetically recommissioned. In May 2009, chassis 37363 was exhibited at the International Bugatti Meeting in Maremma as the manufacturer celebrated its centenary. Meanwhile, the owner of the Type 37A called upon the expertise of Laugier, which ultimately led to both cars being formally paired with their original chassis plates.

Purchased by the Paris-based consignor in June 2013, the car received restoration work from Bugatti specialist Garage Novo in Marolles-en-Hurepoix. This Type 37—complete with its original chassis and plate, plus cam cover numbered “252”—boasts a fascinating known history and is presented with beautiful patina. It would make for a wonderful addition to any discerning collection.

1933 Bugatti Type 49 Drophead Coupé by Van Rijswijk, Chassis: 49570

• A rare and attractive example of Bugatti’s luxurious Type 49
• Coachwork by the Dutch royal coachbuilder, B.T. Van Rijswijk & Zoon of Den Haag
• Outstanding provenance—displayed when new on the Van Rijswijk stand at the 1934 Amsterdam International Motor Show
• Inspected by Pierre-Yves Laugier with assistance from Kees Jansen
• Retains its original chassis frame and plate, engine, front and rear axles, and gearbox
• Presented in its original colours

Chassis number 49570 was built at the Molsheim factory at the end of May 1933, using a long 3.22-metre wheelbase chassis and it was fitted with engine number L458. The running chassis cost 38.000 French francs and was invoiced to the European agent B.U.C.A.R. of Zurich, being transported by rail on 21 November 1933.

The first owner was a car dealer, later Jaguar agent, called N.V.J.W. Lagerwij of La Haye, Holland. It was registered "HX 31549", and in early 1934 it was displayed in pride of place on the Van Rijswijk stand, No. 100, at the Amsterdam International Motor Show at the RAI. It was described in the 15 February 1934 issue of magazine De Auto as having a black body, black leather hood, and red leather seats.

Lagerwij did not keep it long as it was sold to Mr E. Blaisse. It appears it passed to Blaisse’s son Erik Steven, later owner of the distillery, Van Zuylekom, and other Bugattis. Erik Steven sold chassis 49570 to Wilhelm Anton Te Gussinko of Alten on 25 March 1946, who in turn sold it to H. James A.M. Coebergh of the Coeberg Bessen Jenever distillery on 30 August 1952. He kept it for less than a year when it is sold on 15 June 1953 to P. Deelen Jnr of Lekkerkerk.

Deelen kept this wonderful Type 49 for nearly a decade when ownership passed to Garage Limborg in 1962 and they rebuilt the engine. It then went to Bugatti collector Henk Groenwegen of Rotterdam, who passed away in 1974, and it later joined to the world famous collection of Evert Louwman. Gert Jan Moed bought the Bugatti in 2000 and a restoration was completed in April 2005, returning 49570 to its original colours. In 2011, it was purchased at auction by The Curated Collection.

An inspection of this wonderful Bugatti by Pierre-Yves Laugier shows that the mechanicals of this Type 49 are highly original, with the engine, gearbox, front and rear axles all bearing the stamping of 458. Both crankcases carry the assembly number of 22 proving their originality. The chassis plate is also the original item. All six of the aluminium Bugatti wheels are numbered, five of them are dated from July 1933 and the sixth is from the end of August 1933.

The central part of the body is original and was conserved during the restoration, and the rear, as well as the wings, were recreated as the originals were modified after World War II. The red leather in the interior appears to be original apart from the driver’s seat which has been retrimmed. It should be noted that the engine runs but the block has a previously repaired crack which is no longer sealed—a repair or replacement block would be recommend prior to proper use.

A truly special Bugatti, which has remained in Holland for most of its life, this rare and attractive Type 49 is worthy of a place in any pre-war collection.

Below some pictures indicating the uniqueness of this "Dutch" Bugatti, with images from it's time in the Netherlands.

