Description
This is lot number 145 in the Bonhams Zoute sale on October 6th, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
One of only 140 examples built
The sixth of the twenty examples exported to the UK
Highly original; matching numbers example
Very well documented (Pierre-Yves Laugier Report on file)
Welcome at the most prestigious international car events
Dutch registration document
Some of the most evocative Grand Prix cars in the world hail from the 1920s, crafted not exclusively for factory teams but primarily for private customers, equipping them with the means to venture into motor racing independently often at the highest levels of competition.
Foremost among the manufacturers offering such opportunities was Bugatti, based in Molsheim, Alsace, renowned for its remarkable straight-8 engined Bugatti Type 35. This beloved model, celebrated for its compact, lightweight, and powerful design, made its debut at the 1924 Grand Prix de l'ACF and was subsequently produced in various iterations for private sale.
The Bugatti Type 35A, chassis #4755, presented here, is in exquisite condition, both in terms of appearance and operational condition. This remarkable vehicle has been in the possession of its current owners through inheritance for the past 60 years. Its history, continuously and meticulously documented since 1933, commenced in April 1926, when it was originally sold for export across the Channel, as recorded in the factory sales register.
From 1926, The British Bugatti market was represented by its London dealer, Colonel William Sorel, who succeeded Jarrotts & Letts, and whose showroom was located at 1 and 3 Brixton Road, London S. W. 9. In that year alone, Sorel received over a hundred vehicles from the marque, including the first Type 38 and Type 40 models, as well as around twenty of the latest sixteen-valve versions. Among these, twenty Type 35A models were delivered to Great Britain between late 1925 and September 1927.
Chassis #4755 is the sixth of the twenty examples exported across the Channel. It is listed on the factory sales register dated 16 April 1926 in the name of Sorel in London and was invoiced to him on 15 April for the sum of 36, 960 Francs (alongside three Type 37s, chassis numbers 37139 to 37141, each priced at 29, 334 Francs).
The vehicle was registered in June 1926 with the London City Council under the registration YO 8532. It later came into the possession of Francis Keogh in the Cheltenham area, who acquired it in 1933. According to his son's reminiscences, the car was in a poor state at the time of purchase, having been involved in a fire during a race. The driver had to make an emergency escape from the car, which was travelling at 90 km/ h. It appears that the rear suspension suffered a weakness, causing the rear axle to lift and puncture the fuel tank. This resulted in the fire damaging the tail and possibly the rear bulkhead.
It is reported that the body from the 2300 cc accident-damaged car of L. Eccles (chassis #51150) was used, with some modifications, to replace the destroyed body. F. Keogh raced the restored car until the outbreak of war. Although it covered no more than 5, 000 km. From late 1938 to 1948, the vehicle was stored away as Keogh abandoned his Bugatti, which was subsequently revived by his son in 1949.
The car was then registered in the name of Francis Keogh Junior, who used it for two summers, covering nearly 5, 000 additional kilometres and undertaking numerous repairs. Due to his professional commitments requiring him to stay abroad, the car was once again put into storage. Upon returning to Great Britain with two young children and other priorities beyond his Bugatti, the father sold it to Mr Chamberlain, who acquired it for the sum of £175.
Subsequently, F. Keogh Jr. learned that Mr Chamberlain did not hold a driving licence. It was also reported by Chamberlain's brother that he had planned to repaint the car black and recover the seats in leopard print, which fortunately never came to pass. The Bugatti, fitted with "L" plates for Learner, is said to have collided head-on with a telegraph pole, damaging the front axle. However, an inspection of the vehicle during its last restoration in 2002 revealed no evidence of frame damage from this accident.
In 1959, Michael Ward acquired the car. On this occasion, Francis Keogh's son sent him a detailed letter outlining the car's history from its purchase by his father around 1933 to its sale to Chamberlain in 1957, including the restoration work undertaken during the family's ownership. This letter was later published fifty years later by Mr Ward in Bugantics (2010 Vol 73 No 4). Among other details, it reveals that before the war, the vehicle was maintained for Keogh by his highly competent Bugatti mechanic. Additionally, after the 1949 recommissioning, it suffered a connecting rod failure at the end of its first summer, and was subsequently restored by Dudley of Speed Models. Having taken the plunge, Mike Ward became a fervent Bugatti enthusiast, acquiring a Type 43 and later, in 1999, chassis #40275. He resumed racing in 2004 after a 38-year hiatus, and the following year, he acquired a Type 13. At 90 years old, his passion remains as strong as ever.
Frank Gilbert of Derby recalls purchasing the car for £400 in early 1961 from a garage in Nottingham run by the Ward family. A Bugatti enthusiast, he had previously acquired a Type 38, chassis #38470, for £100, and later a Type 37 #37204, a Type 40, and a 3-litre saloon #44667. He did not keep the car for long without incurring much expense and sold it a few months later.
Dr Sam Bayliss acquired the Bugatti, likely from F. Gilbert, towards the end of 1961. A passionate enthusiast of the marque, he owned several examples in the 1950s and 1960s, including two Type 57s: a James Young coach (chassis #57142) and a Corsica cabriolet (chassis #57605), as well as several racing models such as a Type 39A (chassis #4896) around 1956 and a Type 40 (chassis #40577) purchased from J. Veldkamp in 1962. It is possible that there was a trade involving chassis #4755, with or without additional payment, as it is known that Veldkamp bought the car from Bayliss in London.
