1935 Bugatti

This 1935 Bugatti Type 59 was assembled by marque restorer Ray Jones over several years in the style of the Type 59/50S driven by Robert Benoist in the 1935 Grand Prix de l’Automobile Club de France. Originally completed in the early 1990s, the build included the installation of the supercharged 4,972cc inline-eight that is said to have propelled Benoist’s 1935 Grand Prix entrant after having carried Count Stanislaw Czaykowski’s Type 54 to multiple speed records in 1933. The car rides on Bugatti Type 59 works frame No. 2, which was acquired by Ray Jones from the closed Molsheim factory in the 1960s and was fitted with reproduction aluminum coachwork during the build. Bugatti components also include a four-speed manual gearbox, a double-reduction rear axle with a ZF limited-slip differential, a split front axle, De Ram hydraulically governed friction shock absorbers, semi- and quarter-elliptical leaf springs, and 19” piano-wire wheels of staggered width. A restoration performed by the seller, Ray Jones’s son, between 2015 and 2016 brought the car to mechanically operating status and included a repaint in blue with hand-painted numbering. It has since appeared at various Concours events including the 2017 Cavallino Classic, 2019 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, 2020 Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance, and the 2022 Palm Event at Mar-a-Lago where it earned best in show. This Type 59 is now offered in Stuart, Florida, with an FIA Historic Technical Passport, an authenticity report from David Sewell, photos from the Molsheim factory, photos from the restoration, copies of technical drawings, and a clean California title in the name of the seller’s father’s trust. The Type 59 debuted in 1933 as a replacement for the Type 54 in anticipation of an Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus rule change stipulating a 750-kilogram weight limit for the forthcoming season. Eight examples are said to have been completed, with power initially courtesy of a supercharged 2.8- or 3.3-liter version of the Type 57’s engine mounted low in the Type 59’s drilled chassis. After the model saw middling results in 1934, one of the chassis was fitted with a specially developed 4.9-liter powerplant previously used in a works Type 54 used to establish a one-hour world speed record in 1933. Based on frame number six, that repowered Type 59 completed 16 laps with Robert Benoist at the wheel in the 1935 French Grand Prix before retiring from the race and later becoming the basis for Bugatti’s Type 59/50B racers. This build recreates Benoist’s French Grand Prix car using Bugatti Type 59 frame number two, which was one of four Type 59 frames and numerous other parts acquired by Ray Jones from the Molsheim factory in the late 60s. An aluminum bulkhead and coachwork were fabricated during the project based on factory drawings and period photos, with design features including a faired-in radiator and a riveted seam projecting along the tail panel. The body is finished in blue with the number 24 hand-painted on the tail, hood, and grille as depicted in photos of the original Benoist car. The piano-wire wheels are joined by splines to drilled center discs and are secured by two-eared knock-offs. Blockley tires measure 5.00-19 up front and 5.50/6.00-19 at the rear. Braking is handled via cable actuation on finned drums with drilled backing plates and ventilation scoops up front. Suspension incorporates semi-elliptical front leaf springs, inverted quarter-elliptical rear leaf springs, and four-wheel De Ram shock absorbers, the latter of which use hydraulic pressure to adapt friction dampening to the speed of lever-arm travel. The cockpit houses a single seat situated on the right-hand side and wrapped in black upholstery. The passenger side is fitted with an aluminum tonneau panel and houses an engine oil reservoir linked to a cowl-mounted oil cooler. Features include a single windscreen, a faired rearview mirror, a handbrake lever to the driver’s left, and a shifter located outside the cockpit. The wood-rimmed steering wheel frames period instrumentation that is housed in a reproduction aluminum panel and includes a 6k-rpm tachometer and gauges monitoring fuel level, coolant temperature, and oil pressure. A Jaeger clock is mounted in the left side of the bulkhead. The 4,972cc T50S inline-eight is said to be distinguished from other period engines by a lightweight aluminum sheet-metal crankcase, a larger supercharger mounted midway along the side of the engine, triple Zenith 48K updraft carburetors angled at 45°, and a divided cast-alloy intake manifold assembly. Features also include dual-overhead camshafts with helical-cut gears, hemispherical combustion chambers, a cast-iron cylinder block, dry-sump lubrication, and magneto ignition. The engine is said to have been acquired by Ray Jones after his discovery of its presence in a car that had been purchased by a customer in 1970. Power is sent to the rear wheels via four-speed manual gearbox number four and a double-reduction rear axle that houses a ZF limited-slip differential and is also stamped with number four as well as 28/20 and 33/12 gear ratios. The tail-mounted fuel tank is said to be a reproduction fitted with Bugatti dual filler necks. Frame number two is shown stamped on the rear crossmember above, and a VB logo can be seen stamped on one of the frame rails. According to Sewell’s report, the latter represents Bugatti subcontractor Brunon & Valette, who handled original production of various frame elements. The photo gallery below includes images of stamps on numerous internal engine components as well as stampings on the gearbox and rear axle and their respective internals, the De Ram shock absorbers, the leaf springs, the wheels, and various other parts. The six-page Sewell report is also included in the gallery and contains an analysis of components and their stamps. Also shown is the car’s FIA Historic Technical Passport and its most recent entry in the Bugatti Register. The car is titled using car number 59002, which is stamped on a reproduction firewall tag. Photos taken at the Molsheim factory during Ray Jones’s retrieval of this car’s frame and other parts are shown above and in the gallery below. Also included are photos of the original Benoist car upon which this build is based as well as factory drawings. Images from the restoration are also provided, while footage from the project is included in a video below. The underside of the hood is signed by Michel and Caroline Bugatti as are two copies of included articles featuring the car. A copy of “Robert Benoist: Champion du Monde” by Roger Labric is also included in the sale, along with a “Pilote” arm band which is said to have been worn by Benoist in period.