1936 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet by Gangloff, Chassis: 57431

• A highly desirable Cabriolet ‘Stelvio’ by esteemed coachbuilder Gangloff
• Features special profiled wings by Gangloff
• Importantly retains its original body, chassis, chassis plate, engine and gearbox
• Known history for much of its existence
• Inspected by Pierre-Yves Laugier with assistance from Kees Jansen

This Type 57 was assembled at the Molsheim factory during April 1936 and it was transported to Gangloff’s workshop at Colmar on 25 July 1936. The attractive four-seat ‘Stelvio’ body was finished on 9 September 1936 and was invoiced at a price of 16,000 French francs with a further 450 FF for creating a special profile for the front wings. The running chassis cost 45.000 French francs.

Chassis 57431 was delivered to its first owner Mr Muracciole on 16 September 1936—this is believed to be Etienne Muracciole. Etienne was a lawyer and General Counsel, whilst a noted car and aeroplane enthusiast having served as the President of the Automobile Club of Constantine and the Aeroclub in 1928, before being elected President of the Automobile Club of Algeria in 1934. It then passed into the hands of Emile Knecht, the importer for Algeria of Terrot motorcycles. It was then sold to a certain ‘Pasha’ who raced stock cars in Alger.

In 1962, an American called David Mize travelled to Algeria and discovered Pasha’s collection of Delahayes, Delages and this Type 57. In the summer of 1963, he purchased chassis 57431 and exported it to Marseille. It was received by Guy Huet and Rob Noorlander, who drove it back to Holland in the rain without a hood! During 1964, it was stored at Noorlander’s garage in Pijnacker, sat amongst other Bugatti’s awaiting shipment to New York. It disappeared after Guy Huet delivered the car to Antwerp and it was left on the side of the port for several weeks.

At the start of the early Seventies, it was acquired by Jacques Antoine de Biolley of Brussels, before being purchased by Edmond Perry on 29 June 1976. Perry is best known for his company APAL, which built VW-Porsche specials. Perry sold the car to Ennio Gianaroli of Liège in 1994. Gianaroli was an Italian émigré collector of Ferraris and Bugattis. He sold the car to Jos Vander Stappen, who’s son Pascale sold this Bugatti to The Curated Collection in November 2016.

Analysis by Pierre-Yves Laugier shows that the car retains its original chassis plate, and the engine is stamped with 57431. Its original number, 314, has been erased and restamped with 108, but the two crankcases retain the original assembly number 81 so it is the original engine. The frame number 84 is in the series of the new design of mounting with a suspended engine and redesigned crossmembers.

The gearbox is stamped 314 and corresponds with the original engine number. The Gangloff body is entirely original, and the wood frame appears to be old. The paintwork has been completed more recently. Interested parties should note that this Bugatti has been on static display for many years so it will require some recommissioning prior to use.

2022 Bugatti Centodieci, Chassis: VF9SE3V33NM795006

• One of just 10 examples produced
• A stunning tribute to the EB110 series, the celebrated Italian Bugatti of the 1990s
• Features Chiron-based mechanical elements adorned with heritage-influenced coachwork
• Shocking performance envelope of 0-100 km/h in 2.4 seconds with a top speed of 380 km/h
• Benefits from fastidious care during a single dedicated Swiss-based ownership
• Displays extremely low use with just 437 kilometres (272 miles)
• Factory finished in the opulent colour combination of Quartz White and Grey Carbon over a full leather interior of Beluga Black and Gris Rafale hides
• Documented with original purchase contract, build-spec sheet, and TÜV paperwork

Over the past 17 years, the modern Bugatti Automobiles SAS has built several limited-production variants of its two legendary hypercars, the Veyron and the Chiron, many of them paying tribute to a driver or model from the company’s prewar golden era. But in August 2019, at the exclusive The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, the Molsheim-based hypercar manufacturer unveiled something even more special—the Centodieci.

For the first time, Molsheim was officially acknowledging the importance of the brief but beautiful Italian foray into the Bugatti genealogy, Romano Artioli’s early 1990s embodiment of the long-dormant Bugatti marque. Named for the number 110 (in Italian), the Centodieci was not only a tribute to Artioli’s iconic Bugatti EB110 and EB110 SS models, but a commemoration of the marque’s 110th anniversary, having originally been founded by Ettore Bugatti in 1909.

