1

The history of Bugatti 44266 ‘blackbird’

Kees Jansen

Introduction

Very few Bugattis have always been in the same family. Besides the odd exception,
most cars have changed ownership several times, and very often the complete
provenance is unknown. This, however, does not apply to Bugatti 44266: all owners, as
well as the whole history of the car are known. It was a 4-seater cabriolet, modified to a
2-seater boat tail body with full road gear created in the mid- thirties. In total the car has
had 17 owners (including car dealers) from new. It has been changed considerably, but
this took place in the mid thirties when it was modified for racing. Between 1933 and
1937 the car has had considerable success, with many victories at Bugatti races and
rallies in the UK and it has won the best yearly performance of the BOC events twice.

Production, Sale and Body

Chassis No. 44266 fitted with engine No.21, was completed in chassis form in
September 1927 before being invoiced by the factory to the manager of the Bugatti
London’s agency Colonel Sore- residing on Brixton road- on Nov 4, 1927 for shipment
on Nov 10 in a batch of six rolling chassis: two type 40’s and 4 types 44 1. The price of
the types 44 rolling chassis was FF 29.920.-2.

Page from Carnet nr 2 from Mr Pracht, administrator of the Bugatti factory.

44266 with engine no 21 was in a batch of six cars that went to Sorel in London on Nov 10,
1927, amongst which 44267 and 44268. (Courtesy of Julius Kruta, Bugatti SAS)

EB Order book with the batch of 6 Bugattis for London. (Courtesy of Julius Kruta, Bugatti SAS)
 2

Carrosserie book. Entries are empty until 44427.Only few types 44 got a denomination in this
book; most were delivered as rolling chassis to a local coachbuilder. (Courtesy Julius Kruta
(Bugatti SAS)

In the Factory Engine book: 44266 got no 21. From the same page it can be read that engine
no 3 is not used (‘Essai’), here not shown. (Courtesy of Julius Kruta, Bugatti SAS)

The English coach building company, Harrington’s of Brighton then built the body for
44266 as well as for 44267, which was an all black four-door, four-seater cabriolet with
a fabric body.

The original Harrington of Brighton four-seater cabriolet with a fabric body on chassis 44266 before
the transition (Photo courtesy of Moyra James- Bear)
 3

Maurice Sowman (1927- 1931)

The car was bought by Maurice Sowman in London, and its first license plate, UV 28
was issued by the London city council in June 1929. During the 19 months between the
delivery of the chassis and the completed car being road registered it could have been
used as the agency’s demonstrator before 44787 took over that duty. During the
following two years he used it regularly and covered about 17.000 miles (almost 28.000
km), after which he sold the car to Colonel G.M. Giles.

Colonel Geoffrey Giles (1931)

The famous Bugattist Colonel Geoffrey M. Giles- the chairman of the Bugatti Owners
Club- bought this car in 1931. It was his eighth Bugatti. He had the habit of naming all
his cars; this one he called ‘Blackbird’. He owned it for a short time: he bought it on July
18, 1931, and sold it on Sept 2, 1931 to Kenneth Bear, having driven 1293 Miles on it
meanwhile 3. He sold it as he wanted to downsize: he also had two other 3 litres and a
2.3 litre Bugatti.

At the BOC Lewes Speed Trial with Kenneth Bear on June 11, 1932 which was won by a Delage in
22.7 seconds; here still as a 4 seater (Photo WJ Brunell, courtesy of Moyra James- Bear)
 4

Kenneth Bear (1931- 1938)

Kenneth Wilfried Bear was just 24 years of age, when he bought the car second-hand in
1931. He made his living in an insurance company with Lionel Sage & Co (now Marsh
Brokers Ltd) specialising in the aviation insurance business that he had entered as an
office boy at the age of 19; he was appointed director at the age of 25 and chairman at
30 years. He also became an underwriting member (a so called ‘name’) at Lloyd’s of

Pic: The chassis

is shortened 19
inch; the rear
doors have been
removed, here
pictured at the
BOC Chalfont St
Giles Hillclimb in
1934 where it
became the
fastest sports
car (Photo W.J.
Brunell courtesy
of Moyra James-
Bear)

London at the age of 36- in those days a certified guarantee of a good income. He also
was a keen rugby player and tennis player and he also owned and flew his private
airplane.