The Bugatti Register compiled by historian H. G. Conway in 1962 describes the vehicle as follows: Bugatti Type 35A, chassis #4755. Engine #77A. Registered in June 1926. YO 8532. Owner: S. G. Bayliss, Claregate, Oakhill Drive, Welwyn, Herts.
This enthusiast joined the Bugatti Owners Club in 1955. At that time, his address was 53 Holland Park Mews, London W11. The car was entered by S. G. Bayliss in the Bugatti International Rally at Diez on the Lahn in Germany, held on 23-24 June 1962.
Shortly thereafter, the car was exported to the Netherlands. On 13 August 1962, it was declared for the sum of 500 florins, with a customs duty of 284 florins paid. The new owner was Jan A. Veldkamp, residing at Beatrixlaan 7 in Haren. He undertook a complete restoration of the car before registering it on 22 May 1964 under the number JE-51-59. Veldkamp participated in the Bugatti International Rally at Kleve in 1964 driving the car.
In 1964, the father of the current owner acquired the Bugatti from Jan Veldkamp. First Dutch driver to compete in the Formula 1 World Championship at the 1952 Dutch Grand Prix, he had purchased his first Bugatti, a racing-prepared Type 30, at just 18 years old.
As the owner of Bugatti Type 35B chassis #4955, he enhanced chassis #4755 with its larger front and rear anchorplates, wheels, and its bonnet. In the seventies, the original 77A engine was overhauled with new pistons and bearings by Piet Blok, a renowned Bugatti engine specialist in the Netherlands.
In 1990, the owner passed away, and his son acquired the car. In 2002, following the advice of renowned specialist Bart Rosman, he decided to restore the car as closely as possible to its original specifications. This restoration was carried out by Ernand Jonker, a former employee of Simon Klopper, under the supervision of Bart Rosman, who personally restored the original engine.
It was decided to upgrade the engine for improved reliability by fitting a five-bearing crankshaft. New high-compression pistons, cylinder heads, valves, a new crankshaft, and a high-lift camshaft were installed with the aim of creating a powerful yet dependable engine, suitable not only for regular use but also with the potential for racing. The car also regained its original bonnet, which had been borrowed from chassis #4955.
Since the completion of its restoration in 2008, the car has covered approximately 2, 000 kilometres and is now presented in perfect condition for both presentation and operation, equipped with five-bearing specification that is more efficient and reliable than the original crankshaft. It is accompanied by its Dutch registration title and the detailed report by Pierre-Yves Laugier, completed in September 2024, with the inspection and conclusions detailed in the pages that follow in English.
This 1926 Bugatti Type 35A is not only a mechanical gem embodying the bold mechanical innovations of Ettore Bugatti and the history of interwar automobile competition, but also a testament to a century of gentlemen drivers who have either experienced its brilliance, discovered the world of Bugatti through it, or even honed their skills behind its wheel. Today presents an opportunity to find a new driver to carry it into its second century.
Pierre-Yves Laugier, September 2024
Full report available upon request
Inspection
The exterior of the vehicle presents a Bugatti Grand Prix in impeccable restored condition. Its appearance closely resembles that of a competition Type 35, as it features the option of large drum brakes with Bugatti-patented aluminum wheels for enhanced safety.
The current four wheels, with bolt-on rims and detachable flanges, are new. The spare wheel is an original Type 51, numbered 332, and likely dated to around 1931. The chassis frame is original and from the 1926-1927 period, with the brake cable routing located behind the front spring mounting brackets.
The front axle shows signs of needle marks on its front faces. According to owners notes, it could potentially be the original front axle from chassis 4955, though it is not numbered. The radiator is an old one, unmarked, and fitted with a metal surround, as seen in photographs from 1961.
The engine is entirely original. It is stamped with the numbers 77A and 4755 on the upper surface of the left rear mounting bracket of the lower casing. The cam box is numbered 77 on its rear face. The assembly number for the lower and upper casings is 89, visible on the front face of the left front bracket of the lower casing and on the base of the oil filter bracket on the upper casing.
The gearbox is the original one, numbered 94, and is fitted with a cover for the starter attachment. The steering box is also original. The rear axle is stamped with 96 and has a ratio of 14x54, with the same number appearing on the wishbone.
The firewall retains its original frame, although both sides have been replaced. It bears the original chassis plate riveted on, reading "4755 ALSACE 11 HP." The Bosch dashboard switch is already visible in the 1961 photographs from the F. Gilbert era. The bonnet, which previously equipped chassis 4955, was returned to the car during the recent restoration. On its inner right side, it shows signs of a weld visible in the 1959 photographs. It appears that the windscreen and the nose are of recent manufacture. The front part of the underbody is original, while the rear section seems to be more recent.
However, beside the vehicle is the tail (rear end) acquired in 1934 by the then owner, F. Keogh, who is said to have obtained it from the Type 51 chassis #51150 of L. Eccles, which was damaged in Dieppe that year. Examination reveals a second, now-obscured fuel filler cap, typical of the Bugatti Grand Prix eight-cylinders from 1930-1931. The apron next to it is old, though its original chassis cannot be determined. It was not the one on the car in 1961, as some details show it to be different from the one pictured in F. Gilbert's album.
Conclusion
The vehicle presented is entirely in accordance with its factory specifications in terms of its mechanical components. Every numbered part comes from the original car. It has retained its bonnet and the front section of its bodywork substructure. An original Type 51 tail is supplied, along with an old apron that was previously fitted to the vehicle. Its history has been known without interruption since 1933. It is in perfect condition for presentation and operation, equipped with its original matching numbers engine now fitted with the more efficient and reliable five-bearing crankshaft.
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