There are few such appealing collecting opportunities as the barn find of a major marque, arguably none more so than a Bugatti. And yet, here is one: an original-bodied, matching-numbers-engine Type 40 Grand Sport emerging after more than 60 years of ownership – and many decades of slumber.

Hailing from late in the production sequence, published registry records document that chassis 40801 was built in May 1929 and fitted with the marque’s iconic Grand Sport bodywork. Cleverly echoing the appearance of Bugatti’s hugely successful Grand Prix cars – albeit with space for passengers – the design offered competition-bred flair in a road-going format. Ordered by Dache Pilot & Cie of Valence in southern France, the car was completed on August 1st of that same year and registered for the road as “6207 FA,” although the identity of the original buyer remains unknown.

The Bugatti is recorded to have been moved south to the coast, passing through a sequence of owners in the Marseille area before returning to Valence in 1952. By 1955, it resided in Paris with M. Balieu, a butcher who entrusted famed Bugattiste Henri Novo with its sale. Although briefly owned by Dennis Talbot, a British man based in Holland, it quickly passed to Jean De Dobbeleer, the Bugatti dealer well-known for supplying numerous Pur Sang to the US.

As with many Bugattis that passed through his agency, 40801 was imported to the US by Gene Cesari and John O’Donnell, who in turn sold it to Robert Bramley, based in Rumson, New Jersey, in 1958. Bramley refurbished the Type 40 and reported his work to the Bugatti Trust in 1960; however, it is said that the distractions of marriage and flying soon curtailed his interest. In 1964, Robert J. Chevako of New York acquired 40801, and retained it until his passing in 2024.

Mr. Chevako used the Bugatti at select events in the 1960s, but it otherwise remained largely off the radar – so much so that it was not included in the American Bugatti Club’s register for 1988. Nevertheless, the Bugatti was certainly cherished and, while it aged gently through use and later long-term storage, it has retained its intrinsic purity. Today, it presents with the ever-popular “oily rag” look, such that, once recommissioned and if carefully preserved, it would no doubt prove a considerable draw at a wide range of events.

A Type 40 balances all the marque’s wonderful ingredients during this period in its design and is eminently usable in club events. Owing to its period use, chassis 40801 carries the additional benefit of being eligible for the 1000 Miglia Storica by definition, subject to Registro acceptance.

*Please note that this vehicle is titled 1928. Please also note that this vehicle has been in long-term static storage and may not be currently operational. It will require mechanical attention prior to road use.