Cars from 1920 to 1950 - The golden age of the car
Bugatti Type 52
1928
Code 0102
Body style: child’s car
Ettore Bugatti loved children, in particular his own kids. In 1927, he decided to give his young son Roland a half-scale Grand Prix racer, the Bugatti 35.
This luxury plaything, nicknamed the “Baby” had a small 12-volt electric motor, that drove the car at 20 kph (12 mph). The reproduction was so detailed, that Ettore Bugatti even had the original tyres made to scale.
Various customers that came to pick up their automobile from the Molsheim plant, saw the model in the main courtyard and asked for one for themselves. This child’s motor car was therefore given a place of its own in the Bugatti catalogue, under the name “Type 52”. A few dozen copies were made for the children of rich clients, including the young Crown Prince of Morocco. You probably remember Prince Abdullah and his toy car, from Hergé’s Tintin adventure “Land of Black Gold”. It is believed that Hergé drew inspiration for this character from the young Moroccan prince, Hassan II as he was to become, who had received a Bugatti 52 as a gift.