Kenneth
Bear in full
swing after
having
shortened
the car but
before
having
changed the
tail. Date
unknown.
(Courtesy of
the Bugatti
Trust)
 5

Pic: Kenneth Bear did not

really like the looks of the
rear end of his car after he
had shortened the chassis
as can be seen here, so
he had it modified to a
boat tail style body as can
be seen later. (Photo
courtesy of the Bugatti
Trust D1319-27)

He had clearly caught the

‘Bugitis’ virus- an incurable
disease that would
ultimately kill him.
44266 was his fourth Bugatti, and Bear was co-founder of the Bugatti Owners Club
(BOC); member # 6. He was a very enthusiastic organizer and participant of Bugatti
rallies and a serious contender during races and sprints.

Especially for speed trials, hill climbs and

rallies he embarked on a project to make
this car much faster: He bought two new
cylinder blocks from the Bugatti factory in
Molsheim in order to increase the size of
the engine from 2997 to 3257 cc, and new
‘specialoid’ pistons were fitted increasing
the compression ratio with which he
gained 10 Hp to 100 hp.

Pics: Left 44266 with difficulties during the Lewes

speed trial, October 21, 1933. Called ‘ten push
power tourer’, pushed by bystanders. In spite of
this Kenneth Bear had a first place in class B. Here
it still is a four seater (Bugantics, 1933; 2: 2:8)
 6

He also reduced the weight by shortening the chassis 19 Inch (50 cm) and removing the
rear doors thereby making the car 600 Lbs lighter. The car became considerably faster
by these modifications: It had a documented acceleration from 0- 60 Mph in 9.45
seconds, and a top speed of over 95 Miles per hour, figures almost identical to the
supercharged 8 cylinder type 43. At its first race after the shortening, at the BOC
Chalfont St Giles Hillclimb in 1934 it became the fastest sports car.

In addition he changed the rear end

to a boat tail in order to decrease air
resistance and changed the ratio of
the rear differential from 12 x 50 to
14x 54 (4,2:1 to 3,85:1) 4.
BOC Hillclimb Joel Park in Northwood
193: The fastest in the super sports car
class and winner of the Victor Ludorum
award 1935 and 1936. (Bugantics)

All these modifications were

performed with the aim to acquire
the Victor Ludorum Award, the best
aggregate performance over the
season of the Bugatti Owners Club. This had never been done before and never done
afterwards with one single car: the other winners had used different cars for different
purposes.

Kenneth Bear in one of his sprints after the shortening of the car and the
modification of the tail (Photo Louis Klemantaski, courtesy of Moyra
James- Bear
 7

The car after all the modifications had

been done. It has basically been
unchanged since then. Date unknown
(Photo Courtesy of The Bugatti Trust)

With this car he enjoyed a

number of victories, such as the
Monte Honiton Carlo Rally in
1933, indeed twice the Victor
Ludorum Challenge Cup of the
BOC (the best aggregate
performance for the year) in
1935 and 1936, the Chalfort
and Joel Park Hill climbs,
Lewes speed trial and many others. He used it for rally’s, hillclimbs and speed trials until
1938 at Prescott.

The years 1935 and 1936 were his best; the car had a good karma for him, in spite of
the absence of a compressor. With this configuration he experienced one victory after
the other. For instance during the Monte Honiton- Carlo Rally on May 17, 1935, he had
beaten two blown 43’s and a 55 on his way to victory.

