1930 Bugatti Type 40 Drophead Coupe

Ettore Bugatti (1881-1947) produced his first car design in 1899. He set up his own factory at Molsheim in Alsace in 1910. From then until his death in 1947, he produced a fantastic, prolific output of racing, sports and grand touring cars, as well as aero engines, railcars and boats of most original design. Bugatti cars were extremely successful in racing, with many thousands of victories in just a few decades. The company's success culminated with driver Jean-Pierre Wimille winning the 24 Hours of LeMans twice (in 1937 with Robert Benoist and 1939 with Pierre Veyron).

The Type 40 of 1926, produced thru 1930, returned to the roots of Bugatti's early success with a 1496cc, 4-cylinder car. The Type 40 offered very reasonable performance from its race-bred, three valves per cylinder engine together with practicality and good fuel economy. The car's durability was proven by successfully crossing the Sahara in 1929. About 830 were built.

The chassis of 40832 was made by Bugatti in 1924 and shipped to Prague, Czechoslovakia where Thomas made a body for it. It has had five owners. The current owner had it from 1981 to 1985 and then again from 1989 to the present. It has had extensive restoration in the last two years in an effort to return it to its original state when it left the factory and coachbuilder.