Beschrijving
Bonhams are delighted to offer at our forthcoming ?Les Grandes marques du monde au Grand Palais? Rare Collectors' and Fine Motor Car Auction on Thursday 7th February 2019 at The Grand Palais, Paris, France, 142 select motor cars. The full online catalogue can be viewed at - details above. For further images and information on this lot, please follow the link.
FIRST OWNED BY CROWN PRINCE LEOPOLD OF BELGIUM
1928 BUGATTI TYPE 43 GRAND SPORT TOURER
CHASSIS NO. 43258 (43291 - SEE TEXT)
ENGINE NO. 132
?One of 160 examples
?Continuous ownership history
?Long-term ownership in Sweden 1942-2013
?Present ownership since 2013
?Mille Miglia eligible
?1, 250, 000 - 1, 450, 000
?1, 100, 000 - 1, 300, 000
Built in September 1928, chassis number '43258' is the second of three Type 43 Bugattis owned in succession by Bugatti enthusiast Crown Prince Leopold of Belgium. His first, in May 1930, was a Type 43 Roadster with chassis number '43291' and engine number '143'; his second, the car offered here, collected in May 1931, was a Type 43 Grand Sport with engine '132'; and his third, in July 1932, was another Grand Sport, with engine '158'.
Thanks to his royal status and close friendship with the Bugatti family, the Crown Prince was treated as a VIP at Molsheim and granted certain privileges. One such privilege was the factory's willingness to identify the Crown Prince's next Bugatti by means of fitting the chassis plate removed from his previous one, which the factory took in part exchange, thereby allowing him to retain the same Belgian registration documents and so avoid the need for a new Customs declaration and duty payment when his new Bugatti first entered Belgium. The factory would then sell his previous Bugatti with a changed chassis number.
Accordingly, on 20th May 1931, the Crown Prince was able to collect his second Type 43 from Molsheim newly fitted with the chassis plate '43291' taken from his first Type 43. The crankcase was stamped with the engine number '132' but there was still no chassis number stamping. Being married to the Swedish Princess Astrid, Leopold naturally took his Type 43 to Sweden while staying with the Swedish royal family. In September 1931 he left the car for sale with the Lindblads Bugatti agency in Stockholm, which sent it back to Molsheim for a service and check-up, after which it was returned to them by rail on 24th December 1931 newly identified by the factory as chassis number '43258', although that same number had already been used on a car despatched to Bucar in Switzerland in December 1930 (see final paragraph).
This Type 43's subsequent history in Sweden has been comprehensively researched and documented elsewhere, notably in a report by a previous owners G?the and Per-Olof H?kanson, but also independently by Pierre-Yves Laugier and lastly by the renowned independent Bugatti consultant, David Sewell (copies on file). The H?kanson and Sewell detailed reports, the latter dated 9th October 2009, have been used in writing this description.
The H?kansons' report traces the Bugatti's ownership from its sale by Linblads in January 1932 to an engineer, Nils Loostr?m, the final delivery being undertaken by no less a person than Bugatti works driver Louis Chiron. The original Type 43 brochure with Chiron's written instructions is in the history file. Within little more than a couple of weeks Loostr?m had sold the car to Einar Lindberg, who competed with it in the Swedish Winter Grand Prix at Lake R?men on 28th February 1932, finishing 5th (see photographs in report). Lindberg also entered his Bugatti in the Grand Prix of Finland on 8th May 1932 but was forced to retire. On 3rd November 1932 the Bugatti was sold to Axel Johnson of Skyttmon near ?stersund.
Johnson entered '43258' in the Swedish Summer Grand Prix at Vram in 1933 but had to retire with an engine problem after six laps. Following the Vram race, the car was shortened by 39cm, lowered by 6cm, and made into a two-seater. In its modified form, the Bugatti was raced by Johnson in an ice race on Lake Vallentunasj?n 18th February 1934, finishing 2nd behind Paul Pietsch's Alfa Romeo. Following a testing accident caused by a burst tyre, in which Johnson's brother-in-law was killed and Johnson lucky to escape with his life, the Bugatti returned to active competition in 1936 at the Swedish Winter GP at Lake R?men, Johnson finishing 3rd. In 1938 the Bugatti was advertised for sale at Philipssons in Stockholm and purchased by G?the H?kanson, father of Per-Olof H?kanson, who became its owner in the spring of 1942 aged 25 (photograph in report). There being no petrol available for private consumption in wartime Sweden, the car was not used for several years.
