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Chassis:
A very early Type 35, this is actually the 19th example produced by Bugatti. It was ordered new by legendary British racer and future Bentley Boy Glen Kidston. An early adapt, Kidston had already owned and raced a Brescia Bugatti. The Royal Navy Lieutenant Commander is believed to have personally collected the car from the Molsheim factory. Chassis 4450 was then raced at the Grand Prix de Provence, where it wore a yellow stripe to indicate it ran in the two-litre class. Shortly thereafter, Kidston also raced the car at Brooklands, lapping at over 110 mph on the bumpy track.It also featured in the Autocar magazine ‘A Fine Fleet’ article in October of 1925 along with a Hispano Suiza and Bentley that were also part of Kidston’s formidable stable. Before the end of the year, the Bugatti was sold as Kidston briefly retired from racing to pursue the 'bewitchingly beautiful' socialite Nancy Soames.
The next custodian was fellow Brit George Duller, who continued to race the car for several more seasons. The Bugatti Type 35 then passed to Vivian Selby, who carried on competing chassis 4450 well into the 1930s. Towards the end of the decade, long-term owner Selby sold the Type 35 to an Australian enthusiast. He had the car fitted with a later twin-cam Anzani engine. This upgrade prolonged its competition career even further. It was raced by its next Australian owners both Down Under and in Europe for many more decades, first in contemporary events before it seamlessly progressed into historic racing. In 1964, it was acquired by Bob King, who went on to own and campaign the car through to the mid 2010s. In 2006, he had the Grand Prix car meticulously restored by marque expert Richard Stanley to its original configuration with the rare Anzani engine replaced by a period correct Type 35 Bugatti unit.
Having been in single ownership for over 50 years, the ex-Glen Kidston quite literally came home when it was acquired by his nephew and fellow car enthusiast Simon Kidston in 2016. Sympathetically restored once more, it was later reunited with the Hispano Suiza H6C Hooper Saloon Limousine that had also been owned by Glen Kidston in 1925. In the fall of 2025, the photograph of the two cars that was part of the ‘A Fine Fleet’ article was recreated in front of Astor House in London.
| Chassis details |
| Manufactured in |
January 1925 |
| Engine number |
21 |
| First owner |
Glen Kidston |
| Last known location |
Simon Kidston |
| Appearances |
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| Most recent auction(s) |
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