Photo: AutoTrader Private Seller
Before the Chiron, the Veyron, and the EB-110, Bugatti was forging its path in history with some of the finest designs of the 1920s and 30s. Original, mint condition versions of these old gentleman's racers, like the Type 35, are easily seven figures in value every day of the week.
Most mortal humans will never get the chance to experience the raw pantomime of an early 20th-century Bugatti. But for a measly $10 grand, they could buy this replica that you couldn't tell by looking was a fake unless you had a trained eye. These days, it seems like almost every kit car without an in-house designed chassis uses one of two platforms. Either the Pontiac Fiero or the Original Beetle.
The original Type 35A Bugatti was equipped with a two-liter, eight-cylinder engine with 75 horsepower. This was replaced with a larger 2.3-liter unit jetting 136 horsepower (138 PS) with the Type 24B. In this case, with a replica, this "Bugatti" is indeed just an old Beetle underneath. With the same air-cooled engine and transmission that goes along with it. Just like the Type 24B race car, this fake Bugatti features two half-windscreens for the driver and the side passenger.
The original Beetle's engine was ever anything to be proud of, and it's at least 20 horsepower down from the engine in the car it's replicating. That said, we don't suspect you'll actually want to go very fast in this replica. With no crumple zone beside your noggin, a giant metal and wood steering wheel to wrap your face around, and almost no modern safety features visible, this is the kind of car you drive gingerly along a safety-controlled race track pretending you are a mid-1920s gentleman's racer.
But really, for just $10,000 from a private autotrader user in Pompano Beach, Florida, to feel like you're an old-school Formula One racer is really a small price to pay. Especially when passers-by have no idea it's even a replica.
The original Type 35A Bugatti was equipped with a two-liter, eight-cylinder engine with 75 horsepower. This was replaced with a larger 2.3-liter unit jetting 136 horsepower (138 PS) with the Type 24B. In this case, with a replica, this "Bugatti" is indeed just an old Beetle underneath. With the same air-cooled engine and transmission that goes along with it. Just like the Type 24B race car, this fake Bugatti features two half-windscreens for the driver and the side passenger.
The original Beetle's engine was ever anything to be proud of, and it's at least 20 horsepower down from the engine in the car it's replicating. That said, we don't suspect you'll actually want to go very fast in this replica. With no crumple zone beside your noggin, a giant metal and wood steering wheel to wrap your face around, and almost no modern safety features visible, this is the kind of car you drive gingerly along a safety-controlled race track pretending you are a mid-1920s gentleman's racer.
But really, for just $10,000 from a private autotrader user in Pompano Beach, Florida, to feel like you're an old-school Formula One racer is really a small price to pay. Especially when passers-by have no idea it's even a replica.
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