The chassis and drivetrain of the Centodieci were closely derived from the concurrent Chiron, while boasting a more highly developed version of the 8.0-litre quad-turbocharged W-16 engine, now making 1,600 PS (a specification soon followed in subsequent Chiron variants). In addition to the uplift in power, the newest Bugatti shed 20 kilograms of unladen weight, and featured revised steering algorithms for more dynamic handling. With these improvements, the Centodieci could reach 100 km/h from a standstill in just 2.4 seconds, with an electronically limited top speed of 380 km/h—astonishing performance figures that remain competitive today.

In tribute to the great EB110, the Centodieci featured entirely novel coachwork that hinted at its forebear’s wedge-themed design motifs, including a small horseshoe grille, pointed front splitter, extremely narrow headlamps, circular inlets in the C-pillars, and a fixed rear wing. Just 10 examples of the Centodieci were slated for production, and by the time of Bugatti’s August 2019 introduction of the model, all 10 cars had been reserved by eager buyers.

With the final example delivered in December 2022, the Centodieci remains one of the rarest and most distinctive of the special models based on the Chiron, featuring exquisite coachwork and heritage associations. The fascinating tribute to the Italian Bugatti supercar justifiably sits at the top of Molsheim’s celebrated line of heritage-based models, sure to enjoy continued appreciation within the hypercar market.

As the Bugatti brand now embarks on a new hybridized V-16 era, limited edition W-16-powered models are spotlighted as the most significant creations of a pivotal era in the 125-year history of the marque. For two decades, the W-16 was at the apex of internal combustion development and remains one of the most complex road car engines ever built.

As clarified by a purchase contract and Bugatti specification sheet on file, chassis number 006 was ordered new in August 2019 by a Swiss collector. The magnificent Centodieci was finished in a two-tone livery of Quartz White and Grey Carbon over an interior trimmed in Beluga Black and Gris Rafale leather with Black Anodised trim parts and Glacier door sills.

The Bugatti has been ideally maintained and only minimally driven during its sole ownership, displaying an incredibly low 437 kilometres at the time of cataloguing. Having enjoyed such little use, it is understandable that the Centodieci has never undergone a service appointment, although bidders should note that Bugatti’s four-year manufacturer’s warranty went into effect upon delivery in September 2022, implying that the car remains eligible for service under warranty until September 2026.

As an extremely rare and distinctively styled speed machine built during Molsheim’s modern era, one that furthermore has accrued only 437 kilometres, this Bugatti is undoubtedly one of the most highly desirable luxury/performance cars in today’s market. Ideally suited for the dedicated marque collector or hypercar completist, the Centodieci beautifully evokes one of the marque’s most celebrated chapters, sure to strike the hearts of enthusiasts far and wide.

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• 1924 Bugatti Type 23 'Brescia' Open Tourer Chassis no. 2064, Estimate: €250,000 - €300,000
• 1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix Two-Seater, Chassis: 4644, Engine: 45 (ex 4640), Estimate: €900,000 - €1,300,000 (sold without reserve)
• "1928" Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix Continuation Chassis no. "4858", Engine no. 125T, Estimate: €360,000 - €480,000
• 1928 Bugatti T43 Grand Sport Chassis no. 43219, Estimate: €1,000,000 - €1,500,000
• Baby Bugatti, Short chassis n°454, Estimate: €80,000 - €100,000
• 1936 Bugatti Type 57 cabriolet 4 places Coachwork by Maltby, Chassis: 57379, Engine: 273, Estimate: €400,000 - €600,000

1924 Bugatti Type 23 'Brescia' Open Tourer Chassis no. 2064

1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix Two-Seater, Chassis: 4644

1928 Bugatti T43 Grand Sport Chassis no. 43219

Baby Bugatti, Short chassis n°454
The automobile held a special place in the Bugatti family. Roland, Ettore's youngest son, could not be left out. For his fourth birthday in 1926, Ettore built him a faithful 1/2 scale replica of the celebrated Bugatti 35 Grand Prix, then at the height of its glory. This would become the famous Baby Bugatti.

