1925 Bugatti Type 30 Skiff Bodied Tourer
Coachwork by Carrosserie Kelsch & Cie. of Paris
Registration no. PE 4405
Chassis no. 4378
Engine no. 379

This delightful Type 30 is offered for sale by recognised Bugatti authority, David Sewell, who over the years has compiled some 600-700 detailed reports on examples of the marque. David has owned the car since November 2004, and his thorough report on its history is provided.

Production of this chassis, fitted with engine number '379', front axle '378', gearbox '627' (in a series shared with the Brescia model) and rear axle '382' with ratio 12x54 was completed on 13th November 1924 and delivered to Bugatti's Paris agency on 3rd January 1925.

From the agency it went to Carrosserie Kelsch in Levallois-Perret, who specialised in lightweight sporting coachwork. There it was fitted with a two-seater and dickey boat-tailed body complete with louvred side valances and cycle-style wings. This body would have been ordered by the car's first owner and, unless if was one of their standard catalogued designs, which it is thought not to have been, would have been built in accordance with the first owner's wishes.

On 13th July 1925 the completed car was imported into the UK and road-registered as 'PE 4055' by Surrey County Council. A classified advertisement in the 24th July 1925 issue of The Autocar reads as follows: '1925 8-cyl. Bugatti, delivered new March this year, fitted with special sports body by Kelsch of Paris; the following extras have been added - Bosch magneto, LAP twin carburettors, special Grebel headlights; cost over £900, will accept £575. Frank Wellington and Bowring Ltd, 220, Great Portland St, Museum 8270-71.' This advertisement was repeated in the 31st July, 14th and 21st August, and 4th September issues. Although it cannot be proved positively, the Type 30 advertised in The Autocar must surely be this particular car.

The 1954 Bugatti Book by Eaglesfield and Hampton contained the first published register of Bugatti motor cars. Closed for press on 1st April 1953, this register confirmed the car's chassis number, registration number and date of first registration, and listed its owner as Sub-Lt J (Jeremy) Miles of HMS Fulmar, RNAS, Lossiemouth. It noted that the car was a boat-tailed two-seater with dickey, was black but had been coloured grey and Cambridge Blue, and was equipped with an SU petrol pump.

It stated that the logbook, which was a duplicate, showed that the car had been owned by G W Mears of The Vicarage, Upper Street, Islington N1; B V Roche of 19 Charing Cross Road, WC2; F K Farquharson of Oxley Wood Cottage, Oxley Place, Watford, Herts; Monty Warn of 97 New Road, Croxley Green, Herts; and A M Wilson of Quaves Comer, Sutton Green near Guildford, Surrey. It was reputedly the 1925 Paris Show model (which it could not have been).

Jeremy Miles recalled buying the car in early 1952, which tallies well with a Vintage Autos small-ad in the January 1952 issue of Motor Sport offering a 1925 Type 30 2/3-seater ex-Paris Salon at an asking price of £325. In the January 1958 issue, Miles offered his Type 30 for sale for £250. The buyer was B Dawson of Ferring, who in turn offered the car in the December 1960 issue, with no price stated. It was bought by Hugh Hall of 6 Hereford Square, London SW7 who is given as its owner in Hugh Conway's 1962 Bugatti Register. Once again this register stated that its logbook was a duplicate, to which the names of Perring and Dawson (but unaccountably not Miles) had been added. Sadly, the now completed duplicate logbook cannot be traced. Conway confirmed that the car's chassis/engine numbers were '4378'/'379'. He added that its mudguards were unoriginal; that it had cable operated front brakes as well as rear; a Hardy¬ Spicer propshaft; twin Solex 35 BFHD carburettors on original manifolds; a belt-driven dynamo; an H-section front axle; a right-hand gear-change; and a Brescia Modifié-style radiator.

The November 1962 Motor Sport included a small ad offering a Type 30 with chassis number 78 (!), this surely being the same car. The next known owner, possibly in response to this small ad, was Paul Foulkes-Halbard of Filching Manor near Polegate in Sussex who, according to Conway's 1973 update of his earlier register, published in instalments in Bugantics, was then still its owner.

Rodney de Little recalled that Foulkes-Halbard never ran the car, knowing that the rear half of its crankshaft was cracked. Indeed, there is no evidence that the Bugatti had run much if at all since Miles' period of ownership ended in 1958. The car was sold by Foulkes-Halbard in either 1972 or 1973 to Martin Hilton of Chiddinglye in West Sussex, who embarked upon its restoration, assisted by Eric Neve, once of Crosthwaite & Gardiner and now of Neve Engineering of Barcombe, near Lewes in Sussex.

