FEATURE - 1926 Bugatti Type 37
Words: Mike Ryan
Photos: Courtesy of Donington Auctions & Sales
As the most successful race car to wear the Bugatti badge, the Type 35 rightly gets most of the acclaim directed at the marque’s early models, but it wasn’t the only winner. Of the numerous offshoots that the Type 35 spawned, the Type 37 enjoyed its share of glory, too.
As a carmaker, Bugatti was in its 15th year when the Type 35 made its debut at the 1924 French Grand Prix. Powered by a 2.0-litre straight-eight engine (developed from the Type 29) and featuring the novelty – for 1924 - of cast alloy wheels, the Type 35 wasn’t successful immediately, but it was soon delivering victories for Bugatti’s works team and privateers alike at a tremendous rate.
Despite its success, improvements came thick and fast in the years that followed. When production ended in the early 1930s, no less than seven distinct variants of the Type 35 had been spun off, including units with superchargers, simpler mechanicals, larger engines and smaller engines. Of the latter, there was the Type 37 and Type 39, both of which were released in 1925. Each new Type featured 1.5-litre engines to meet revised Grand Prix capacity rules, but the unit in the Type 37 was an all-new four-cylinder unit, while the Type 39 simply de-stroked the existing straight eight and simplified some other componentry. Also defining these spin-offs was the use of wire wheels instead of alloy wheels.
Big Small Numbers
Of all the Type 35 derivatives, the Type 37 was produced in the largest numbers, but this a relative term when talking about early Bugattis, particularly the examples created primarily for racing. Just under 100 of the original Type 35s were built, with around 140 units of the simpler, road-focussed Type 35A.
From 1925 to 1933, Type 37 production is estimated to have reached 290, including 67 ‘Type 37A’ machines with a supercharger that allowed the 1.5 four to deliver the same sort of power – around 90bhp (67kW) - as the naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre eight-cylinder engine and a top speed in the 200km/h range. Without the blower, the 1.5 engine peaked at around 60bhp (45kW) and could reach 150km/h.
Grand Prix rules for the 1926 season that led to the Type 37’s creation changed again for 1928, making it obsolete for top-flight events, but still competitive at other levels or in countries where the new formulae didn’t apply. One of those countries was Australia and the first Australian Grand Prix to be named as such - in 1929 - was won by a Bugatti (the 1928 iteration was referred to as the ‘100 Miles Road Race,’ not a grand prix).
The Aussie Connection
Of the less-than 300 examples of the Type 37 built, only around 10 are thought to have come to Australia in period. That first Australian Grand Prix winner was a Type 37A, driven by Arthur Terdich, with the next three iterations of the race won by Bugattis, too – Bill Thompson in 1930, Carl Junker in 1931 and Thompson again in 1932. Thompson’s mount was a Type 37A, while Junker won in a Type 39.
The car featured was present for all those occasions and actually finished second in 1930, ’31 and ’33. Had it won any of those events, or been a Type 35, it would arguably be better known, but even without the fame of a GP win, this is still a significant car.
Recently sold by Donington Auctions & Sales as part of online auction on 25 February, this Type 37 has roots that go back to June, 1926, when it was ordered by Bugatti’s London agent, Colonel W.L. Sorel. Bearing chassis number 37164 (suggesting it was the 64th Type 37 built), a gap in this car’s early history presents the possibility that it spent the first three years of its life in the UK, but as all Bugattis of the period destined for Australia were ordered through Sorel, it’s also possible it was delivered here new. Either way, the first record of #37164 on Australian soil is from August, 1929, when it was registered by an Athelston Bedford in Melbourne.
Then, as now, Bugattis were very expensive cars, so the clientele was limited. Most buyers had sporting intentions in mind, too, not mere transportation. Bedford was no exception, entering his Bugatti in the ‘C.O.R. Double Twelve Reliability Trial’ between Melbourne and Mount Gambier soon after registering it. He sold the car in February, 1929, to Harold Drake-Richmond; an English radio engineer living in Melbourne.
In Drake-Richmond’s hands, #37164 continued to be raced, and it was he who achieved those runner-up results at the Australian Grand Prix in 1930, ’31 and ’33. With his riding mechanic Charlie Disney, Drake-Richmond started every Australian GP from 1930 to 1935, all of which were held at Phillip Island. After 1935, the Australian Grand Prix was not officially held again until 1938, when it began to be rotated around road courses, airstrips and dedicated circuits all over the country before settling at Calder Park in 1980, with the last non-championship GP held there in 1984.
Separation and Reunification
In the 1936 Australian Tourist Trophy, Drake-Richmond broke a con-rod in #37164, after which he sold the car to John Sherwood in New South Wales, who in turn sold it to a George Bonser, minus its engine and radiator, a couple of years later.
This gradual dismantling of the Type 37 continued under Bonser’s ownership, with the body, dash, steering wheel and fuel tank sold to Ron Ewing for a racing special, while the Bugatti’s chassis was modified to take a Terraplane straight-six engine.
A trip to Brisbane was next, where the Terraplane six was replaced with a Dodge engine and what’s been described as a crude body fitted by Doug McDonald. In 1949, the Bugatti made another Australian Grand Prix appearance - almost two decades after its first - when McDonald entered the car in that year’s Australian GP at Leyburn, but failed to finish.
Chassis #37164 remained in Queensland with its next owner, Miles Turner, who apparently used it as a road car for a period, but when Sydneysider Frank Wetton acquired the chassis in 1962, it was rusting away in a wrecking yard. Turner had retained the Bugatti’s gearbox, though, which Wetton also purchased.
While he didn’t have much to start from, Wetton gradually rebuilt #37164 over a period of years, fabricating new parts and sourcing a reproduction Type 37 body from UK specialists, Peels. With no chance of tracking down the Bugatti’s original 1.5 four, Wetton sourced a Type 40 block (which is the same as the Type 37) and added original and repro parts sourced from as far afield as the UK and USA to complete the drivetrain.
Exactly when Wetton completed the rebuild is not recorded, but he and his wife Margaret enjoyed the car for many years afterward, mainly on rallies and club runs. Following Wetton’s passing several years ago, the Bugatti sat idle until it was consigned for the Donington auction in February.
To Auction
Ahead of the Donington auction, #37164 was mildly recommissioned and was in running, drivable condition as offered, with only a fuel system flush recommended ahead of regular road use.
One of the high-profile lots, the Bugatti attracted much of the pre-auction attention, along with an immaculate 1960 Mercedes-Benz 190SL convertible and a Cadillac Eldorado station wagon conversion reportedly created for Dean Martin.
A pre-auction estimate of $700,000 - $900,000 reflected this Bugatti’s significance and provenance. No doubt the estimate would have been higher had it won one of those Australian GPs in its early days, or still had its original engine. Regardless, this car’s long Australian history meant it could be subject to the 1986 Cultural Heritage Act, meaning overseas buyers would need a permit to take it out of the country. Ultimately, #37164 hammered for $750,000, but whether the buyer was local or foreign is unknown. What is known is that it was the top-selling car at the Donington auction by some margin, with the aforementioned Mercedes selling for $280,000 and a Jaguar D-Type reproduction selling for $140,000.
Full results from the auction and further details on this 1926 Bugatti Type 37 can be found at doningtonauctions.com.au
