From its first appearance at the 1924 French Grand Prix, held at Lyon, there was no doubt to anyone who saw the Bugatti Type 35 run that this was an automobile that had it all: durability, mechanical functionality, and a wonderfully sporting exterior design. The Type 35’s best finish for that race was a respectable 7th overall, but it was clear that the car had the potential for greater success following future tuning and refinement. Indeed, this model would eventually become the most successful racing automobile, by number of victories, of all time.

Terence E. Adderley was a longtime Bugatti enthusiast, who indeed purchased a Type 57 as an early acquisition in his decades of collecting, and would gradually add other remarkable specimens to his private stable in the years to come. He had long had a yen for a competition Bugatti, and in 2015 purchased the Type 35A offered here from a seller in the United Kingdom. It has remained in the collection now for nearly a decade, and is, significantly, the last Bugatti to be sold from the Adderley fleet.

The car bears an assigned chassis number, BC 167, from the Bugatti Owners Club in the United Kingdom, which is not uncommon for examples that have been restored using a combination of original and reproduction parts, in need of an identity outside of the original production run. A BOC document on file indicates that it was assembled over a period of six years by Tula Engineering for Peter John Wilson, out of a package of components acquired from Bugatti specialist Ivan Dutton, including a Gino Hoskins reproduction frame, with an original Type 38 lower crankcase (sump) and replica upper crankcase, reproduction plain bearing crankshaft, original Solex carburetor, Bosch magneto, reproduction cam box, and original hubs, brakes, suspension, steering box, and other mechanical components. The rear axle is quoted as an original Type 35 unit but has been restamped 277, the only visible number, without the usual ratio stamping, while the front axle is claimed to be original. Tula reproduced the Grand Prix bodywork itself, a faithful duplication of the original design.

In good usable cosmetic order, the Bugatti would be ideal for further sorting, after which it could be enjoyed as an entertaining driver’s automobile and potent vintage rally entrant in the hands of a new caretaker.