Beschreibung:

THE EX MLLE HELLÉ NICE 1927 BUGATTI TYPE 35B GRAND PRIX Chassis No. 4863 Engine No. 111 Blue with black leather upholstery. Engine: straight eight overhead cam, Bugatti-Roots supercharger, 2,292cc giving approximately 130 bhp at 5,500rpm; Gearbox: four speed manual; Suspension: front-Bugatti type forged steel tubular axle with trunnion mounted leaf springs, rear- axle carried on reversed quarter- elliptic leaf springs; Brakes: four wheel drum. Right hand drive. Considered by many people to be the most beautiful racing car of its period, and an enduring classic design of all time, the Type 35 Bugatti is also one of the most successful racing cars ever built, with a string of major victories in the hands of famous drivers all over the world. In the late 1920s it was also the best car that could be purchased by an amateur racing driver and at the same time was capable of winning a Grand Prix. A good Type 35 is also one of the most exciting and satisfying cars to drive, both in competition and on the open road. It is this fact, just as much as its universal appeal as an automotive art form, which is no doubt responsible for the strong demand and high prices which this car commands on the rare occasions when a good example is offered for sale. According to the transcriptions of the original Bugatti factory records obtained by Hugh Conway in the mid-sixties Chassis 4863, fitted with Engine No 111, was invoiced on either 12 January 1927 or 2 July 1927 for delivery to either Andrieissi or Hellé Nice, both names and dates being quoted and it being unclear which were correct. However the original delivery records which surfaced in 1991 indicate that this car was delivered by road from Molsheim to Paris on factory trade plates numbered 1763 WW5 which were valid on this car between the dates 2-12 July 1927. However the same records indicate that the car was purchased by a customer named Andrieissi of Amsterdam and so was presumably to be collected by him from the Paris showrooms. The name Marco also appears, this no doubt being one-time works driver and long time Bugatti employee Pierre Marco who must therefore have been in some way involved in the sale. It may be that the earlier intended sale of the car on 12 January 1927 either did not take place at all or was aborted for some reason and instead the car was retained by the factory for a further six months, possibly for their own competition purposes. It would seem that Andriessi, of whom nothing further is known, kept the car for almost three years after which it was returned to the factory and issued with another set of factory trade plates numbered 1647 WW 5 between 29-31 March 1930, during which period it was delivered again from Molsheim to Paris for its new owner Hellé Nice. The famous and eponymous "Mlle. Hellé Nice", was a Parisien actress, dancer, and acrobat, who had taken up motor racing in the late twenties. She led a colorful life, dancing at the Casino de Paris, performing on the trapeze, and racing Bugattis. Hellé Nice's fascinating exploits have been meticulously documented in two wonderful scrap books compiled by her and accompany her Bugatti. The files are extensive, and amazingly include the original factory invoice from Bugatti, dated March 29, 1930, for chassis 4863 totalling 40,000 French Francs. Prior to her ownership of 4863, Hellé Nice utilised it for a record attempt at distances up to ten miles on the banked Montlhéry circuit near Paris on 18 December 1929, evidently with factory support, which again is confirmed in the scrapbook. Despite failing in her attempt she nevertherless achieved most creditable speeds, covering the flying ten miles in excess of 194 km/hr with a best and last lap at almost 198 km/hr. This was not her only Bugatti, for she also owned an unblown Type 35 in which she competed in various other events around that time, in addition it's known that a third Bugatti, a Type 35C owned by Baron Phillippe de Rothschild was also made avail