In 1952 G?the H?kanson decided to restore the Type 43 to its original specification and wrote to Jack Lemon Burton, Spares Controller of the Bugatti Owners' Club in England. A replacement chassis frame was obtained from JLB, and various engine and other spares sourced from the Bugatti factory, though it would be 1975 before a suitable 'Grand Sport' body was acquired and fitted. On 23rd November 1985, '43258' was test run for the first at a meeting at H?sselby. Following its completion, '43258' was used by the H?kansons in many International Bugatti Rallies and other events.
When inspected by David Sewell in 2009, this Type 43 Bugatti was found to retain almost all of its original major components except for those that were modified when the car was shortened in the autumn of 1933 and the beginning of 1934. The necessarily replaced parts were its chassis frame, prop-shaft, torque arm, and coachwork. Each of the first three components was replaced in 1952 by correct originals sourced from another Type 43 (see below) while in 1975 its coachwork was replaced in its entirety, except for retaining the original lid on the tail, by a replica Grand Sport body.
The car's chassis frame numbered '74', torque arm numbered '78' and prop-shaft, almost certainly sourced from the same Type 43, were obtained in 1952 by previous owner G?the H?kanson from Jack Lemon Burton (see original letter and invoice on file). Burton's surviving pre-war stock book leaves little doubt that this Type 43 was chassis number '43259' with engine '78', the same as this car's torque arm and close enough to its frame number. Of seven Type 43s listed in Burton's records, six were sold pre-war and the seventh, '43259', was broken up for spares in either late 1938 or 1939. It should be noted that G?the H?kanson used the shortened Type 43 chassis frame and its body to build another car using the parts and registration documents of the Type 44 '441119', as stated in the accompanying extracts from the Netherlands and Nordic Bugatti Registries.
This Bugatti's only other missing original major part is its gearbox casing, which was changed many years ago, before G?the H?kanson acquired the car in 1942, although its original lid remains with the car. David Sewell concluded his report thus: 'Accordingly it is my professional opinion that, despite its changed chassis frame, this historic Bugatti should be identified in all future documentation as Chassis No 43258 on the widely accepted basis of its indisputable continuous history.' He also found that the car was in excellent overall condition and performed well on the road.
With regard to this car's identity, Kees Jansen states in his Netherlands Bugatti Registry (Volume IV, 2015): 'Although we have decided to use the frame of the car as (its) distinguishing feature, in this case we deviate from that general rule as this car is generally denominated as 43258. In order to distinguish from the other car with the same chassis number we call it 43258-132.' The Nordic Registry confirms these facts.
Ayant appartenu au Prince L?opold de Belgique
Bugatti Type 43 Grand Sport tourer 1928
Ch?ssis n? 43258 (43291 - voir texte)
Moteur n? 132
?Un des 160 exemplaires
?Historique des propri?taires continu
?Longtemps aux m?mes mains en Su?de 1942-2013
?M?me propri?taire depuis 2013
??ligible aux Mille Miglia
Construit en septembre 1928, le ch?ssis num?ro 43258 est le second de trois Bugatti Type 43 d?tenues successivement par le prince L?opold de Belgique, passionn? de Bugatti. Sa premi?re, en mai 1930, ?tait un roadster Type 43 ch?ssis num?ro 43291 et num?ro de moteur 143 ; la seconde, la voiture propos?e ici, r?ceptionn? en mai 1931, ?tait une Type 43 Grand Sport avec le moteur num?ro 132 ; la troisi?me, en juillet 1932, ?tait une autre Grand Sport, avec le moteur num?ro 158.
