94-Year-Old Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix Is Worth as Much as an American Earns in 22 Years

And that explains why someone is hoping to sell a 94-year old Bugatti for as much as an average American can dream to earn in about 22 years.

Bugatti has always been one to make very expensive cars, as proven by today's lineup, which includes mechanical insanities the likes of the Chiron or the Bolide. Insanities not only in the sense that they pack incredible engineering, but also because they sell for literal millions.

Back in the 1930s, though, when the carmaker was still relatively young, it probably never dreamed of reaching such a level of exclusivity. Back then, the goal of the company was not necessarily to satisfy the needs of very rich customers, but to race. As proven by the Type 35B we have here.

The Type 35 first met the rather primitive race courses of the European continent in 1924, when it was entered in the Lyon Grand Prix. It wasn't a particularly impressive debut, as a poor choice of tires didn't allow it to give it its all, and it ended up finishing the race in 7th place. Its builders, however, didn’t get discouraged, and went on to create one of the most successful racing cars that ever were.

Actually, if you judge by the number of total victories, the Type 35 is the most successful race car that ever was. There are over 1,000 race victories to its name and it holds tens of records, including the one for the total number of victories in individual races. It is understandable, then, why the few surviving examples go for impressive figures when they are sold.

Because it was born in the world of race cars, the Type 35 suffered numerous modifications over the years, each of them building on the previous incarnation to make the racer better. One of the final versions to see a track from up close was the Type 35B, also known as the Type 35TC, where TC stands for Targa Compressor.

The variant came about in the late 1920s, and relied on the same engine the breed had used before, a 2.3-liter, eight-cylinder unit. It did, however, rock a supercharger, and that made it capable of reaching 60 mph (97 kph) from a standstill in six seconds, on its way to a top speed of 125 mph (201 kph).

History notes that only around 37 Type 35Bs were ever made, and the one you're staring at is one of them. More precisely, we're talking about chassis 4947, which rolled off the lines at the end of 1929, and was first sold the following year to Romanian racing driver Georges Bouriano.

The car's first track outing took place that same year at the Monaco race, and from there it moved to compete at a long list of venues and events across Europe, both before and after the Second World War. Its pedigree includes runs at Monaco, Dieppe, Comminges, the Bugatti Grand Prix held at Le Mans, and Chimay, among others.

Thing is, despite being present on the starting line of many races back in the day, this particular vehicle didn't actually manage to make an impression on the track, as a series of malfunctions, accidents, and other mishaps generally kept it away from the finish line. And when it did reach it, it was not the first one to do so.

After its racing days were done, in 1960, the Type 35B ended up in possession of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, which has never let go of it since. It will do so come next February, during an auction that's to be held in Miami.

The car presents itself today pretty much in the same way as it did when it was made, complete with restoration work performed at some point in the past. Although important mechanical bits like the frame, engine, and rear axle are still original, some of the parts it now boasts are not: the fuel pump, the carburetor, and the hydraulic brakes.

The gearbox, on the other hand, is a mix of old and new, retaining the original number markings but using a replacement casting, while the front axle comes from a Bugatti Type 51.

The car’s known ownership history points to it being owned by just six people and organizations over its nine decades+ lifetime, including the one I already mentioned, Bouriano, but also Arthur Legat and Colonel George Felton.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is now selling the car through the hands of auction House RM Sotheby's alongside a number of other high-profile vehicles. It hopes to fetch anywhere between $1,000,000 - $1,800,000 for it.