1929 Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix Racer

Bugatti with chassis number 4948 is a Type 35B Grand Prix race car that is powered by engine number 200T, a supercharged overhead cam inline eight with 130 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel drum brakes. It was brought to the 1930 Monaco Grand Prix and driven by Guy Bouriat to a third-place victory. After the race, the car was sold by the factory to Joachim von Morgan of Germany who continued to campaign this car during 1930 and 1931. The car was later returned to the factory and exchanged for a new Type 51 Bugatti.

The factory re-sold the Type 35B to Auto Union team driver Paul Pietsch. It was raced during the 1932 season by Pietsch and after the season, was sold to Herbert Wimmer. Wimmer competed with the car from 1933 through 1936. It is believed the car was sold after the Second War, and from there, it's history not thoroughly recorded. It appeared as many hillclimbs and various racing competition throughout the years, before crossing the Atlantic and coming to the United States. Upon its arrival, it was in very poor shape. Its curved side frame rails were sold to a Bugatti collector and over the next few decades, the chassis number 4948 would reside in storage. It was purchased near the close of the 1970s by its current owner who performed a restoration that brought the car back to its original 1930 Monaco Grand Prix livery. It was given a French Racing Blue paint color and fitted with a black interior. The chassis is actually an exact duplicate replication of the original and its 2.3-liter supercharged straight eight-cylinder engine has been rebuilt to factory specifications. It features its original factory crankshaft and rod assemblies. Many of the vehicle's mechanical parts are factory-verified numbered parts.

Since its restoration, it has been brought to a number of events including historic racing such as the Monterey Historics and Bugatti club events worldwide.
It was brought to the 2007 Monterey Sports & Classic Car Auction presented by RM Auctions, with an estimated value of $600,000 - $800,000. As the gavel fell, the lot had been sold for $605,000 including the buyer's premium.

The Type 35 Bugatti has a history that first began at the 1924 French Grand Prix held at Lyon where it quickly created a reputation as an outstanding machine with mechanical functionality married to sensational aesthetics and design.

It was a very modern vehicle fitted with many innovative technological features such as cast-aluminum eight-spoke road wheels with an integral brake drum. This setup simplified the overall design and improved brake cooling. The front axle beam was hollow throughout its length but solid at its ends, fitted with two integral boxes through which the front springs passed.

The crown jewel of the car lay under the bonnet. The straight-eight engine had five main bearings and roller bearing big ends which greatly improved the durability of the engine and increased its power. The paired cylinder blocks with integral heads had two inlets and one exhaust valve, which were operated via crossed-finger rockers via a single overhead camshaft.

The Type 35B was the most powerful version of the Type 35 family. It had a top speed of 125 MPH, and zero-to-sixty was achieved in just six seconds. The quarter-mile was accomplished in under 15 seconds. In total, around 40 examples of the Type 35B Bugatti were ever produced and less than a dozen can actually make the claim of having survived to the present day in essentially original form.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2007

At the 1924 French Grand Prix held at Lyon, the Type 35 finished in a respectable 7th overall. It was clear that the cars had great potential and with further testing and tuning, would become a serious competitor.

The final iteration of the Bugatti Type 35 was the Type 35B. It had the same 2.3-liter, eight-cylinder motor as the earlier Type 35T, but was equipped with a supercharger that was similar to the one in the Type 35 (though slightly larger and more powerful). The Type 35B could race from zero-to-sixty mph in just six seconds and had a top speed of 125 mph.

This Type 35B Grand Prix car is chassis number 4948 fitted with engine 200T. It raced in the 1930 Monaco Grand Prix where it was driven by Guy Bouriat and finished in 3rd overall. After the race, it was sold to Joachim von Morgan of Germany, who continued to campaign the car throughout the remainder of the 1930 season, as well as the 1931 one.

The car was later returned to the factory in exchange for a newer Type 51. Chassis 4948 was later sold to Paul Pietsch, the future Auto Union team driver and German publishing magnate. Pietsch raced the Type 35B during the 1932 season, after which it was sold to a Herber Wimmer, who raced it from 1932 to 1936. It is believed Mr. Wimmer retained the car throughout World War II, and then it was sold to a Heinrich Herbster.

The car later made its way across the Atlantic to America in a disassembled state. Just after arriving, it is believed that its original curved side frame rails were sold to a Bugatti collector on the West Coast, but all of 4948's other original components remained together.

The disassembled vehicle was put into storage where it remained until it was purchased by a gentleman who decided to bring it back to its original condition. The original 2.3-liter supercharge engine was rebuilt and installed in the car. The goal of the restoration was to bring it back to its original 1930 Monaco Grand Prix livery and specification.

Under the ownership of its current owner, the car was given another frame-off restoration. Any part found to be incorrect for this model was replaced with the correct ones.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2014