1926 Bugatti Miller Type 35 Roadster

The Miller-Bugatti, built by Overton 'Bunny' Phillips, is a true racing special that embodies two icons of European and American racing and the ingenuity of an American hot rodder. After joining Harry Miller in 1925, Bunny Phillips opened a Bugatti Service Center in Hollywood in 1930, becoming Bugatti's first authorized agent in the United States. The Bugatti Type 35 (chassis number 4748) which this car is based, was bought by Bunny in 1932. After using the car in several races, including the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup, Phillips decided to build a 302 cubic-inch Miller V8 engine to replace the now rather tired Bugatti engine. It was based on two 151 Miller Marine engines that were mated together. Bunny then made his own aluminum body and raced the Miller-Bugatti throughout the 1940 AAA Championship race season, eventually finishing 12th. In 1941 he took the car to Indianapolis where he qualified 26th and finished 13th. He eventually finished 8th in the AAA National Championship. He later entered the car in the 1946 Indianapolis 500 with Hal Robson behind the wheel. The car then returned to Phillips' shop in Van Nuys, where it remained until it was acquired by Dr. Peter Williamson in 1994. Charlie Nearburg acquired the car in 2008, and it appeared at the Historic Indy Car Exhibition before the 2016 Indy 500, where Charlie was clocked at 130 mph between Turn 3 and 4!

This car started life as a type 35 Bugatti Grand Prix car. O.A. Phillips raced it in this form until he acquired this V8 Miller engine. This engine came from a Miller 4-wheel drive car that raced in Germany and blew up, throwing bits into the stands where Adolph Hitler was watching. Hitler was missed by inches. O.A. Phillips then swapped this Miller engine in and raced at Indianapolis in 1941 and 1946.