Presented on the marque's stand at the Milan Motor Show in 1927, rich and famous clients acquired them for their offspring. It was a modest commercial success. Less than 500 examples were built as Ettore Bugatti realised that not all children were comfortable with the 1/2 scale. The chassis was soon lengthened, with 22 louvres on the bonnet in place of 20 on the rare first models like the one on offer today.

This model enjoyed its own catalogue and was displayed at Bugatti dealerships alongside its big sisters. Often to be spotted at fashionable beaches such as Deauville and Nice, it gave rise to fiercely contested competitions with its top speeds of 15 to 18 km/h. Proud owners included the future Kings Hassan II of Morocco and Baudouin of Belgium.

This Baby Bugatti, chassis n°454, is known as a short chassis (20 bonnet louvres). It features aluminium bodywork and wheels, with a steel chassis. Dashboard with Bugatti-branded ammeter and gear change lever (forward, neutral and reverse). Fitted with a 12- volt electric engine operated by a rheostat-accelerator, "Dunlop Cord Balloon" tyres on removable spoke wheels. Leather bonnet straps, seat and spare wheel strap. Boyce Motometer type radiator cap and 2-eared petrol cap. Brakes on all four wheels operated by external lever. Restored in the iconic blue, presented in working condition. It rests on four correctly sized jack stands.

1936 Bugatti Type 57 cabriolet 4 places Coachwork by Maltby, Chassis: 57379

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• 1930 Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix, Chassis 51154, Engine 17, Estimate: €1,700,000 - €2,300,000
• 1935 Bugatti Type 57 cabriolet Stelvio, Chassis 57182, Engine 160, Estimate: €350,000 - €500,000
• 1995 Bugatti EB110 GT, Chassis 99, Estimate: €1,200,000 - €1,500,000

Full information on all the cars, including images.

930 Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix, Chassis 51154, Engine 17

1935 Bugatti Type 57 cabriolet Stelvio, Chassis 57182, Engine 160

1995 Bugatti EB110 GT, Chassis 99

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January 16 - 19, 2025 Interclassics Maastricht, the Netherlands

The first classic car show of the year, now in it's 30th edition! Not of the same quality as Retromobile of course, but always interesting.

And hopefully Chantal Prick continued (again) the legacy of her father Jean with a special Bugatti stand!

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• 1938 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet by Letourneur et Marchand, Chassis: 57644, Engine: 470, Estimate: $750,000 - $1,000,000
• 1939 Bugatti Type 57 C Atalante by Gangloff, Chassis 57828, Engine: 100C, Estimate: $1,750,000 - $2,500,000

1938 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet by Letourneur et Marchand, Chassis 57644

• One of just eight series-produced cabriolets built on the Type 57 chassis by Letourneur et Marchand
• Retains numbers-matching engine and coachwork
• Benefits from 66 years of uninterrupted care during prior single-family ownership
• Comprehensively restored in the late 2010s by marque experts
• Mechanically upgraded with period-correct supercharger
• Class award winner at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

Finished in green paint over lighter green coves, and trimmed with green leather upholstery, the Bugatti was equipped with a klaxon, side lamps, and traffic indicator lamps. Delivered in November 1938 to an agent in Paris, the Type 57 was initially retailed to a Frenchman named S. Jaspart. In 1945 the cabriolet was registered to a new owner in The Netherlands, commencing a short chain of Dutch ownership that culminated in 1949 with acquisition by Rudi van Daalen Wetters.

Mr. van Daalen Wetters was a pilot in the Dutch Air Force who became an attaché to Prince Bernhard following World War II. He was soon assigned to lead a jet pilot training mission in the United States, and during his preparation at the American Embassy he met his future wife. The dashing couple moved to New York City in 1951, and the rare Bugatti Type 57 accompanied them.

