1929 Bugatti Type 40 Roadster

This Bugatti was built in 1929 and would remain at the factory in Molsheim for the following seventeen months. Just prior to being sold, the chassis was upgraded by the factory to the Type 40A specifications by the addition of a 1625cc block with twin plugs per cylinder. The chassis was clothed with Jean Bugatti Roadster Luxe bodywork with Dickey Seat.

This Bugatti was sold new on June 19th of 1930 to Alistair Leveson-Gower. The new owner drove his Bugatti to Paris with the able assistance of Louis Chiron as co-driver.

Little is known about this Bugatti's Parisian life. The car does have a Dominique Lumberjack tag attached to its body, so it was undoubtedly owned by him (the Parisian agent) at some point. It remained in France during the war. It came to the United States after the war and was later discovered in southern California. The car was purchased by Rudi Van Daalen Wetters on July 20, 1961. At that time, the car had the French license plate 69 JG 75, but it was subsequently registered in California as UBK 795.

After Rudi Van Daalen Wetters passed away in 1999, the Type 40A was inherited by Ria Van Daalen Wetters, his wife. She continued to own the car until it was offered for sale in 2016 at The Finest auction at The Elegance of Hershey.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2016