I Own A Bugatti
Bugatti related questions
This page is especially for those Bugattistes who have questions, current whereabouts of particular vehicles, history of verhicles, everything you can think about! Please e-mail me any questions you have! Generally an E-mail of the person who has the question will be provided, but please inform me as well!! Thus I can remove the question, or update any information! Please answer to me as well as to the person who puts up the question, so that I can either delete the question or put up the answer!!
Maintained by Jaap Horst , E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
Burkhard Broser from Germany sent me the photo above of an aerodynamic saloon, which he found in a 1934 French magazine recently. It was included in an article about the general trend and the principles of streamlining and automotive aerodynamics.
A quick search on BugattiRegister.com showed that this is a Type 40 Berline Aerodynamique by Poinsenet.
However, there is not more info, chassisnumber, owner? Was it the first owner who ordered this body to be designed and built, or was it on initiative of Poinsenet the body builder? Apparently the car does not survive...
Does anybody know more?
Please send any information or suggestions to J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
1-11-2021
Yves Boulanger from Canada was digging through newspaper archives, when he came across the advert above which appeared in 1960, in a Montreal daily newspaper. To be more precise, in the Gazette, on Monday June 20, 1960.
He has been tracking the handful of Bugattis that existed at one point or another in the Montreal area since 1977 and never heard of this one. He has never come across a car bodied by Dassault either. The street address given in the ad does not exist anymore.
A Bugatti with 4000 miles in 1960 would have been quite a rare find… can anybody shed some light?
Please send any information or suggestions to J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
4-10-2021
I am the youngest son of Thomas Steuart Fothringham, who raced at Brooklands until 1935 or 1936.
He owned two Bugattis, one of which he had bought from Malcolm Campbell. I believe that the Campbell-Fothringham Bugatti may still exist and I wondered if you were able to tell me where it is now. I last heard that it belonged to someone living in Gloucestershire, but that was a good many years ago now and I was never able to establish contact.
I am gathering material for writing a biography of my father and I wanted to include his time at Brooklands, and with Thompson & Taylor, for whom he worked for a time, designing and building Railtons. My researches have been confused by finding another person of the name of Fotheringham (spelt with an "e" in the middle) or Fotheringham-Parker, who is no relation at all, and about whom I do not need any information.
I would be grateful for any information you can give me about my father and his cars, and for any contacts who might be useful in my researches. Especially, if anyone has more information about my father' Bugattis, and if these still exist.
Reaction from Graham Little, author of a book about all Bugatti personalities, including all owners
Here is my entry for your father:
FOTHRINGHAM, Thomas Steuart.
The second UK owner of a type 35 (4564) which he purchased from G.T.Wilkins. He used the car at Brooklands and won a race on the Mountain circuit in 1931. He sold it to Kay Petre in 1933 for £150. It was later owned by, amongst others, Rivers Fletcher, Hugh Bergel and Hugh Conway. The car had been upgraded to type 35T specifications and now carries the reg. no EB 1926. He also owned, around the same time, one of the 1927 factory team type 39s (4896) which he acquired from Malcolm Campbell and had converted to type 35B specification by Brooklands engineer Robin Jackson in 1933. He lent the car to Kay Petre and she took the Ladies' lap record at 124.14 mph. He used the car to win the Esher Lightning Long Handicap race in 1934 with a best lap of 123.28 mph. In 1935 he started in two Mountain handicap events with a best lap of 74.95 mph. At this time it was painted green and ran on aluminium wheels. The car later passed to R.Vickers and is now owned by Julian Majzub in the UK where it has been very successful in VSCC events. It is presently dismantled after a crash at Monaco.
Both cars have survived.
Reaction from John Youmans, who imported 4896 into the USA
In the years 1958-1960 I was completing my studies at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. and began importing and selling vintage cars in order to pay expenses. Among the cars I imported were several of them Bugatti, listed in order of import as I remember after 63 years:
- Brescia T23 - bleu ciel
- T57 Four-door Sedan (aerodynamic body) - black
- T57 Cabriolet - black
- T35A - Chassis 4631 - bleu ciel
- T37 - bleu ciel
- T35B - Chassis 4896 - bleu ciel, running on a special fuel mixture of methanol,benzol, acetone and aviation fuel
Unfortunately, I have no records or photographs from that long ago and the only reason that I have the chassis numbers of the two cars listed above is that they are registered in HG Conway´s "Grand Prix Bugatti" book on pages 207 and 210 and I was able to gather more information using the internet. In the case of Chassis 4631, which I sold to Peter Sefarian in 1959, I am mentioned as the importer of the car to the U.S. in 1958.
Chassis 4896, which is the car you are interested in, was sold in 1958 to John King, who was a Professor at MIT. As partial payment I took his cream-coloured T35A which he had restored and was in excellent condition, although modified with self-starter and headlights etc. if I remember correctly. The T35B was in perfect condition and completely original in all details. John King died in 2014 and I do not know what has become of the car. Nor do I have any information regarding the other Bugattis since I don´t have the names of the buyers or chassis numbers, the cars were all sold in Massachusetts except for the T57 Sedan which was sold in New York.
