1913 Bugatti Type 13 '8 valve' Two Seater

Introduced in 1910, Bugatti's first production car is retrospectively referred to as the Type 13, though contemporary literature confirms five variants of 8 valve four cylinder cars in the pre-war period. The distinguishing feature for 1912 cars was the wheel base length, the Type 13 being 2 metres, while two other models a 2.4 metre Type 15 and 2.55 meter Type 17 were also listed.

Of relatively lightweight proportions, even in these early days Bugatti favoured the use of the finest materials and combined with his exceptional design skills enabled these cars to provide performance out of character with their size. The cars received very favourable press response, not least by W.F. Bradley in The Motor in November 1910, where he comments 'as a runabout the Bugatti seems ideal, for on open roads, it is as fast as any of the larger mounts, and in traffic it is quicker because of its handiness.' 'The makers guarantee that the little Bugatti can maintain 60 miles an hour, the claim seems to be well-founded.'

The 8 valve cars were immediately campaigned in various events, the results of which were proclaimed proudly in sales catalogues, earliest successes being first places in the meeting at La Sarthe on June 4/5th 1911. Production of these Bugattis ran consecutively from chassis number 361 and from 1910 to the outbreak of war in 1914, by which time over 340 cars had been built. It continued after the war for a year from 1919, bringing total unit numbers to 475.

There are fewer than 25 surviving examples of the model, the oldest of all is chassis 365 which resides in the Science and Technical Museum in Prague. The next production car ‘366’ may now be seen at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, U.K. having been negotiated by Brooks/Bonhams specialists in lieu of inheritance tax on the death of its owner Peter Hampton in 1991. Car 432 also survives making this the 4th oldest production car to survive, though it would have been the 82nd car built.

With assistance from noted marque authorities David Sewell and Norbert Steinhauser – author of the recently published book Ettore Bugatti, L’artisan de Molsheim - the result of tireless research on the earliest days of the Bugatti company, Bonhams are able to confirm that this car was delivered new on 13th March 1912, to Messrs. Batalin and Plotnikoff of St. Petersberg. It is also not known whether the distinctive bodywork that the car retains to this very day was put on the car in France before it was sold, or whether it was bodied on its arrival in the U.S.S.R. This is further endorsed by A. Dupouy’s book L’Automobile en Russie jusqu’en 1917 where the author cites a handful of cars that were known to have arrived in Russia in the Edwardian period, 442 being one of those and it is illustrated as such. Another is the 1917 Delaunay-Belleville which Tsar Nicholas II ordered for use as a hunting car.

Descriptions & pictures by bonhams & bugattirevue