Du fait son statut royal et de sa proximit? avec la famille Bugatti, le prince ?tait trait? en VIP ? Molsheim et b?n?ficiait de certains privil?ges. L'un de ces privil?ges ?tait l'accord de l'usine pour identifier les Bugatti du prince en fixant au nouveau ch?ssis la plaque r?cup?r?e sur le pr?c?dent que l'usine reprenait en ?change, lui permettant ainsi de conserver les m?mes papiers d'immatriculation belge et d'?viter la d?claration en douane et les taxes attenantes, lorsqu'il rentrait en Belgique avec sa nouvelle Bugatti. L'usine revendait ensuite sa pr?c?dente Bugatti avec un nouveau num?ro de ch?ssis.
C'est ainsi que le 20 mai 1931, le prince put prendre possession de sa seconde Type 43 ? Molsheim, dot?e de la plaque de ch?ssis 43291 reprise sur sa pr?c?dente Type 43. Le vilebrequin ?tait estampill? du num?ro du moteur, 132, mais sans num?ro de ch?ssis. Mari? ? la princesse de Su?de Astrid, L?opold emmenait naturellement sa Type 43 en Su?de lorsqu'il r?sidait avec la famille royale su?doise. En septembre 1931, il laissa la voiture ? vendre chez Lindblads, l'agent Bugatti de Stockholm, qui la renvoya ? Molsheim pour un entretien et une r?vision, apr?s quoi elle lui fut retourn?e par l'usine par chemin de fer le 24 d?cembre 1931 sous une nouvelle identit?, comme ?tant le ch?ssis num?ro 43258, bien que ce num?ro ait d?j? ?t? attribu? ? une voiture livr?e ? Bucar en Suisse en d?cembre 1930 (voir dernier paragraphe).
La suite de l'histoire de cette Type 43 en Su?de a ?t? enti?rement recherch?e et document?e par ailleurs, et notamment dans un rapport des pr?c?dents propri?taires G?the et Per-Olof H?kanson, mais aussi ind?pendamment par Pierre-Yves Laugier et plus r?cemment par le consultant ind?pendant Bugatti, David Sewell (copies au dossier). Les rapports d?taill?s d'H?kanson et Sewell, ce dernier en date du 9 octobre 2009, ont ?t? utilis?s pour ?crire ce descriptif.
Le rapport d'H?kansons fait remonter l'histoire de la Bugatti ? sa vente par Linblads en janvier 1932 ? un ing?nieur, Nils Loostr?m, la livraison ayant ?t? effectu?e par nul autre que le pilote d'usine Bugatti, Louis Chiron. La brochure originale du Type 43 avec les instructions ?crites de Chiron figure dans le dossier historique. ? peine plus de deux semaines plus tard, Loostr?m avait vendu la voiture ? Einar Lindberg qui l'engagea dans le Grand Prix d'hiver de Su?de au lac R?men le 28 f?vrier 1932, terminant 5e (voir photographies dans le rapport). Lindberg engagea ?galement sa Bugatti dans le Grand Prix de Finlande le 8 mai 1932, mais fut contraint ? l'abandon. Le 3 novembre 1932 la Bugatti fut vendue ? Axel Johnson de Skyttmon pr?s d'?stersund.
Johnson engagea 43258 dans le Grand Prix d'?t? de Su?de ? Vram en 1933, mais dut se retirer sur probl?me moteur au bout de six tours. Apr?s la course de Vram, la voiture fut raccourcie de 39 cm, abaiss?e de 6 cm et transform?e en deux places. Sous cette forme modifi?e, la Bugatti fut pilot?e par Johnson dans une course sur glace sur le lac Vallentunasj?n le 18 f?vrier 1934, finissant 2e derri?re l'Alfa Romeo de Paul Pietsch. Suite ? un accident caus? par l'?clatement d'un pneu au cours d'un essai dans lequel le beau-fr?re de Johnson fut tu?, Johnson s'en tirant miraculeusement indemne, la Bugatti retourna en comp?tition en 1936 au GP d'hiver su?dois du lac R?men, Johnson finissant 3e. En 1938, la Bugatti ?tait mise en vente chez Philipssons ? Stockholm et achet?e par G?the H?kanson, le p?re de Per-Olof H?kanson, qui en devint propri?taire au printemps 1942 ? l'?ge de 25 ans (photographie dans le rapport). L'essence ?tant indisponible pour un usage priv? en temps de guerre en Su?de, la voiture ne fut pas utilis?e pendant plusieurs ann?es.
