Replacing the Brescia as Bugatti’s new four-cylinder road car in 1926, the successful Type 40 was known for its sporty designs and nimble handling characteristics, and about 750 examples were built. The model provided the first opportunity for Jean Bugatti’s talents to be put on full display as he began to succeed his father, Ettore. This smaller-format model was bodied with several of Jean’s coachwork designs for which he is most revered, including roadster and fiacre styles.

In the final phase of Type 40 production, the Type 40A was introduced, which featured an engine enlarged to over 1,600 cc and an increase in horsepower. Many of these uprated cars received roadster-style coachwork including the example offered here.

Chassis 40902 was originally delivered through official Swiss Bugatti dealer Bucar in July 1931, and by 1962 it had been exported to the US and joined the legendary Bugatti collection of John Shakespeare in Centralia, Illinois. Famously, the wealthy Mr. Shakespeare, heir to his father’s fishing equipment business, had assembled the largest collection of Bugattis in the US, totaling 30 cars of various Types. In 1964, the entire collection, including 40902, was sold to French industrialists Hans and Fritz Schlumpf. As part of the famed Schlumpf Reserve Collection, the Type 40A Roadster was housed for decades in Malmerspach, France until being acquired by the Mullin Collection in 2008.

Chassis 40902 is presented much as it was while it was kept in the Schlumpf Reserve Collection, with its steel blue paint and red hood panels. The roadster coachwork features additional seating for two in the rear deck, and the interior is accented by an engine-turned dash panel. Not currently operational, there are several engine components that must be sourced to complete the car. This handsome Type 40A Roadster represents an extremely rare opportunity to acquire an early example of Jean Bugatti’s genius with an enviable pedigree including Shakespeare, Schlumpf, and Mullin.