Mr. van Daalen Wetters repainted the green upper bodywork sections in red, although he allowed the beautiful green upholstery to remain, and before long he and his wife relocated to Burbank, California. As the caretaker of a modest collection of Talbot-Lagos and Bugattis (including the exquisite Aravis, chassis number 57768), the owner soon became known in the local collector car niche. In 1985 the legendary racing driver Phil Hill introduced Mr. van Daalen Wetters to the consignor, noting their similar taste in interwar French automobiles, and it was then that the current owner first became familiar with 57644. He was struck by the car’s impressive originality and instantly smitten.

Although Mr. van Daalen Wetters and his wife drove the Bugatti around the Los Angeles area from time to time, they eventually shipped the car back to Europe for use in European driving events. After being returned to Los Angeles, the cabriolet was stored and remained undriven for a number of years, particularly following the owner's passing in 1999.

In 2015 Mr. van Daalen Wetters’ widow sold the Bugatti to the consignor, who had known and appreciated the car for so long. This transfer concluded an amazing period of 66 years of dedicated single-family ownership, ensuring that the Type 57 continues to display a remarkable degree of originality today.

The consignor immediately set about a full refurbishment, commissioning the highly respected Bugatti specialist Scott Sargent of New Hampshire to perform a thorough restoration, including a refinish in the consignor’s preferred color scheme, green over light green over green, mirroring the cabriolet’s original factory appearance. The matching-numbers engine and gearbox were entrusted to the esteemed Leydon Restorations of Pennsylvania for a complete rebuild, and the opportunity was taken to tastefully upgrade the engine with a period-correct supercharger, effectively lifting the car to Type 57C power ratings. This performance-enhancing modification, which remains easily reversible, was particularly convenient due to the design of the later Type 57 engines, which featured a covered inlet to which a blower could be quickly attached.

Upon completion, the immaculate Bugatti was exhibited at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it successfully completed the Tour d’Elegance before taking home a class award. The Type 57 also participated in the International Bugatti Rally in Saratoga Springs a few weeks later. The cabriolet has been additionally shown at the 2019 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, as well as a handful of local Southern California shows.

Retaining its numbers-matching engine and coachwork, and claiming 66 years of uninterrupted care by a doting Dutch family, this unique open Type 57 is additionally distinguished by its rarity as one of just eight examples featuring the exceptional Letourneur et Marchand cabriolet coachwork. A true prize for any serious Bugatti collector, 57644 is ready for immediate use in vintage driving events or further exhibitions, certain to draw the envy of Bugattistes worldwide.

1939 Bugatti Type 57 C Atalante by Gangloff, Chassis 57828

• A very late-production Atalante; produced to order by Gangloff to a unique “long-tail” design
• Numerous special original details, including the sought-after roll-top roof
• Factory-supercharged 57 C chassis, retaining its original engine and gearbox
• Known history from new and accompanied by report from marque expert Pierre-Yves Laugier
• Only two owners from 1955 to 1996 when acquired by the Petersen Automotive Museum
• A magnificent example of the Bugatti Type 57 C with stunning one-off coachwork

Bugatti’s ultimate pre-war roadgoing model, the Type 57 was the successor to the swift and comfortable Type 49, but it shared little except for the bore and stroke of its inline eight-cylinder engine. The design was steadily revised between 1934 and the end of production in 1939, with the late third series cars like chassis 57828, offered here, benefitting from nearly every engineering upgrade developed for the Type 57, including a reinforced cross-braced chassis, strengthened rear axle, rubber engine mounts, telescopic shock absorbers, and Lockheed hydraulic brakes. Optionally available beginning in 1937 was a supercharged engine with a Roots-type blower, identified as a Type 57 C, which could boast over 160 horsepower—a significant improvement over a stock Type 57.

When the Type 57 was introduced in 1934, Bugatti offered three body styles designed in-house, built primarily by the factory coachworks in Molsheim, and named after famous mountain peaks and passes in the French and Italian Alps: the Galibier four-door pillarless saloon, the Ventoux two-door saloon, and the Stelvio drophead coupe with coachwork subcontracted to Gangloff of Colmar. A sleek two-seat sports coupe, the Atalante, conceived by Jean Bugatti and inspired by the Aérolithe coupe, arrived in 1936. It cost twice as much as some other factory offerings. As a result, only 33 Type 57 Atalantes were built, in addition to 17 constructed on the Type 57 S chassis, with some of the most exclusive examples actually produced by Gangloff by special order, rather than by the factory shops.

