1931 Bugatti Type 40A

Ettore Bugatti ('Le Patron') quickly established an unrivaled reputation for building cars with outstanding performance and durability. The world's greatest racing drivers enjoyed numerous successes aboard the Molsheim factory's products, proving their mettle against the best the world had to offer.

The path that took Italian-born engineer Ettore Bugatti to the pinnacle of the automotive industry began at De Dietrich, Mathis and Deutz. From there, he established his own factory in 1910 at Molsheim in Alsace, which was then part of Germany. He had designed the Type 10 while with Deutz (the Type 10 was the tenth of his designs), and it would serve as the prototype for the first Molsheim-built Bugatti: the Type 13. Introduced in 1910, it was the first Bugatti production car. Beneath the bonnet was a four-cylinder, single-overhead-camshaft, 8-vale engine displacing 1,327cc and paired with a four-speed gearbox. The short-wheelbase chassis was clothed with simple open two-seater coachwork. The design and construction evolved through TYpes 15, 17, 22 and 23 until approximately 1920, by which time 435 of all types had been made. These compact and lightweight vehicles were endowed with advanced engineering principles upon which Ettore Bugatti developed his entire range, culminating with world-beating, Grand Prix and Le Mans-winning sporting cars.

The Bugatti Type 40

The Bugatti Type 40 was introduced in May 1926 serving as a replacement for the company's previous 16-valve Brescia touring model, equipped with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine sourced from the Type 37. The Bugatti Type 37 was introduced near the close of 1925, and unlike its eight-cylinder Type 35 sibling, it came equipped with a four-cylinder unit. The lightweight and potent 1.5-liter engine gave the Type 37 a top speed of around 90 mph. Even more horsepower was extracted with the addition of a Roots-Type supercharger, birthing the Type 37A, which had a top speed of 122 mph. Of the roughly 286 examples of the Type 37 produced, 76 were left the factory with superchargers.

After 780 had been built, a successor, Type 40A, with a larger, 1,627 cc engine, was launched in March 1931. A total of around 32 examples of the Type 40A were constructed. The larger displacement engine was achieved with one block from the eight-cylinder Type 49 engine, with its bore enlarged to 72 mm. It had three valves per cylinder, an aluminum head, two intakes, and one exhaust.

The Type 40 was offered with standard four-seat coupe or roadster body styles.

by Dan Vaughan

Roadster
Chassis number: 40904

Ettore Bugatti assembled his first self-propelled tricycle in the waning days of the 19th century. His immediate passion for all things automotive led to his relocation to Alsace and the birth of his namesake company. In the period between world wars, Bugattis were essentially invincible.

Bugatti launched the Type 40 model in 1926, aiming to replace the company's previous 16-valve Brescia touring model. The Type 40 used the 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine first used in some Type 37s but slightly detuned with one Zenith or twin Solex carburetors and coil ignition. The Type 40 was available as a standard 4-seat coupe or a roadster. The Type 40A shared its engine block with the Type 40 but displaced 1.6 liters. After about 30 cars were built with this chassis specification, the Type 40A was discontinued in 1930.

This car was produced in April 1931 as a Type 40A, a small sports car for personal use. It carries a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 50 horsepower and can accelerate to almost 80 MPH. It weighs barely a ton and 40 examples were produced.

It was initially purchased by Erwin Schmidt of Strasbourg, who took delivery on June 4th of that year. It eventually ended up in the hands of a U.S. Army Lieutenant Robert S. Phillips, stationed in France. The car passed through two American owners before being purchased by the current owners. They completed a nut-and-bolt restoration in 2010. This car, a roadster, is chassis number 40904 and is a late model that has been restored by marque expert Jim Stranberg.

Roadster

This Bugatti Type 40A is powered by a four-cylinder, water-cooled engine offering forty-five horsepower. There are three valves per cylinder, two intake and one exhaust, with an innovative aluminum head. It was built by M. Ettore Bugatti in Molsheim, France.

The Bugatti Type 40 was powered by a four-cylinder engine that produced an impressive amount of horsepower, considering the vehicle's size and weight. It was a detuned version of the engine found in the Type 37 and initially featured a splash lubrication system to its five-bearing crankshaft. Later, a full-pressure lubrication system would become standard. The engines had 12 valves, twin Weber carburetors, and coil ignition, producing around 70 horsepower. In traditional Bugatti fashion, the cylinder block and head were in the form of a single casting. The three-valve heads had two inlets each and a single large exhaust valve. They were mated to a four-speed manual gearbox with a center change. The suspension was comprised of a beam front axle on semi-elliptic springs, while in the rear was a live axle on reversed quarter-elliptic springs. Hartford-type friction shock absorbers were placed on all four corners, as were the drum brakes.

The Type 40's were entry-level vehicles with low-cost construction methods making them reasonable to produce and purchase. They were introduced in 1926 and served as a replacement for the touring versions of the 16-valve Brescia range. The Type 38, introduced at the same time as the Type 40, replaced the Type 30. The Type 37, with its 1500cc engine, replaced the racing version of the Brescia.

The standard body style for the Type 40 was the four-seater coupe. When introduced, it used the wheelbase of the Type 23, which measured 2.55 meters. Bugatti created the rolling chassis and custom coachbuilders outfitted the vehicle with its bodywork.

Around 745 (some sources say as high as 900) examples of the Type 40 were produced, and 35 examples of the Type 40A were constructed. The Type 40A had engines fitted from the Type 49.

by Dan Vaughan