Neve recalls crack-testing its crankshaft, finding a bad crack in the rear main journal, fitting another crankshaft and assembling the bottom half of the engine after John Kirkby had re--metalled the con-rods. The coachwork was extensively remade, including timbers and panelling. As requested, Neve also polished the front axle beam, knowing that it should not be polished; replaced the brake shoes with alloy ones; fitted a new wet clutch; and completed several other smaller tasks before leaving Hilton's employ in 1975 with the engine still unfinished.

Meanwhile Hilton progressed with restoring the coachwork, replacing any timbers as necessary and fitting mahogany decking to the top of the scuttle and tail. Foulkes-Halbard had given him a photograph purporting to be this car, so he endeavoured to copy some of its features including the aforementioned mahogany decking. However, this photograph, published in the 9th October 1923 issue of The Motor in an article featuring cars displayed at that year's Paris Salon, did not name its coachbuilder, while the 12th October 1923 issue of The Autocar showed another view of the same car but specifically credited its coachwork to Lavocat & Marsaud. Dating from the 1950s, two photographs on file show that many changes have been made to the body's appearance since then.

Hilton's family business then went into liquidation and his unfinished Type 30 was sold in 1975 to Nick Harley, then trading in Winkleigh, Devon, who continued with its restoration. He had new front and rear wings made in aluminium and linked by running boards, so the louvred valances, which ran for much of the length of the body, were discarded. He also had the car painted red.

Before completing the car's restoration, Harley offered it for sale for £20,000 in the Feb-ruary 1980 issue of Motor Sport, although it was subsequently sold later in 1980 to Fuad Majzub of Beoley in Worcestershire via London-based auctioneer Mike Carter. Further work was done on the car by Barrie Price, who by mid-l981 had it running, albeit poorly. Hugh Conway then tried to persuade Majzub to take the car on the forthcoming Bugatti Centenary Rally to Molsheim in September 1981, but he eventually decided against doing so.

Some years later Majzub entered the Bugatti for an overseas rally, believed to have been held in Italy. The car boiled severely within a few miles so was brought home and was delivered to Ernie Allen of Dinedor, Hereford. Allen took its radiator to John Underwood of Star Engineering in Caerleon, who in early 1989 fabricated and fitted a new core. Allen then carried out much further work on the Bugatti culminating in a test run in April 1989, when severe engine vibration limited its operating speed to 2,000rpm. Majzub is understood to have used the car little if at all thereafter until his untimely death in May 1992, whereupon his vast collection of classic cars passed to his family. The Bugatti remained in storage in the Majzub collection with only an occasional outing until November 2004 when it was bought by present owners David and Jennifer Sewell.

The car was just about in running order when purchased, and numerous necessary jobs were carried out before July 2006 when it was next run. However, it soon became evident that an engine overhaul was required because it had little power and would not rev freely. Over the 2006-2007 winter the camshaft was ground, the cylinder blocks and pistons changed, and new valves, fingers, springs and guides fitted. However, once it was running again the engine vibrations gradually worsened so the crankshaft was removed and taken for checking to Bugatti specialists Brineton Engineering of Walsall where it was found to be badly bent and extensively cracked. Accordingly, a new Type 30 crankshaft and con-rods were ordered from Brineton who, after seeing factory drawings of the 1923 Grand Prix Type 32 five-bearing crankshaft with split roller con-rods, offered to produce one on very reasonable terms. The new crankshaft assembly, including a new flywheel, took a whole year to make, while bronze bearing housings for the new numbers '2' and '4' main bearings had to be made and secured in the crankcase, which was then line-bored in small steps, Miller fashion, to assist assembly. During this time Brineton also rebuilt the rear axle, changing its original 12x54 ratio to 15x54 and thereby raising its gearing in top from 20 to 25mph/1,000rpm.

The car next returned to the road in June 2009, since when it has been off the road from time to time as and when minor jobs have been required. As a result the car has completed relatively few miles since the new crankshaft was fitted. The multitude of tasks completed before June 2009 included rebuilding the oil and water pumps; fitting a better pair of cylinder blocks plus high-compression (8.5:1) pistons sourced from a Type 35A; fitting new exhaust manifolds; and rebuilding the shock absorbers. The extensive programme of maintenance and improvement undertaken since 2009 is far too lengthy to accommodate here, but full details may be found within the accompanying history file (perusal highly recommended).

In recent years the Bugatti has attended events at Prescott, Donington Park and Oulton Park, and was exhibited at the Cartier Style et Luxe concours at the Goodwood festival of Speed in 2011. The following year 'PE 4055'won an award at the BOC Garden Party concours. Last used circa three years ago, the car is presented in very good condition throughout. Offered with a history file, 'PE 4055' represents a wonderful opportunity to own a rare and highly original, UK-delivered Bugatti Type 30 with known ownership from new.