Chassis number 57828 is recorded on the factory build records as the most desired object, a factory-supercharged Type 57 C, noted by the “C” suffix on its original engine number, 100, which remains in place to this day. It was produced in May of 1939, a year in which, as is noted in the American Bugatti Club Register, the factory coachworks were focused nearly entirely on production of the four-door Galibier, and thus the more sporting and rakish designs had either been outsourced in limited numbers or simply ceased altogether. Nonetheless, when famed driver and prominent Hotchkiss dealer Louis Dupont of Oran, Algeria placed a custom order for the ultimate sports coupe on the 24th of March 1939, Bugatti responded and ultimately delivered one of the last great Type 57s.

Dupont’s order was for an Atalante. Because Carrosserie Bugatti had discontinued the design by this point, Gangloff built the special-order body—listed by Barrie Price as one of perhaps only five or six Atalante “specials” built by them to a Molsheim design revised by Lucien Schlatter with slightly larger dimensions and extended rear bodywork and fenders.

Reportedly one of the most expensive Bugattis produced in 1939, chassis number 57828 offers a fascinating combination of the best design features introduced throughout Atalante production. It possessed the more sensual Aravis-type “long-tail” styling, but had a rolling fabric roof that retracted fully back to the rear deck, known to Bugatti enthusiasts as the “bureau top.” Finished to design number 4011, it was a unique creation, and Atalante in everything but its name—officially, it was a coupé decouvrable, in reference to the opening roof. Dupont’s nephew Jean de Flotte recounted to historian Pierre-Yves Laugier that his uncle had raced Amilcars, Alfa Romeos, and Delahayes, and bought the Bugatti with competition intentions.

The completed car was delivered on 5 August 1939 and is believed to have been kept in Algeria throughout the war years as it was re-registered in Oran in 1952. In late 1954 it went to the well-known Parisian Bugatti garage of Francis Mortarini, then sold in 1955 to longtime Bugattiste Georges Combe, where it remained in Paris and was registered there as 5065 DJ 75. Interestingly, Laugier notes that in May 1955 the car was brought to the renowned Figoni coachworks in Boulogne sur Seine, to have work done on the windshield and doors. Photographs of the car in this era clearly show it in its present form, including the bold chromed “arrows” on the beltline moldings and tail fin.

Following 22 years of regular use, including in occasional rallies and hillclimbs, Mr. Combe’s estate sold the Bugatti in 1977 to Hervé Charbonneaux, son of renowned French industrial designer, automobile enthusiast, and museum impresario Philippe Charbonneaux. During its time in the Charbonneaux museum, the car was refinished from 1980 to 1981 from blue and black to its original color scheme of black with red highlights. It was also fitted with a replacement cylinder block casting acquired from Bart Loyens in the same period. The car was sold from the Charbonneaux stable in 1996 to Ton Meijer of the Netherlands (Where it was photographed during a rally in the Netherlands, and featured on the cover of my first book, "Bugatti Legends"), then by him in 1999 to Eric Albada Jelgersma (The car is still fitted with the Dutch numberplates, thus appears to never have been driven after the museum acquired it). He, in turn, sold it in 2006 to the Petersen Automotive Museum of Los Angeles, in whose famed halls it has been regularly exhibited now for the last 14 years alongside many other outstanding examples of important French coachwork.

Laugier notes that the car retains its original chassis plate, gearbox, front axle, and instrumentation, and its engine sump is still correctly stamped 57828 and 100C. Overall the restoration is well-preserved and still highly attractive, although the temptation for a fresh restoration elevating this stellar Bugatti into a potent international concours competitor at the most prestigious events is surely present.

“The Gangloff Coupe body to drawing 4011 is a unique design by the Alsatian firm from Colmar,” Laugier said, “and one of the most beautiful profiles on the Type 57 chassis...a unique and splendid Bugatti of the last evolution of the Type 57 C.”

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