At the Shelsley-Walsh meeting on June 21, 1937 it was the fastest unsupercharged car.
However in June 1938 he crashed the car heavily at the BOC Hill climb where he made
59 seconds but ended in a crash, damaging both the front and rear axle. As a result, in
the same year 1938 he placed the engine temporarily in the 44 Bear special with which
he enjoyed further successes. After the season he placed the engine back in the
original car and
sold it to Albert
Raven in 1938.
His mechanic
was Mr Stafford
East

At a JCC (Junior
Car Club)
driving test in
Brooklands in
1938 (Photo
Louis
Klemantaski,
courtesy of
Moyra James-
Bear)
 8

Fig: Kenneth Bear in 59121, this time with the 4 wheels on the rear, a feature specific for Bear,
which he also had on the Bear Special and on 55155 (Photo courtesy of Moyra James- Bear)

Kenneth Bear himself aspired towards an increase in power: amongst others he drove
the 50 regulation Le Mans tourer, (50143), with which he had a various successes. He
won at Craigantlet in 1946, had the fastest
time of the day at the Val de Terres hill climb
in 1947. He wanted to go into serious racing,
especially as he found the war had deprived
him of his prime years in racing and he
wanted more or less ‘to catch up’, so he
bought the even more powerful 59 (59121).
With this he became fifth on the R.A.C. Hill
Climb Championship and won the Castle
Trophy Race on the Isle of Man in 1948.
Fig: Sketch of Kenneth Bear in Bugatti 51155
in ‘The Motor’ in January 1948, shortly before
his accidental death in another Bugatti:
59121(The Motor)
 9

However this car became his ultimate fate: during the practice run for the Jersey
International Road Race, on the 27th of April 1949- at the age of 43- he had a fatal
accident, in the same car that had killed the 26 year old Earl of Grafton eleven years
earlier. Two years earlier he had already experienced a serious accident and his wife
had begged him not to race anymore for the sake of his two children, but he was
hooked on it and he could not give it up.
Approaching Le
Marquand’s Corner his
brakes failed. When Bear
passed the main straight
along the promenade his
mechanic Stafford East
saw that one of the brake
lines was trailing behind
having separated at the
brake compensation gear
arrangement. At first Bear
tried to steer towards the
escape lane, but as he
The track of the Jersey International Road race in 1949 saw the crowd illegally
packed there behind the
barrier he tried to swing the car towards St Aubin. That failed; he crashed into a wall
and into a first aid post killing two officials: a doctor on duty at the post, Dr F.J. O’Dowd
and a police sergeant Frank Dutot. He had not broken anything; he never lost his
conscience and was taken to hospital. He even stepped out of the ambulance himself
and walked to the entrance. However a short time afterwards in hospital he suddenly
lost his conscience and died instantaneously, suggesting an epidural haematoma or an
intracranial bleeding. He left behind a wife and two daughters Patricia and Moyra, aged
12 and 10. The accident also had grave financial consequences for the family: the
ensuing lawsuits drained the family resources and his wife had to accept living in
poverty.

Albert Raven (1938- 1939)

Further to 44266: Next there was some confusion as far as ownership is concerned.
According to various sources- one of which being Kenneth Bear’s mechanic, E.A.
Stafford- East- he sold the car to Albert
Raven for £ 50.-, an enthusiastic BOC
member as well. The confusion arose as
Albert Raven later also acquired the 37
single-seater with a 44 engine with which
Kenneth Bear had also been racing. Albert
Raven sold it to Bugatti Agent Jack Lemon
Burton’s where it was for sale for £175.- in
April 1939 5
Advertisement by Jack Lemon Burton in ‘The
Motor’ on April 25, 1939, page 56.
The purported top speed of 105 Mph is a bit
overenthusiastic: in tests it had been clocked at 95
Mph max.
 10

John Wyer (1940- 1945)

The car was sold to the young John Wyer in 1940. John Wyer
later rose to fame, first to become the Aston Martin racing
team manager, subsequently head of JW Automotive,
dominating Le Mans for years, leading the Ford GT 40 to
victories at the 24 hours of Le Mans from 1966 to 1969 and
afterwards doing the same with the Gulf Porsche Racing
team with the Porsche 917 in the early seventies. However
during the war severe restrictions were in place, such as a
ban on car racing.

