1928 Bugatti Type 43 - Sports Car Market

Chassis Number: 43264

Assembled in the factory during the summer of 1928, chassis 43264, fitted with engine 124 and crankshaft 159, would not be mentioned for the first time until May 13, 1929, in the factory archives, along with two other chassis and inscribed “Prix Bugatti.” These three cars were destined to be the prizes awarded to the first three in the upcoming second Grand Prix Bugatti, which took place on June 1, 1929, on the Le Mans circuit. It was won by the Italian-Chilean Juan Zanelli, who decided, in compliance with regulations, to exchange it for a new Type 35B from the factory.

The earliest known owner is John Fritsche Jr. of Sports Cars Inc. in Bryn Mawr, PA. He ordered the production of an aluminum coupe on chassis 43264 from the coachbuilder Derham in Rosemont, PA, in 1939.

The car’s trace can be picked up again on the West Coast in Los Angeles in 1947. A mechanics teacher at Ventura High School named George Banquet appears to have been responsible, along with a Ford mechanic, likely Ed Iskenderian, for the replacement of Bugatti parts by Ford ones, including the engine and running gear. According to historian Tom Konop, the comedian Donald O’Connor himself had the Bugatti engine replaced with a Ford 6 with dome pistons and special cylinder heads. O’Connor (1925–2003), one of Hollywood’s greatest stars of the 1950s, won a Golden Globe in 1952 for his performance in “Singing in the Rain” with Gene Kelly. He took part in several hillclimbing races around 1948 and 1949, including the event at Little Tujunga Canyon in northern Los Angeles. After this period, the car went off the radar.

It would not be until 1997 that the American Bugatti registrar, Sandy Leith, announced that the car had survived and was in the hands of the family of the late Dr, William O’Brien in Reno, NV.

Around 2008, chassis 43264 and the other matching Bugatti parts, namely the front springs, the remainder of the aluminum apron, the radiator and the steering unit, were sold by the O’Brien family to the English restoration specialist Robin Townsend, associated with the purchase for collector Michael Steele.

In December 2008, the project was sold to its current owner, a collector, who revived it.

The analysis of the vehicle finds an original chassis, whose frame, stamped 122, is that which matches with chassis 43264, engine 124. On January 16, 2009, the expert and Bugatti registrar for the Bugatti Owners Club, Mark Morris, inspected the vehicle with Hugh Conway Jr., and in agreement with American historian Sandy Leith, they approved the BOC’s allocation of a replacement chassis plate with number 43264.

(Introductory description courtesy of Bonhams Cars.)

SCM Analysis

Vehicle:	1928 Bugatti Type 43
Years Produced:	1928–30
Number Produced:	158
Chassis Number Location:	Plate on firewall
Engine Number Location:	Stamped on rear left engine arm
Club Info:	American Bugatti Club
Website:	http://www.americanbugatticlub.org
Alternatives:	1926–29 Miller 91, 1927–31 Bentley 4½ Litre, 1929–32 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport

This car, Lot 149, sold for $510,068 (CHF 454,250) at Bonhams Cars’ Chéserex, CHE, auction, on June 30, 2024.

As a result of the huge success of the Type 35 Grand Prix car in 1927, Bugatti decided to produce a sports car using the same mechanical components. The chassis was longer and wider, offering small rear seats and a soft top. But that was about the extent of its creature comforts. Only one door, on the passenger’s side, provided entry. It still offered more comfort than the race car, but not much.

The 2.3-liter straight-8 engine was supercharged and capable of propelling the car to a top speed of 110 mph, with 0–60 mph coming up in about 12 seconds. This race-bred engine, however, didn’t come without limitations. The roller-bearing crank was efficient but had a life expectancy of about 5,000 miles before the car needed to go back to the factory for a bottom-end rebuild. There was no radiator fan, which made driving in traffic a challenge.

Still, it was probably the fastest sports car of the day, appealing to gentleman racers, most of whom used their car in some form of competition. Sports-car races at the time, such as Le Mans, required cars with four seats and a soft top. The new Bugatti model corresponded well, allowing owners to drive it to the racetrack, win a prize, then drive it home. The Type 43 sold fairly well in such a niche market.

American expat

Chassis 43264 has a fascinating and checkered history. Offered as a prize for the winner of a race held at the Le Mans circuit for Bugattis in 1929, the Type 43 was passed over, as its winner elected to take a new Type 35 in its place. Our subject car then went back to the Paris showroom, where it subsequently became part of a swap for two twin-overhead-cam Millers. Ettore Bugatti wanted to examine and copy the technology, which he did. American race driver Leon Duray brought the Millers to France, and among the Bugattis he took home to the U.S. was chassis 43264.

Most Type 43s were supplied with factory Gran Sport pointed-tail bodies, which are not very practical for regular use. So, in 1939, its American owner ordered a new coupe body from Derham. The car also lost its iconic Bugatti GP wheels but retained the original radiator. The result, however, was extremely stylish.

The car next turned up in 1947 in Los Angeles. By this time, the engine will have certainly needed a rebuild. Although parts were probably still available in France, it likely seemed simpler to replace the drivetrain with Ford parts, which included a hot-rodded 6-cylinder, possibly breathed on by the legendary Ed Iskenderian. The chassis was also extensively drilled to save weight. At this point the car was in the ownership of actor Donald O’Connor, but the history gets muddled afterwards. There are conflicting accounts of how the Bugatti came to be rediscovered in the 1980s, agreeing only in that the car languished for decades.

Back to Europe

It was not until 2008 that our subject car was finally put back in order. All that was left of the original Bugatti was the chassis, radiator, steering box and front springs, but with no mention of the Derham body. The new owner already owned a replica Type 43, fitted with an attractive body in the style of Figoni. As the chassis is the heart of a car, he elected to rebuild 43624 with the parts from the replica.

The result is pleasing, and today shows just the right amount of patina to fool most Bugatti enthusiasts. But the decision made two decades ago is probably not the one that would be made today. The Bugatti market has moved on, and buyers are increasingly concerned with originality. This car had two distinct lives, and in its current form it conforms with neither.

The best cars have original chassis, body and engine, and such a Type 43 would probably bring around $2m today. A Gran Sport with original chassis, but replica body and engine to the original spec, would likely bring somewhere close to $1m. So, retrospectively, the choice of fitting the delightful Figoni-style body was a mistake. Selling here for just $510k, a road-registered replica sans original chassis would not be far behind. At such a price, however, this was a good buy that will give its new owner the opportunity to participate in many events not open to replicas.

We must wonder where the Derham coupe body is. Has it survived somewhere in the corner of a garage? In the car’s transition life, with all the Bugatti components but with the coupe body, it represented a wonderful mix of French mechanical prowess and American style. While not factory-original, in this form it would be considered as a period modification, which might hold great appeal for many American collectors. ♦

Toby Ross

Toby Ross first contributed to SCM in September 2011. His company, Ross Classic, has specialized in the sale of French and Italian exotica for over 30 years. He spends his time between France and the island of Malta.