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This Bugatti Type 55 Roadster was completed in March 1933 and came equipped with engine number 32. This was one of three such cars with Jean Bugatti roadster coachwork completed in 1933.
The car was invoiced to Henri M. Sagnier on March 21, 1933, the official Bugatti agent in Algiers, Algeria. The following day, the Bugatti was sent by rail to Marseille, France, en route to North Africa. Shortly after its arrival, the Bugatti was exhibited on M. Sagnier's Bugatti and Talbot stand at the inaugural Foire d'Alger, a major national trade fair held in Algiers between April 10 and 23, 1933.
Juvénal Emile Jarron was the car's first private owner. In March 1935, M. Sagnier's son Valentin entered M. Jarron's Type 55 in the Bouzaréa Hill Climb, emerging in First Place. The Bugatti achieved the best time in all categories won the Guy Moll Challenge award. In December 1936, Valentin Sagnier entered the Bugatti in the next running of the Bouzaréa Hill Climb. Due to a fatal accident during practice, the race was canceled before the start.
The car remained with M. Jarron until late 1937, when he replaced it with a new Type 57S Vanvooren Cabriolet. At this time, the Type 55 Roadster returned to the Sagnier garage to be sold to a new owner. From there, it is believed that the Bugatti was owned by a succession of local owners during the late 1930s, remaining in Algeria throughout World War II. Near the close of the war, the Bugatti was allegedly requisitioned by observers of the Armistice Army, who mounted the Type 55's engine in a speedboat and installed a diesel engine in its place.
After the war, its definitive ownership history picks back up when it was first registered as '714 AL 16.' Alexis Post, a Swiss mechanic, owned it by 1951 and, under his care, managed to reunite 55231 with its original engine, but the Bugatti remained dormant until December 1957, when it was sold to Bernard Viallon. Over the next two years, M. Viallon recommissioned the Type 55, performing much of the work himself. Many of the missing or broken parts were obtained directly from the Bugatti factory in Molsheim. The work was completed in the summer of 1959 and was driven until its engine failed in May 1960. It was then mounted on blocks in the family's home, Villa Mathilde in Blida, Algeria.
In February 1963, the Bugatti returned to France and was stored at a friend's home in Clamecy for a decade before joining its owner in Lyon. In March 1986, Guy Huet purchased the Bugatti on behalf of American fashion designer Ralph Launch. Work had progressed on the vehicle's restoration, but at the time of purchase, it was not finished.
The car was sent to Crosthwaite & Gardiner in England, where it was completely restored and refinished in black with dark blue coves. In 2003, it was sold to UK collector William Ainscough and then, in 2005, passed into the ownership of Dutch connoisseur Ton Meijer, who had a mechanical restoration carried out by Laurent Rondoni's Ventoux Moteurs Engineering. After the work was completed, the car was shown at Villa d'Este and Pebble Beach, participated in the International Bugatti Meeting in Italy, and was even exhibited on Bugatti's stand at the 2007 Geneva International Motor Show.
Later owned by Henri Chambon, the Type 55 was repainted in its original black and yellow color scheme.
It is believed that this Type 55 Bugatti retains its original chassis frame, rear end, engine, gearbox, and coachwork (sans bonnet, which was replaced during Viallon's ownership).
This Jean Bugatti Roadster is believed to be the only Type 55 that served as both a motor show display and a competition car in period.By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2023
The car was invoiced to Henri M. Sagnier on March 21, 1933, the official Bugatti agent in Algiers, Algeria. The following day, the Bugatti was sent by rail to Marseille, France, en route to North Africa. Shortly after its arrival, the Bugatti was exhibited on M. Sagnier's Bugatti and Talbot stand at the inaugural Foire d'Alger, a major national trade fair held in Algiers between April 10 and 23, 1933.
Juvénal Emile Jarron was the car's first private owner. In March 1935, M. Sagnier's son Valentin entered M. Jarron's Type 55 in the Bouzaréa Hill Climb, emerging in First Place. The Bugatti achieved the best time in all categories won the Guy Moll Challenge award. In December 1936, Valentin Sagnier entered the Bugatti in the next running of the Bouzaréa Hill Climb. Due to a fatal accident during practice, the race was canceled before the start.
The car remained with M. Jarron until late 1937, when he replaced it with a new Type 57S Vanvooren Cabriolet. At this time, the Type 55 Roadster returned to the Sagnier garage to be sold to a new owner. From there, it is believed that the Bugatti was owned by a succession of local owners during the late 1930s, remaining in Algeria throughout World War II. Near the close of the war, the Bugatti was allegedly requisitioned by observers of the Armistice Army, who mounted the Type 55's engine in a speedboat and installed a diesel engine in its place.
After the war, its definitive ownership history picks back up when it was first registered as '714 AL 16.' Alexis Post, a Swiss mechanic, owned it by 1951 and, under his care, managed to reunite 55231 with its original engine, but the Bugatti remained dormant until December 1957, when it was sold to Bernard Viallon. Over the next two years, M. Viallon recommissioned the Type 55, performing much of the work himself. Many of the missing or broken parts were obtained directly from the Bugatti factory in Molsheim. The work was completed in the summer of 1959 and was driven until its engine failed in May 1960. It was then mounted on blocks in the family's home, Villa Mathilde in Blida, Algeria.
In February 1963, the Bugatti returned to France and was stored at a friend's home in Clamecy for a decade before joining its owner in Lyon. In March 1986, Guy Huet purchased the Bugatti on behalf of American fashion designer Ralph Launch. Work had progressed on the vehicle's restoration, but at the time of purchase, it was not finished.
The car was sent to Crosthwaite & Gardiner in England, where it was completely restored and refinished in black with dark blue coves. In 2003, it was sold to UK collector William Ainscough and then, in 2005, passed into the ownership of Dutch connoisseur Ton Meijer, who had a mechanical restoration carried out by Laurent Rondoni's Ventoux Moteurs Engineering. After the work was completed, the car was shown at Villa d'Este and Pebble Beach, participated in the International Bugatti Meeting in Italy, and was even exhibited on Bugatti's stand at the 2007 Geneva International Motor Show.
Later owned by Henri Chambon, the Type 55 was repainted in its original black and yellow color scheme.
It is believed that this Type 55 Bugatti retains its original chassis frame, rear end, engine, gearbox, and coachwork (sans bonnet, which was replaced during Viallon's ownership).
This Jean Bugatti Roadster is believed to be the only Type 55 that served as both a motor show display and a competition car in period.By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2023
2023 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach
Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $8,000,000-USD $10,000,000
Lot was not sold
Recent Sales of the Bugatti Type 55
(Data based on Model Year 1933 sales)
Bugatti Type 55s That Failed To Sell At Auction
1933 Bugatti Type 55's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
| Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 BUGATTI TYPE 55 ROADSTER | 55231 | 2023 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach | $8,000,000 | $10,000,000 |
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1933 Bugatti Type 55
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