Please contact Henry Steuart Fothringham, O.B.E.:
Email: henryfoth@hotmail.co.uk
17-4-2010 - 22-4-2010 - 2-10-2021
The Bugatti family is wondering if any voice recordings of either Ettore or Jean (or other family members) exist.
Does anybody have, or know of, any piece of spoken film or voice recording?
It would be extremely interesting for all Bugattistes, but especially for the Bugatti
Family to hear the voice of their father and grandfather.
Please send any information or suggestions to J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
14-9-2021
Eric Favre has found information about the possible existence of a prototype Type 44, which
would have been built on a second Type 28 chassis.
There even is an indication that this car still exists, and is at the moment in Belgium.
Uwe Zummach reacted the same day, and sent the photo below, which is from the book by Norbert Steinhauser.
Molsheim 1927: Un châssis de type 28 a été utilisé pour développer la transmission du type 44.
Molsheim 1927: A chassis type 28 was used to develop the transmission of the type 44.
Kees Jansen gave an addition two days later:
Kees has doubts if this T28/44 was ever completed, it did get a registration from the Prefecture in Strasbourg as a type 44, but never received a chassis number. (Info from the Pracht Carnets)
The first type 44 with engine number 1 was 44251, a polished chassis which was the 2nd prize at the Grand Prix of Belgium, and was won by de Rothschild. That may be the same car, but there is no way to know it. 44251 has disappeared, as far as we know now.
If you have any additional information about this special car, or know about the current location/owner, please contact the editor at J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
14/17-9-2021
Bugattis in Italy in the 1940's
My Grandfather told me years ago that after WWII ended he visited their family business in Northern Italy, "Leopoldo Haas Linoleum". They had businesses throughout Europe, were based in Vienna and had a dozen stores in Italy. They had not been in touch with the Italian management during the war.
When they finally visited the management in Italy they said not much was left after the war but they had 2 Bugatti's within the companies assets. My Grandfather and his Grandfather who ran the business, his name was Leopoldo Haas, said that at the time they could not use the cars as the main issue was finding cash to rebuild the business.
Justin has no model information or anything else. He was just wondering if anybody ever heard of 2 Bugatti's with such provenance as there are not many out there!
Please send any information to J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
23-8-2021
Bart Oosterling sent me the Li'l Abner (by Al Capp) comic above (click the image, it is a series of 3), in which a perfectly drawn type T55 is featured, which however travels at a not so typical speed of 12 MPH.
However, it is only the first three of the complete series, and we are wondering if anybody has the rest? We'd like to see the other pages!
Li'l Abner is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe, featuring a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished mountain village of Dogpatch, USA. Written and drawn by Al Capp (1909–1979), the strip ran for 43 years, from August 13, 1934, through November 13, 1977.
Please send any information to J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
23-8-2021
Info on Bugattis wanted
Fellow Dutchman and valued contributor to the Bugatti Revue, Bart Oosterling has a few questions, on details on Bugattis which have been advertised.
As you may know, Bart compiled two lengthy articles on adverts for the (mostly) private sale of Bugattis, the first article on Dutch adverts, the second article on Belgian adverts. He is now working on part 2 and 3 of the Belgian adverts.
While doing so, he came across the two adverts at the top, Bart really would like to know more info on either the people or the cars, or both.
- The first advert (above left) for a 5-liter is probably a T46, with 2 door aero body. It was owned by Comte de Beaufort, Brussels, Belgium. Advert appeared in La Meuse, January 5, 1938
- The second advert (above right) for a 3.3 liter, thus either a T49 or T57, which was imported from Switzerland to Luxemburg. Offered by Schneider Latrak, Diekirch, Luxembourg, the advert appeared in Le Soir, January 29, 1947
22-8-2021
EB on rifle of unknown manufacture and year Pieter den Haan sent me images of this old air rifle, which is of German manufacture.
The EB logo with the mirrored "E", is very similar to what Ettore used. However, if this rifle predates Ettore's EB logo or not is impossible to tell, as the year of manufacture is not known.
„GEGR." is an abbreviation for the German word „gegründet" which means nothing else than „established" or „founded".
Thus, though the company which manufactured this rifle was founded in 1854, it does not give any information about the year the rifle itself was made..
Update
I was informed (by somebody who wants to remain unanymous) of the following:
The mirrored EB on a rifle is the trademark of gunsmith „Emil Barthelmes" located in Zella-Mehlis (Thueringen,
Germany). Apparently the trade mark was registered on 06.11.1913, this was after Bugatti started using the EB logo.
You can find this information here.