John Wyer in later years during one of the races

The Ford GT40 made famous

by John Wyer, the first Ford
ever winning Le Mans

The Porsche 917 in the Gulf Porsche racing team

 11

Peter Clark (1945- 1949)

Just after the war, in 1945, John Wyer exchanged the car for a H.R.G. that he later sold
for £ 550. -. The new owner Peter Clark was an amateur racer, who started driving
rallies again. He made a presentation at the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb, on the 21st of
June 1947. During the practice run he made an
excellent 46.13 seconds, but during the race as
a result of the rain it was 49.15 sec. The car still
had its original license plate UV 28, and still had
its original black colour.
Pic: Peter Clark leaving the Esses in Bugatti
44266 at the Shelsley Walsh Meeting of June
1947 (Motor Sport, 1948; Feb p 33) (Photo by
Guy Griffiths)

Pic: Advertisement of Monaco of Watford around 1949 (location unknown)

Hutton (1949- 1954)

In 1949 the firm Monaco of Watford

sold the car to a Mr Hutton. He
decided (to take advantage of the new
flat road tax rate) to apply for a new
registration, which then became KXO
439.
Around 1950 the car was serviced by
Jack Lemon Burton, who later he
moved to Lonsdale Road. The car
seems to have been sold through a
London Garage called ‘Speed Models’
of dealer Brian Finglass in Pembridge
Mews at Notting Hill Gate in London.
44266 in 1950 with its new license plate. It also still
has the new Lucas 1130 indicator lights, possibly
obligatory due to the new registration.
 12

Three Bugattis in a row, nicely depicting the evolution in styles: Left 44266, in the middle a 35B
(4963), which now for all intents and purposes does not exist anymore (although the license
plate is on another 35) and on the right a 57 SC (57512) with a Corsica body, outside the
premises of the garage of Brian Finglass, ‘Speed Models’ in Notting Hill Gate in London.
The 57 has gone to the USA, the coach has been removed temporarily, but has recently been
reunited during a restoration in California in 1995.

The United States: Goodwin, Callender, Moser and Leavitt (1954- 1979)

The car had been exported to Goodwin in the US. From around 1962 to 1968 it was in
the possession of Rawley S Callender, Santa Barbara, California. In Oct 1968 the car
was bought by Bob Paul Moser, living 3250 Breamar Road, Santa Barbara, California.
He had work done on the body and the car repainted after which he put it up for sale
again for $ 6500.-. From 1970 to 1979
the owner was John Leavitt in New
York. According to the registrar of the
American Bugatti Club, Sandy Leith,
none of these were members of the
American Bugatti Club, and it is said
that the car has not or hardly been
driven during that time. I have not
been able to get any information from
these owners so far.
On Nov11, 1968 for repair with Ben
Moser in Burbank, California (Photo
Randy Ena)
 13

Dan Marguiles (1979): Back to the UK

The classic car trader Dan Marguiles imported the car again into the United Kingdom,
and advertised it amongst others in the ‘Thoroughbred and Classic Cars‘ issue in
October 1979. The car had become light blue by then.

Advertisement of Dan Margulies in

‘Thoroughbred and Classic Cars’
(Oct 1979, pag 85). The car is now
light blue

Eric Stewart (1979- 1982)

The advertisement attracted the attention of the British pop-musician Eric Stewart, who
bought it for around £ 20.000. Eric Stewart was representative of ‘The British Invasion’
in pop music, and
he was a member
of the pop group
‘Wayne Fontana
and the
Mindbenders’ as a
guitarist in the
sixties. After this
he was co-founder
of the group
‘10cc’.

