1930 Bugatti Type 43A Roadster

In 1927, the Bugatti factory was at the peak of its automobile production, with multiple lines to handle the demand for the various Type 35 Grand Prix models: the blown and unblown Type 37 Sports and GPs; the Type 38, Type 38A, Type 40 and 40A touring cars; and the Type 43 and Type 44 Grand Sport models.

It was during this period that Bugatti began manufacturing their own sports-touring bodies. Prior to this point, completed chassis had to be delivered to coachbuilders in or near Western Europe. The first car outfitted with a Bugatti-built body was the four-cylinder Type 40 Grand Sport, followed by the Type 43.

The introduction of the Type 43 created a sensation. The first true sports car with a genuine 100 mph capability, the Type 43 coupled a slightly detuned Type 35B 2.3-liter supercharged Grand Prix engine with a shortened and “waisted” Type 38 touring chassis frame, contoured to the shape of the standard Grand Sport coachwork.

This achievement by Ettore Bugatti was considered a true masterpiece. Noted author and marque specialist H.G. Conway said of the Type 43, “it was the model to be aspired to in the 1927–1932 period as a Ferrari may be today, as a road car with the qualities of its racing sister.”

In 1929, Bugatti introduced the Jean Bugattidesigned roadster for the late Type 40, 40A, and 43A. Bearing a strong resemblance to some of the roadsters then being built in the US, it led to speculation that the Type 43A Roadster was originally intended for the American market. However, of the mere 19 examples built, only two went to the US prior to WWII. Several remained unsold at Molsheim, as sales slowed due to the economic uncertainty. Nevertheless, all of the Type 43s eventually found owners, with orders fulfilled as late as 1935.

According to The American Bugatti Register and Data Book by Sandy Leith and Kees Jansen, this example was constructed in November 1928. However, the completed car was not delivered to its first owner, Count Stanislas Czaykowski of Paris, until early 1930.

Born in Holland in 1899, Count Czaykowski was a Polish aristocrat who spent most of his life in Paris. In 1929, he purchased a Type 37A and entered it in that year’s Comminges Grand Prix. Ct. Czaykowski would go on to own and campaign Bugatti Types 35B, 51, 54 and 55, among others, entering them in events such as the Casa Blanca Grand Prix in 1931, which he won overall. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1932, Ct. Czaykowski and co-driver Ernest Friderich maintained an impressive 3rd place overall until a broken piston forced an early retirement on the 180th lap.

By August 1932, chassis 43289 was sold to Marcel Dornel in Paris. Following a handful of French owners, this Type 43A was acquired by noted French Bugattist André Binda of Nice, before passing to the chairman of Club Bugatti France, Marc Nicolosi, in 1987.

After 20 years of active use on club rallies and even at the Le Mans Classic in 2002 and 2006, Mr. Nicolosi sold 43289 to Peter Mullin in 2007. The Mullin Museum in Oxnard, California, was opened in 2010, and for over a decade, this Type 43A was displayed in the loft alongside two grand prix Bugattis – a nod to its race-derived underpinnings.

Significantly, this example retains its original lower crankcase, numbered 147, and unmodified Jean Bugatti Roadster coachwork, save for cut-down doors. The car possesses a wonderful patina, having been largely untouched since the 1960s. As one of only 10 survivors of the 19 Type 43A roadsters built, this offering from the Mullin Collection represents a rare opportunity to acquire one of the most desirable sports-touring Bugatti models ever built.