Bugatti
Type 35B chassis 4914 – 1929 Monaco Grand Prix winner

Why it matters

Chassis 4914 won the first Monaco Grand Prix in 1929 in the hands of 'W. Williams', and also has wins in the 1928 Marne and 1929 Dieppe Grands Prix to its name. Bonhams described it as the most original surviving Grand Prix winner of the 1920s, with no replacement parts evident apart from its tyres.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The car was one of the supercharged straight-eight Grand Prix Bugattis produced in February 1928. Louis Chiron almost certainly drove it to win the 1928 Marne Grand Prix at Reims-Gueux. On 14 April 1929 William Grover-Williams, entered as 'W. Williams', won the inaugural Monaco Grand Prix with it and set fastest lap; later that year, owned by Baron de Bondeli, it won the Dieppe Grand Prix with René Dreyfus.

The car then spent around 51 years in a single French ownership before Bonhams offered it at Goodwood in September 2005.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Chassis no. 4914 with engine no. 170T. The registration '8871 CA4' is still painted on the front apron; earlier registrations recorded are '9273 BA' (1929) and '2121 BA2' (1931). The car retains its lighting set, dynamo and wiring, shows empty bolt holes where a hood and broad windscreen were once fitted, and carries layered paint (dark green for Monaco, then bright blue, red and later blue overpaint).

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Bonhams Goodwood Revival 2005, lot 110 – 1928 Bugatti Type 35B chassis 4914 Level B

   • 4 straight-eight GP Bugattis produced in February 1928 (this car is one of them)

   Accessed 2026-11-11
2. 2
   The ex-works/Williams inaugural Monaco Grand Prix-winning 1928 Bugatti Type 35B, chassis no. 4914, engine no. 170T (Lot 110) Level B Bonhams · 2005-09-16

   • supercharged straight-eight Grand Prix Bugatti
   • 2.3-litre supercharged Bugatti

   Accessed 2026-11-11