1927 Bugatti Type 40 Roadster
- Engine
- 1.6L SOHC inline-four, 46 bhp
A 1927 Bugatti Type 40 roadster, chassis 40532, with an unusual factory history suggesting it was earmarked as a prize for a top finisher at the inaugural Bugatti Grand Prix at Le Mans in 1928. Registered in Alsace through the 1930s and 1940s, the car received a coachwork transformation around 1964 in Italy, gaining a boat-tail roadster body with polished wood and cut-down racing doors. It subsequently passed into the renowned collection of Count Corrado Agusta and descended within the Agusta family.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold €168,000 (≈ $185K)
- 1935-11-04 →Acquisition unknownE. Horningpartial documentation
Registered in Bas-Rhin department to this Strasbourg resident; the same car had received a prior registration in Haut-Rhin earlier the same year under an unidentified holder.
- 1947 → 1952Acquisition unknownUnknown owner in Haut-Rhinnone documentation
Post-war re-registration in Haut-Rhin to an unnamed individual; ownership transferred within roughly five years.
- 1952-01-04 →Private saleR. Pannetierpartial documentation
Acquired and registered in Colmar under a new plate; subsequent ownership chain is not documented until the Italian period.
- 1973 →Acquisition unknownBruno Smaniottopartial documentation
Schio-based Italian owner recorded as holding the car in 1973 following the circa-1964 roadster conversion.
- Date unknownFactory deliveryJamac Schurchpartial documentation
Factory records initially listed this person as the intended recipient, but the name was crossed out before delivery; the car was never actually sold to them.
- Date unknownFactory deliveryThird-prize winner at the inaugural Bugatti Grand Prixpartial documentation
Factory records were amended to indicate the car as a prize gift to this driver, though no delivery date was ever recorded and the car appears not to have been formally sold.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownCount Corrado Agustapartial documentation
Prominent Italian motoring figure who added the car to his notable collection after Smaniotto's tenure.
- Date unknownInheritanceCount Riccardo Agustapartial documentation
Inherited the car from his father, Count Corrado Agusta, and is the consignor for the present sale.
Competition
- 1928Bugatti Grand Prix at Le Mans3rd
Factory records suggest the car was designated as a third-place prize for a driver at this inaugural event, though the recipient's identity is not recorded.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1964RestorationManzardo & Zanette
The car was comprehensively reworked by the Italian workshop Manzardo & Zanette, with the body reshaped into a boat-tail roadster featuring a polished wooden deck surface and cut-down racing-style doors. The paint and upholstery applied at this time remain on the car.
This represents the car's current appearance; original bodywork form prior to this restoration is not described in the prose.
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