En 1952, G?the H?kanson d?cida de restaurer la Type 43 ? ces sp?cifications d'origine et ?crivit ? Jack Lemon Burton, responsable des pi?ces d?tach?es au Bugatti Owners' Club en Angleterre. Un ch?ssis de remplacement fut d?nich? chez JLB et divers moteur et pi?ces trouv?s ? l'usine Bugatti, mais il fallut attendre 1975 pour qu'une carrosserie Grand Sport conforme soit achet?e et install?e. Le 23 novembre 1985, 43258 ?tait essay?e pour la premi?re fois lors d'un rassemblement ? H?sselby. Une fois achev?e, 43258 fut utilis?e par les H?kansons dans de nombreux rallies et autres ?v?nements internationaux Bugatti.
Lorsqu'elle fut inspect?e par David Sewell en 2009, on constata que cette Bugatti Type 43 conservait une grande partie de ses composants d'origine, ? l'exception de ceux qui avaient ?t? modifi?s lorsque la voiture avait ?t? raccourcie ? l'automne 1933 et au d?but de 1934. Les pi?ces obligatoirement remplac?es ?taient le ch?ssis, l'arbre de transmission, la barre de torsion et la carrosserie. Chacun des trois premiers ?l?ments fut remplac? en 1952 par des ?l?ments conformes d'origine, r?cup?r?s sur une autre Type 43 (voir ci-dessous), tandis qu'en 1975 sa carrosserie ?tait remplac?e, ? l'exception du couvercle de coffre d'origine, par une r?plique de carrosserie Grand Sport.
Le ch?ssis de la voiture num?rot? 74, la barre de torsion num?rot?e 78 et l'arbre de transmission presque certainement celui de la m?me Type 43, furent obtenus de Jack Lemon Burton en 1952 par le pr?c?dent propri?taire G?the H?kanson (voir lettre originale et facture au dossier). Le livet d'usine d'avant-guerre conserv? par Burton laisse peu de doute sur le fait que cette Type 43 ?tait le ch?ssis num?ro 43259 dot? du moteur 78, le m?me num?ro que la barre de torsion de notre voiture, assez proche de son num?ro de ch?ssis. Des sept Type 43 enregistr?es sur les registres de Burton, six furent vendues avant-guerre et la septi?me, 43259, fut d?mantel?e pour pi?ces fin 1938 ou 1939. On notera que G?the H?kanson a utilis? le ch?ssis raccourci de la Type 43 et sa carrosserie pour construire une autre voiture, utilisant les pi?ces et les papiers d'immatriculation de la Type 44 441119, comme en attestent les extraits des Netherlands et Nordic Bugatti Registres fournis.
La seule autre pi?ce majeure manquante de cette Bugatti est son carter de bo?te de vitesses, chang? il y a de nombreuses ann?es, avant que G?the H?kanson n'acquiert la voiture en 1942, bien que son couvercle d'origine soit encore pr?sent sur la voiture. David Sewell conclut son rapport de cette fa?on : ? Ainsi, c'est donc mon opinion de professionnel que, malgr? son num?ro de ch?ssis chang?, cette Bugatti historique soit identifi?e dans toute future documentation comme le ch?ssis No 43258 sur la base largement admise de son indiscutable historique continu ?. Il a ?galement trouv? que la voiture ?tait en excellent ?tat g?n?ral et se comportait parfaitement bien sur route.
En raison de l'identit? particuli?re de cette voiture, Kees Jansen d?cide dans son Netherlands Bugatti Registry (Volume IV, 2015) : ? Bien que nous ayons d?cid? d'utiliser le num?ro de ch?ssis de la voiture comme ?tant (sa) caract?ristique propre, dans le cas pr?sent nous d?vions de cette r?gle g?n?rale admise, cette voiture ?tant habituellement identifi?e comme 43258. De fa?on ? la distinguer de l'autre voiture au num?ro de ch?ssis identique, nous la d?signerons donc sous le num?ro 43258-132 ?. Le Nordic Registry confirme ce fait.
