1922 – Bugatti Type 30 Grand Prix Usine
Châssis n° 4002/4466 (voir texte)
Carte grise française de collection
French historic registration title

« La plus ancienne Bugatti de course 8-cylindres encore en existence »
“The oldest Bugatti 8-cylinder racing car still in existence”

- Une des premières 8-cylindres Bugatti
- Très rare châssis court compétition Type 22, 2,40 m d’empattement, une des toutes premières fabriquées
- Incontestablement le châssis usine #4002, voiture engagée au Grand Prix de l’ACF 1922 (3e) puis aux 500 Miles d’Indianapolis 1923 (9e)
- Voiture retrouvée et restaurée au milieu des années 1960 par le pionnier Pierre Dellière, et très peu vue depuis
- Authenticité indiscutable, voiture très performante, élément majeur de l’histoire Bugatti

- One of the first Bugatti 8-cylinder cars
- Very rare Type 22 Works short chassis, 2.40 m wheelbase, one of the very first built
- Unquestionably works car #4002, entered in the 1922 ACF Grand Prix (3rd) and the 1923 Indianapolis 500 (9th)
- This car was found and restored in the mid-1960s by pioneer Pierre Dellière, and has been rarely seen since
- Unquestionably authentic, a high-performance car, a major part of Bugatti history

