1933 Bugatti Type 43A Roadster 'Sport Luxe'

Background

The Bugatti factory in 1927 was at the peak of its automobile production with multiple lines to handle the demand for the various Type 35 Grand Prix models; the blown and unblown Type 37 Sports and GP models; the Type 38, Type 38A, Type 40 and 40A touring cars, as well as the Type 43 Grand Sport and, later in the year, the Type 44. It also followed the year in which Bugatti began to manufacture their own sports-touring bodies, initially for the four-cylinder Type 40 Grand Sport followed by the Type 43 Grand Sport; before this point, completed chassis were delivered to any one of many domestic or foreign coachbuilders in or near Western Europe.

The introduction of the Bugatti Type 43 Grand Sport, however, created a sensation as it was the first true sports car with a genuine 100 mph capability, coupling a slightly detuned Type 35B 2.3-liter supercharged Grand Prix engine with a shortened and “waisted” T38 touring chassis frame contoured to the shape of the standard Grand Sport coachwork. Ettore Bugatti had created one of his masterpieces; indeed, the noted author and marque specialist, the late H.G. Conway said of the T43 over 60 years ago that “it was the model to be aspired to in the 1927–1932 period as a Ferrari may be today, as a road car with the qualities of its racing sister.”

Because of the roller-bearing crankshaft, the car was quite a bit more expensive than the plain-bearing Type 38 and 44 touring cars which overlapped production on either end of the Type 43, and shared many features–such as the radiator, front axle, gearbox, and back axle–with the 2-liter Type 38. Similarly, the axles and gearbox were utilized in the successor 3-liter Type 44 touring model, but the 385 units of the Type 38 and 1,095 units of the Type 44 far outsold the 160 units of the T43, particularly as world economies began to suffer from the fallout of the crash of the American stock market.

In 1929, Bugatti introduced the Jean Bugatti-designed roadster for the late Type 40 and 40A and the Type 43A, which many felt resembled some of the roadsters being built in America. Some have speculated that the Type 43A Roadster was intended for the American market, but of the mere 19 examples built, only two went to the US before WWII. Several remained unsold at Molsheim as sales slowed due to the economic uncertainty. Nevertheless, the total production eventually found new owners with some orders being filled from existing stock as late as 1935.

Chassis 43309

The example on offer is one of the last two T43s delivered, the chassis of which was constructed in April 1929 and the Jean Bugatti roadster body in December 1932; however, the completed car was not delivered to its first owner, Edouard Michel of Paris, until May 3, 1934, and registered “4848 RJ” the following day. M. Michel purchased the roadster in its original and very striking yellow and black livery, and at only 40,000 French francs, the car was sold for a “clearance sale” price.

Highlights

Among the Most Rare and Desirable of All Bugatti Automobiles
One of 10 Known Surviving Examples of the 19 Jean Bugatti Type 43A Roadsters Built
Exceptionally Original and Well Preserved with One Repaint Many Years Ago
Retains Matching-Numbers Frame, Lower Crankcase, Cambox, Gearbox, and Rear Axle per Accompanying History Reports by David Sewell, Mark Morris, and Kees Jansen
Exceptional Condition and Features including Unique Dashboard Layout

Mechanical Specifications

2,262 CC SOHC Inline 8-Cylinder Engine
Single Zenith 48K Carburetor
Roots-Type Supercharger
120 BHP at 5,000 RPM
4-Speed Manual Gearbox
4-Wheel Cable-Operated Mechanical Drum Brakes
Front Solid-Axle Suspension with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs
Rear Live Axle with Reversed Quarter-Elliptical Leaf Springs

Ownership

Michel’s ownership was not lengthy and in 1936, chassis 43309 was sold to Jacques Dubois in Glageon, France, the grandson of the founder of the industrial glass manufacturer Edmond Dubois & Cie, and later Gaston Dubois et Cie (Gaston being Jacques’ father). Jacques would later manage the company from 1948 until its closure in 1966.

From Jacques Dubois, the Type 43A was sold to Denyse Rogeau acting for her husband, Louis Rogeau, on September 15, 1939, along with three other Bugattis: a Type 37 (chassis 37385), a Type 44, and a Type 49. They lived at 7 Boulevard Victor Hugo in Lille, France, where they operated a small garage. After the war, it was revealed that M. Rogeau had collaborated with the Nazis beginning in 1941 and bought cars which he then sold to the Germans. He consequently spent six months in jail, had his goods confiscated, and paid a fine of 120,000 French francs and suffered the inevitable disgrace and social ostracism.

The next known owner was Antoine Thibeau in Roubaix who purchased the Type 43A on May 31, 1944. M. Thibeau was an engineer from Arts et Metiers and son-in-law of Albert Motte of the well-known Motte textile family. During his ownership, 43309 was re-registered as “5400 BE 59” in the new system on June 28, 1955. The Thibeau family would own the car until they offered it to Serge Pozzoli for his proposed museum in Montlhéry. In the 1962 H.G. Conway Bugatti Register and Data Book, the Montlhéry Motor Museum was listed as the owner and noted that the car was now a two-tone gray and in excellent condition. It was right around the time of the 1962 register listing that the color scheme of the car was changed for the first and only time, as it appears with this paint today. Another special feature to be noted is that in place of the standard wooden dashboard is a two-piece aluminum dashboard. It is beautifully constructed, shifting all of the gauges from the center of the dash to a panel surrounding the steering column, giving unrestricted access to the centrally-mounted magneto ignition.

Mr. Pozzoli was one of the leading French collectors of his time and he amassed a considerable number of prewar Delage, Delahaye, Alfa Romeo, and Bugatti automobiles as well as many other more obscure French makes. This “museum” was filled with old and, in many cases, unwanted prewar cars under the banked track of Montlhéry, and he can be credited for undoubtedly saving a large quantity of these cars from an uncertain fate.

Dealt an Ace

Around 1978, Mr. Pozzoli traded the Type 43A to the well-known Bugatti collector and historian, Uwe Hucke of Nettelstedt, Germany, for a Bugatti Grand Prix car built from parts. Mr. Hucke and his wife, Monica, cherished the unrestored, preserved Type 43A, but chose to sell the car after nine years of ownership to Dr. Joachim Jantzen of Essen who would actively use the car in numerous events, including the 1987 International Bugatti Rally based in Münster.

After 15 years of active use, Dr. Jantzen sold 43309 to another German collector, Manfred Dolleschel, who used it in several rallies. In 2009, at the International Bugatti Rally in Italy, the car went off the road and suffered damage to its front end. The car was carefully repaired and subsequently sold to the well-known British property developer and classic car connoisseur William Ainscough. After a four-year spell in Mr. Ainscough’s dynamic collection, it finally joined the stable of Jack Braam Ruben, noted dealer and collector of fine automobiles with a strong Bugatti emphasis. During Mr. Braam Ruben’s ownership, further detail and repair work was done by Bugatti specialist Simon Klopper.

Unquestionably one of the most original and best preserved of almost any model Bugatti in existence today, 43309 is offered with its original engine (no. 106), gearbox (no. 107), rear axle (no. 108), and frame (no. 114), per the accompanying reports by David Sewell, Mark Morris, and Kees Jansen on file. As only one of 10 survivors of the 19 Type 43A roadsters built, this offering from The Jack Braam Ruben Collection represents a rare, if not once-in-a-lifetime, opportunity to acquire one of the most desirable sports-touring Bugatti models ever produced.