1944 Bugatti Type 73C Monoposto

Chassis number 73002

The production of the Bugatti Type 73 began in 1943, right before the onset of World War II. Production was postponed during the war but began again in 1947 with the introduction of the Type 73A. Ettore Bugatti's death on August 21, 1947 spelled the demise of the Type 73.
Type 73A were touring cars that came with seating for either two or four people. All the Type 73 (A, B, C) were given, or intended to have, four-cylinder engines. The Type 73 had twin overhead camshafts with four valves per cylinder. The Type 73B was similar but had single overhead camshafts. The Type 73A had single overhead camshafts with three valves per cylinder. Five chassis of the Grand Prix, single seater Type 73C were constructed with only one (73002) receiving an engine and testing by the factory. The chassis numbers were 73001 through 73005. The supercharged engine was a 1.5 liter straight-four with twin overhead camshafts and four-valves per cylinder. It featured a detachable cylinder head, wet cylinder liners, and a exhaust manifold constructed of cast iron.

All these parts and many others remained in storage at Molsheim for several years until one set of Type 73C parts was acquired in late 1960 by Belgian Bugatti dealer Jean de Dobbeleer of Brussels. There he assembled and fitted with a monoposto body featuring a typical Bugatti radiator shell based on one of a pair of 1945 Type 73C body drawings by Pichetto. After selling the finished car to a Frenchman, de Dobbeleer returned to Molsheim in 1961 and acquired the parts for another Type 73C, Chassis No 73002, which he proceeded to assemble, after which he sold its body-less chassis to the US via his American agent Gene Cesari. This car was the only Type 73C to be listed in Hugh Conway's 1962 Bugatti Register, in which its owner was listed as Jerry Sherman of Pennsylvania. Thereafter it passed in 1969 to Eric Richardson, the leading American Bugatti authority of his day, before passing in 1973 by Tom Wheatcroft who was then in the process of both purchasing and assembling what was to become his famous Donington Collection of Grand Prix racing cars. The car was fully restored in the Donington workshops to the extremely high mechanical and cosmetic standard invariable achieved by Wheatcroft, who has always insisted his cars should perform and drive as well as they look. The car was then fitted with a copy of the second of Pichetto's 1945 73C body designs, this one featuring a cowled radiator grill typical of the late pre-war and early post-war period. Tom Wheatcroft often invited his many racing driver friends to private test sessions at his Donington Park track, and accordingly this particular car was driven from time to time on such occasions by Wheatcroft and his associates throughout his period of ownership. However, wishing to accommodate a selection of much more recent racing cars, Wheatcroft decided to sell several of the exhibits displayed in his Donington Collection, and in 1994 he sold his Type 73C Bugatti to Alberto Lenz of Mexico. Lenz in turn sold the car in 2002. Over the last few years he has meticulously carried out numerous improvements, including fitting the car with piano wire wheels and hubs by Crosthwaite & Gardiner and cycle wings to make the car road-legal. Type 73C Bugatti was the very last racing car designed by perhaps the greatest and certainly the most successful racing car designer of all time - Ettore Bugatti. Location: the car can be inspected at your convenience in Dallas / Texas