When bought by
Eric Stewart it
was what was
called ‘Bugatti’
blue (Photo
Courtesy of Eric
Stewart)
 14

In the year he bought the car, 1979 he experienced a severe car crash- with another
car- which did not keep him from ordering a complete nuts-and-bolts, frame-up
restoration in 1980 at Bassett Down Ltd, Swindon,
Wiltshire, UK, by Nigel Arnold Foster. The car stayed
there for 18 months, from June 1980 to December
1981, and in total more than 2100 professional hours
were spent. However care was taken to keep
everything original as is evidenced by the bills that
specify in great detail the work that had been done.

Eric Stewart during the ‘ten out of ten’ tour by 10CC

Advertisement of Nigel Arnold Foster of Basset Down Ltd in Classic

and Thoroughbred Cars 1979

Everything was restored except the engine. After the restoration he never drove the
Bugatti 44, as he was able to buy a supercharged 35C, which was much faster. With the
latter car he regularly participated in various antique car races.

Fuad and Julian Majzub (1982-1999)

Fuad Majzub, a very wealthy refugee from Persia (now Iran), added Bugatti 44266 to
his British stock in 1982 for £ 20.000.- from Eric Stuart. He used the plate 441 BGP-
probably from one of his numerous other cars, and it was still blue. However on the day
he bought the car and drove it home, the engine seized as a result of a big-end failure,
so that he was forced to have it revised. This was done at Brineton Engineering, which
spent 230 professional hours for a complete engine revision. However the engine
(upper and lower crankcase, cylinder blocks and so on) was kept in its original
condition. Afterwards he probably never drove it anymore. After his decease on 28 Jan
 15

1995, the complete collection went to his son Julian, who had the car being sprayed
black again and had the upholstery being renewed by the ‘Horne recovery service’. He
sold the car via the Bugatti specialist Ivan Dutton on Nov 23, 1999 to Bert Janssens

Bert Janssens (1999- 2001)

The next owner was the Belgian Bert Janssens. He is a descendant from the family that
made fame with ‘t IJsboerke’. They make Ice for the local market that beat ‘Ben and
Jerry’s and ‘Haagen-Dazs’. His father Staf Janssens started the business in 1935 with a
little ice car and a bicycle, and his imperia based on house-to-house delivery grew to a
staff of 340 employees.

Picture: The Godfather of ‘t IJsboerke’-

Staf Janssens with his first ice car and his
mode of transportation)

After his death his two sons ran the company, but during a downfall in profits it was
taken over by the NPM (Nationale Portefeuille Maatschappij) of the Wallonian financer
‘Frère’ in 1997.
Bert received a large sum of money, under stipulation that he would refrain from ice
making for a number of years. Part of his newly acquired wealth was first spent on
racehorses, then on vintage cars, amongst which a number of Bugattis. He used 44266
to visit meeting such as the August 2000 meeting at Prescott.

Bert had the car made roadworthy by Ivan Dutton and acquired FIVA and FIA papers for
it. The registration now had become SL 9983, a special plate licences for pre-1931 cars
in 1999. Bert Janssens has not kept the car for long: 2 years later he sold all his
Bugattis again.

Fig: 44266 in June 1999 at Ivan Dutton’s

premises (second from the right). On the wheel
is Bert’s friend Frans Thijs who comes to have
a look at the car with Bert Janssens
 16

Pic: 44266 (left) next to a 43

during the August 2000
Meeting at Prescott,
England.

