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Photo Credit: James Mann FROM THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM B. RUGER The ex-Louis Garnier 1928 BUGATTI TYPE 43 GRAND SPORT Chassis No. 43234 Engine No. 114 Blue with black leather interior Engine: straight-eight in two blocks of four, single overhead camshaft actuating 24 valves via fingers, Zenith 48K carburetor, Roots-type Bugatti supercharger, Bosch magneto ignition, 2,262cc, c120bhp at 5,000rpm; Gearbox: separate four-speed unit with center change; Suspension: beam front axle with semi-elliptic springs, live rear axle with reversed quarter-elliptic springs, Hartford-Repusseau friction shock absorbers front and rear; Brakes: fully compensated cable actuation to front and rear drums integral with the aluminum road wheels. Right hand drive. In the 1920's production two-seater sports cars which could achieve and maintain a genuine maximum speed of 100mph on the road were few and far between. The introduction in early 1927 of the four-seater Type 43 Bugatti Grand Sport with a top speed well in excess of this magic figure caused a sensation in the motoring world. This outstanding performance was achieved by the simple installation of a mildly de-tuned version of the current Type 35B Grand Prix car's supercharged straight-eight engine into the chassis frame of the aborted Type 33 two litre sports car of 1923. Like that of the Type 35, this frame had curved side rails following the plan-view profile of the bodywork but with an almost 25 greater wheelbase capable of accommodating two rows of seats. However, whereas the Type 33 had featured a combined gearbox and rear axle unit similar in concept to that of the 1920 three litre Type 28 prototype, the Type 43 utilized essentially the same separate mid-mounted gearbox as the contemporary touring model Types 38 and 40. The front and rear axles of the Type 43 were likewise virtually identical to those of the Type 38 and later touring models, but fitted with the larger-braked aluminum wheels with which all versions of the supercharged Grand Prix model were shortly to be equipped. Not unnaturally the Grand Sport coachwork mirrored the lines of the widely acclaimed Grand Prix model, with a similarly pointed tail, louvered undertray and aluminum road wheels, and as a result it was generally considered to be equally fine in appearance. However unlike the aluminum-paneled Grand Prix model, it was constructed from steel panels mounted on a timber frame, thereby achieving the greater durability expected of a road car but at the price of greater weight. Chassis numbers of the Type 43 range from 43150 to 43310 so this particular car, chassis no. 43234 fitted with engine no. 114, dates from about mid-way through the model's production run. Fitted with Bugatti's own standard Grand Sport coachwork, it was invoiced by the factory on 12 October 1928 to their Paris showrooms from where it was purchased by the Spaniard Leonico (later known as Louis) Garnier, one of Bugatti's five Works drivers in the 1924 French Grand Prix at Lyon where the Type 35 made its debut. This Type 43 was later registered in his name with the registration number 691 FA 1. Soon after purchasing the car Garnier removed its Grand Sport bodywork and replaced it with an ugly streamlined aluminum-paneled fixed head coupe of his own design fitted with a single seat and no trim or any other amenities. Apparently his intention had been to attempt to break speed records in the car, but as far as can be established it was never used for this purpose. Nevertheless he retained it in this condition throughout the Thirties, then during the war it was hidden in the loft of a cement works near Limoges. It remained concealed there until being found in the mid-fifties by Jean Louis du Montant whose brother Jaques was to become a well-known dealer in vintage motor cars. In seeking and in due course obtaining title to the car, du Montant discovered that its only previous owner had been Louis Garnier Du Montant cleaned the car and took it to joi