On a visit to the Dutch traffic theme park in Assen in 1991 I spotted this Type 40. No further details are known. It is possible that the museum section at this theme park is no longer excisting. When we where there it was so quiet at the museum that we could not resist and took place behind the steering wheel of this classic. Besides this Bugatti there was also a nice looking Voisin present.

http://www.verkeersparkassen.nl

This is in fact not a type 40, but a type 44. Also an interesting and enigmatic car. Is has chassisnumber 441070, but it was depicted as 441004 in the Dutch Register (page 130).

The story behind it: When the father of the present owner bought it in France as a rolling chassis, he had no chassisnumber so he had it registered with his own birthdate at the RDW (Dutch for the Department of Motor Vehicles, literally 'Imperial Service for Road traffic'- from the time Holland still considered itself an Imperium); it is now known on the papers as chassisnumber 11823.

The Dutch owner had bought the car as a wreck for 1000 French Francs without body from Jackie Pinchon who had used it as a truck, but after an accident Pinchon had replaced the engine and the front axle from another type 44 which he also owned: 441004. As the present owner had no chassisplate he bought the plate from 441263, but did not change the numbers. That is why it has been known as such with the Conway administration for a number of years; Conway had noted that number on a meeting but had not asked the owner. In the Conway register in 1962 it was said that the engine was in 441008, but that also was not correct: the engine 743 belonged in 441008 from new.

After having communicated with Hugh Conway the owner decided to file the number 441263 from the chassisplate and change it to 441004. On the back of the chassisplate you can still see the inversed 441263. However it was after and due to the publication of the Register that he found out the truth about the car, from the original factory documents. However I do not know whether he can file even more away to change the number once again.

Arie de Knegt once drove the rolling chassis- sitting on an orange crate- on a sunday afternoon, and managed to accumulate 8 tickets in one day by overzealous policemen. He had to appear in court; he was convicted but he did not have to pay a fine.

The car starred in a Dutch Movie called 'Angela' of Nicolai van de Heide with Barbara Hershey and Ralph Meeker as main actors, in 1970. The car is still in Assen, but the museum and the film are long gone. I doubt whether anyone has ever seen the film, but if any of you can get hold of it, please let me know. I would love the clippings (such as Jaap has done with the Murphy 38 )