Kees Jansen (2001- present)

In November 2001 the car was bought by the present owner, who participated in the
Mille Miglia with it in 2002, in the Bugatti group sponsored by Bugatti SAS, with his
friend Marco Franken and became third from the Dutch contingent (no 122 over all)

Pic: start of the Mille Miglia

2002 team Jansen- Franken

He tried to beat this score during the Mille Miglia in 2008, however this time with his wife
Kathleen Tucker. The ride was great; the car performed flawless but the classification
was less, somewhere in the rear. The third time it participated in the Mille Miglia was in
2012 when again it performed perfectly, and the position was somewhat better about
halfway
 17

Pic: In full speed during the Mille Miglia 2002 (Photo: Auto Week, 2002; 13; 22: 38)

Pic: in the Mille Miglia 2008 (Photo Haase)

 18

Pic: in the Mille Miglia 2012 (Photo Fabian Gallucci)

 19

Table: Rallies and races in the UK in the nineteen-thirties with 44266 in its
modified form

Date Rally Location Position Marks Time

1932 BOC Chalfont
Hillclimb
June 11 BOC Speed #1 Lewes
1932 trials

30-03- Monte- Honiton 1 1669 (second 62.7 sec

1933 Honiton 871)
Carlo Rally
21-10- Lewes Lewes 1 class B 31.2
1933 speed trial (Touring over
1500 cc)
1933 Victor Yearly 2 63
Ludorum performance
challenge
cup
24-11- Night trial ? 2 68,2 s
1934
1934 BOC #26 Chalfont 1
Hillclimb

1935 Opening
rally
31-03- Monte Honiton 1 624
1935 Honiton
Carlo Rally
1935 Chalfont Hill Chalfont 1 class sports 28,6
climb cars
1935 Joel Park 1 Unlimited
sports
1935 BOC #2 Joel Park 1
Hillclimb Northwood
07-09- Lewes Lewes 4 Sports over
1935 speed trial 1500 cc
13-10- Welsh trial Bala (Wales) 3
1935
1935 Victor Yearly 1 78 pt (no 2 58
Ludorum Performance p)
Challenge
cup
05-04- Opening Wansford
1936 Rally
17-05- Monte
1936 Honiton
Carlo Rally
20-06- Hill climb
1936
12-07- Ghymkana Ghymkana 1
1936
15-08- Lewes Lewes 2 racing cars
1936 speed trial over 3000 cc
25-10- Welsh trial Lake Vrynwy 2
1936
 20

1936 Victor Yearly 1 81 (no 2 49 pt)

Ludorum performance
Challenge
cup
May KSCC # 11 Lewes 22,7 sec
1937 Speed trial
July Poole park # 41 Poole Park 1 sports cars 25,44 sec
1937 speed trials over 3200 cc
July Walter Poole Park winner 25,34 sec
1937 Martin Cup
10-07- Donington Donington 2
1937
July Speed trial Poole 1 super sports 25,34 sec
1937 car class
irrespective of
capacity &
Walker Martin
Cup
May 8, Kent & Lewes 22,7 sec
1937 Sussex Car
Club Speed
trial
11-09- Speed trial # 34 Shelsley Fastest 45,47 sec
1937 Walsh unsupercharged
car in 3 l class
20-11- Night trial 1 second class
1937
1937 Victor Yearly 8 33
Ludorum performance
Challenge
cup
March Junior Car # 114 Brooklands
1938 Club driving
test
st
May Midland Shelsley walsh 1 Class B
1938 Automobile
Club
st
June Hillclimb # 57 Shelsley 1 in class 3 l 47 sec
1938 Walsh unsupercharged
nd
1938 BOC trial Welsh trial 2 in class
nd
1938 Poole speed 2 supersports
trial class
June Hillclimb # 15 Prescott Rain, crashed 59 sec
1938 in practice

© Kees Jansen, 051211

References

1
Pracht, Carnets de livraison de l-usine, 1927, book 2: p 1
2
Pracht, EB Livre de livraisons 1927, p 29
3
Giles GM Bugatti Cars I have owned- VII, Bugantics Nov 1936, Vol 5, no 6, pp 12-18 (p 16)
4
Bear KW Bugatti Types I have owned- I, Bugantics Jan 1936, Vol 5, No 1, pp 16- 21
5
Advertisement in ‘The Motor’ 25 April 1939, page 56.