Chassis Number: 4888
The magnificent car we are privileged to offer here is an early Bugatti Type 35B. The 2.3-liter Type 35T engine, number 127, was modified at the factory on April 15, 1927, as a Type 35B unit with a supercharger added.
Its proud owner since 1975, Baron d’Huart, a true Bugatti enthusiast and gentleman racing driver, has owned 4888 for the last nearly half-century. The Type 35B was stabled next to other selected cars in the orangery of his family’s castle in the Belgian Ardennes. The Baron raced the car in the 1990s in various events including Montlhéry and had it on display for a while at the Musée de Stavelot.
Bonhams was able to inspect the Bugatti at the owner’s house on Monday March 21, 2022. Although the car had not raced for some 20 years, it started and ran perfectly when we came to see it. Close examination of the Bugatti Blue body revealed original coachwork with some reinforcement in the tail.
Since the 1954 Bugatti Register’s publication, the car has been described as “4888/202B.” It may have been confused with the Type 35B chassis 4944 with original engine 202, but there is no connection at all between the two cars.
The Bugatti factory only made around 45 Type 35Bs. With most of the remaining originals in museums or prominent private collections, 4888 represents a unique opportunity to own one of the best examples of this iconic Grand Prix Bugatti.
