Franklin Mint 1924 Bugatti Type 35

When I first saw the 1:1 prototype of this car several years ago at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, I was smitten with its graceful proportions: Narrow at front, widening amidships and tapering towards the tail, belying its robust construction. I marveled at overall state of preservation, its design and the audacious French racing blue color. "Picture travelling at such speed sitting high in the saddle, wearing street cloths, aviator goggles and fabric 'helmet,' upper body fully exposed to the elements, without seatbelt, and on skinny tires of dubious reliability," I told myself. I may have also mentioned this to Roger Hardnock and Raffi Minasian - I can't recall. But what a delight to see it replicated in fantastic detail in 1:24.

And those details abound - from the real leather straps that anchor the hood, the fully plumbed and wired engine with its brass fittings, the nickle plated radiator (just like the original,) the turned aluminum fire wall and under-dash board, the gauges, the handbrake system that "operates," the crank that turns, the leather seats, the beautiful 8-spoke cast aluminum wheels, far ahead of their time, with (on early models) integral brake drums, the finely detailed steering wheel, and on and on. The drivers seat is removable to expose the hydraulic and fuel system. To remove the seat, there is a leather tab on the left side intended for this purpose; don't cut the tab off thinking it's "extra material. The Type 35 was used successfully in Grand Prix racing, but dominated the renowned and tortuous Targa Florio endurance road races around Sicily between 1925 through 1929. The Type 35 was raced competitively at amateur levels into the 1960s!

I couldn't find anything to carp about. Now you must realize that this is a small car even in 1:1, so the 1:24 replica will be dwarfed by the standard sedans in your collection. But what a joy to inspect. FM has made further advances in the Styrofoam packaging, employing their latest "tri-part" format and adding a blue "cap" that holds the works together and eliminates the tape. For $90 + S&H, this is one great bargain. I give it ***** without reservation. (Thanks to John L for much of the information herein and Don B for finding the removable seat.) (08/05/1999)

-Jay Olins