The Bugatti Type 30 is a particularly important model in the history of the marque, as it is known to be the first ‘production’ 8-cylinder, after the construction of several prototypes (Type 14, which used 2 Brescia engines placed end to end, and the short-lived Type 28 3-litre), foreshadowing the legendary Grand Prix Type 35. The new Type 30 made its debut at the 1922 ACF Grand Prix, held that year in Strasbourg on 16 July. Ettore decided to field four cars (#4001, #4002, #4003 and #4004), which had the particularity of using short Type 22 chassis (2.40 m wheelbase compared with 2.55 m and then 2.85 m for production cars), to debut the new 2-litre 8-cylinder engine. With their specific cigar-shaped bodywork, streamlined radiator and exhaust coming out of the rear tip, they met with varying fortunes, those driven by De Vizcaya and Marco finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively, behind Nazzaro's Fiat, while the Marquis of Casa Maury completed the list of four finishers (out of eighteen starters), Friedrich, in the last Bugatti entered, having been forced to retire. One of these cars was entered in the Italian Grand Prix in September, with Friderich, who finished 3rd, and it was certainly the same car that was exhibited at the Paris Motor Show in October, under the glass roof of the Grand Palais. While the first two ‘civilian’ cars were delivered to England in January, 3 new short chassis (#4014, #4015 and #4016, ordered by the Argentinian de Algaza) and 2 cars seen in Strasbourg, crossed the Atlantic to take part in the legendary Indianapolis 500 on 30 May. These 5 cars, which had the particularity of being, for the occasion, bodied as single-seaters profiled by Lavocat & Marsaud to a design by aeronautical engineer Louis Béchereau (father of the legendary Spad planes), were conspicuous by their abandonment, due to lubrication problems, on this oval, which turned - unlike the European circuits - anticlockwise... Only one car finished, chassis #4002, in the hands of its owner, the ‘Prince of Cystria’, Bertrand de Faucigny-Lucinge by name, a confirmed gentleman driver, who was here debuting one of his first Bugattis, which he had just bought from the factory, of which he would be a loyal customer.
Factory racing cars were very specific (especially the first ones produced), and were characterised by a whole host of visible or invisible details, such as their short chassis, with side members made of 5 mm thick sheet steel, their dual ignition, their large rear brake drums (operated by cables, via an external lever) and their small front drums (hydraulic and foot-operated), their steel apron, their rear support for front spring leaves, for example, or even their Brescia gearbox, with two specific reinforcements... A whole host of subtleties specific to the so-called ‘Strasbourg’ cars, which quickly disappeared on the production cars, which had a 2.85 m wheelbase chassis made of 6 mm thick steel, cable brakes on all 4 wheels, small drums, ignition by simple magneto and then Delco, and a windscreen/dashboard/floor cast in a single piece of aluminium...
While more than 500 Type 30s were produced for civilian use, competition versions, including factory versions, can be counted on the fingers of two hands. Our example is one of these. It was discovered in the south-east of France, near Istres, in the mid-1960s by Pierre Dellière, a pioneer collector and well-known Bugatti enthusiast. At the time, this Bugatti was complete: chassis, running gear, gearbox, steering, axles, radiator, canopy, firewall and a few body parts, including windscreens and wings. The engine was missing, so Pierre Dellière bought a Type 30 engine that he found on a boat sailing on Lake Geneva! Once restored, he registered the car with the chassis number stamped on the engine (#4466) and took part in a large number of rallies. It was then sold to a certain Cavalière from Toulon, who also owned a Bugatti Type 43, and who some time later sold it to Monsieur Zobel, a well-known collector from the Agen region in the south-west of France. It was from Mr Zobel that Mr T. bought the car in 1981, in the configuration it still has today. He in turn took part in a host of events, including the Bugatti centenary in 1981, during which he took part in the Turckheim-3 épis hill-climb, where the valiant Type 30 was clocked at an average speed of more than 88 km/h (!), as well as the Maurice Trintignant Jubilee and the Circuit des Remparts d'Angoulême.
The car that illustrates these pages, which is today registered as #4466, has a number of special features that are typical of ‘Strasbourg’ cars. It has a short Type 22 chassis with a 2.40 m wheelbase made of 5 mm thick steel, large rear brake drums, a steel canopy with a housing for the front brake master cylinder, drilled horizontally to accommodate two magnetos (and an original steering wheel, with holes in the two lower spokes for the appropriate advance controls), a firewall with the meter holes so characteristic of chassis #4001 to #4004, identical to the photo of Bunny Phillips' car (photo taken in the USA in 1931, car since destroyed). Another not-so-obvious detail will catch the eye of the most discerning enthusiasts: the presence of a crank passage on the front crossmember, featuring a two-part forged bearing secured by two bolts. This very special and unique feature is only found on the Bugatti Type 30 #4002, driven by Marco at the 1922 Strasbourg Grand Prix (3rd), then bought and driven by the ‘Prince of Systria’ at Indianapolis in 1923 (the only Bugatti to finish the race). In the classified ads of the newspaper L'Auto. In September and October 1923, a certain Clément, who lived in Passy, offered 5 cars for sale, including a ‘Peugeot neuve, de course, 3 lit., Indianapolis’ and a ‘Bugatti 2 litres 8 cyl. de course, Indianapolis’. This was almost certainly the ‘Bugatti Indianapolis’ that Jean Célerier raced at the Gaillon Hillclimb on 7 October 1923, transformed into a two-seater but very characteristic with its streamlined ‘Béchereau’ radiator. There is also evidence of a Type 22 8-cylinder at the 1925 Grand Prix de Provence at Miramas, in a form similar to the car we are selling. All these facts are confirmed by the undisputed Bugatti expert, the Swiss Hans Matti: ‘60 years ago, in Switzerland, I found a dismantled Bugatti Type 22 8-cylinder chassis #4065, engine #55. I restored it and, in the process, studied all the drawings and factory documents I could get my hands on concerning the Type 22 8-cylinder. I am therefore particularly familiar with this type of Bugatti. The documents (photos, press clippings, etc.) presented to me allow me to confirm that the car illustrating these pages is indeed the oldest Bugatti 8-cylinder racing car in existence in 2024, chassis #4002. Apart from the bodywork modified in 1924/1925, and the engine replaced by Pierre Dellière around 1965, the car is completely original and as it left the factory in 1922. I should add that I personally examined the car at Pierre Dellière's home in 1965’. As far back as 1981, during the Bugatti Centenary, the indispensable Hugh Conway told Mr T. that this was a car ‘from Strasbourg’, a statement immediately confirmed by Mrs Elisabeth Junek (also present), a famous Czech driver and bugattist, who had bought #4001 directly from the factory at the beginning of 1923.
Aguttes is offering you the unique opportunity to acquire an authentic factory Bugatti, the oldest 8-cylinder racing car (#4001 no longer in existence) and the only Bugatti with a record of success in an international Grand Prix and in the United States. A monument to the automobile and an essential link in the brand's history... A once in a lifetime opportunity not to be missed.

Est. 800 000 – 1 200 000 €

Ce véhicule sera vendu aux enchères lors de la vente d’automobiles de collection, organisée par l’étude AGUTTES le samedi 5 octobre 2024 à Bruxelles.

Le catalogue numérique est disponible sur notre site internet.

N’hésitez pas à nous contacter pour tout renseignement complémentaire.
[email protected]
06 68 36 26 22
01 47 45 93 01

This car will be sold by auction by AGUTTES Auction House, in Bruxelles, Belgium, on October 5th, 2024.
The digital catalog is available on our website.

Please contact us for any further details.
[email protected]
+33 147 459 301
+ 33 668 362 622