In 1927 Ettore Bugatti designed and built the first “Baby” Bugatti for his son Roland’s birthday. The Baby Bugatti is a half size replica of the Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix with a 12 volt electric motor. The Baby Bugatti is made of aluminum and sheet metal, actual dashboard, leather seats, and could go speeds of up to 20kph depending on the charge of the battery. These pedal cars were highly detailed to fully replicate the Type 35 Grand Prix, scaling down the suspension and interior to create one of, if not the, best pedal cars of its era. The Baby Baby Bugatti was meant for children in the age range of 5-8 years old. Ettore Bugatti’s first car for his son was presented at the Milan Salon in 1927. Even though the Baby Bugatti was originally only meant to be built for his son, the amount of praise the baby Bugatti received caused Ettore Bugatti to decide to produce the car for the public. The Baby Bugatti was originally roughly priced between 3,000-5,000 francs, meaning only the wealthiest of people could purchase these for their children. Advertised in their automotive catalog, Bugatti aimed to sell these toys to people who bought the Type 35, so their son or daughter could have the same car as their parents. With the wealthy purchasing these for their kids, popularity grew and it was only a matter of time before kid races would become popular. Between 1927 and the mid 1930’s, there were roughly 500 Baby Bugatti’s produced, with only around 100 still in existence today.
Our Baby Bugatti is still existing in all original condition, retaining its original paint, interior, and motor. It resides in our Tagra Florio exhibit, with our Bugatti Type 35, to show the resemblance of the pedal car to the actual car and how detailed they actually were. Also residing with our Ferrari Testa Rossa pedal car, these two together show what kids could have had back in their era and what manufacturers were attempting to do for young brand loyalty.