This rifle apparently has no relation with the rifle shown on this page back in 2010
Please send any further reactions to J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
30 / 25-4-2021
Ken Miles' Bugattis
Paul House is writing a book about Ken Miles (1918 - 1966), a UK - US racing driver. Miles moved from the UK to the USA in 1953, and before that owned a couple of Bugattis, Both T40's, which he did not race though.
The Bugattis were 40388 (registration UU6359), which still exists, though with new bodywork, and 40497 which was mentioned to have been used as a source for spares, and no trace was found of it so it was probably dismantled.
Paul is looking for information on either car, as well as coming into contact with the current owner of 40388, and he would be especially interested in finding a photograph of Ken Miles with one of his Bugattis.
Please send your reactions to: PDHse@aol.com, mark@speedstreamgroup.com
Reaction by Mark Woolley (2020)
Bugatti Type 40 Chassis Numbers 40681 and 40388 – My father found 40681 on a farm in Wales. He heard about it and wrote to Bill Boddy at Motorsport, who sent him the address. It was in very bad shape. The car was on bricks, with no wheels and had an MG engine in it. The good thing about it was that the original Grand Sport body, although worn out, was structurally perfectly intact and so he supplied this to Frank Gilbert the MD of Wilkinsons in Derby who used it as a template to make three replica Grand Sport bodies (absolutely identical in every way to the original) – one for Gilbert to keep, one for 40681 and one for 40388 (Shown on the right, with owner Clive Woolley).
My father then restored 40681 as a rolling chassis for Geoffrey St. John and once the body was ready Geoffrey fitted that to the car. My dad has everything recorded and is going to dig out his notes and give them to me, but for the record, the reason that 342 does not appear on 40681 is because he never used any parts from that engine to build the engine for 40681. He only used parts he had collected over the years from elsewhere. The engine 342 remains in our car 40388.
I have also cleared up the 1962 Motorsport letter by A P Wauchope. My father lodged with Pater Wauchope for years whilst he lived in Shrewsbury doing his apprenticeship at Rolls Royce and kept his car in one of Wauchopes garages – as per the photo in the BOC report. The reason he does not refer to the car as his, is because it was my dad's as I thought! Interesting is that my father remembers the two seater sports Morris Cowley that Wauchope refers to in the letter. Wauchope always told my father it was Cecil Kimbers personal car and in fact was THE prototype MG. I wonder where it is today…..
Paul sent me a photo of the car from Ken's personal collection of 40388 parked outside his lock-up garages but no other information. We know for sure the photo is at the end of the 1940s. We also know that the car was bought in 1951 by a Frank Glover of Wolverhampton who purchased it from a friend who bought it from a soldier before he embarked for WW2 service in Europe. Could the soldier have been Ken Miles? I am trying to get in touch with Mr. Glover's son to find out more but have two photos of the car whilst in his ownership. In the mid to late 1950's it was owned by a Frank Wood also of Nottinghamshire. It is claimed that the car then went to James P Swindlehurst and that my father bought the car in December 1961 from him in Derbyshire. What is interesting is that in the September 1962 edition of Motorsport Magazine a Mr. A. P. Wauchope (of Shrewsbury) submits with his letter to the publication a photo of a 'Vauxhall' child's pedal car with our Type 40 (UK Reg number UU6359) behind it, and says that he is going to restore both the pedal car and the Type 40. This is a mystery because by then my father had owned the car for nearly a year!!
At the time my father was also based in Shrewsbury doing his apprenticeship at the Rolls Royce Diesel Engine factory which was based in the town. Oh for us to go back to a time when an apprentice could afford a Bugatti!!!!!!
The factory records show the car (40388) was bodied as a Grand Sport by Wiederkehr, the name of the company in Colmar that Gangloff Coachbuilders took over in 1930, and supplied new to Col. Sorel of London in June 1927 but only registered on 12th June 1929. This body, by 1961 had been hacked-off at the back to accommodate a spare wheel at the rear and is the condition my father bought the car in. We have subsequently replaced the body work with a Grand Sport body about 30 years ago made by Wilkinson in Derby, England.
If anyone else is able to help shed any light on 40388 Mark would be most grateful.
12-7-2013 / 14-11-2020
Ettore Bugatti's model railway steam locomotive
Recently I found the April 1976 issue of Railway Modeller, in it is an article by D.T. Dowling about a large scale model locomotive that was rescued from the Bugatti factory scrap-heap by a German (unnamed) collector from the Minden area.
It is an unfinished locomotive of an 8in gauge MR Compound locomotive, according to the article (click below) Ettore Bugatti himself had been working on it.
Who knows more about Ettore building a model railway locomotive, who is the collector in Germany or maybe who knows where this locomotive is now? I could not find any later articles about the subject, though the author intended to publish a later article when the locomotive would be completely finished.
Reaction
The next day I received a message from Richard Ludant, pointing me to a page from 2009 in the excellent "Il était une fois...Bugatti" Forum on forum-auto.Caradisiac.com, 819 pages of interesting Bugatti material (all in French.... the only downside).
In a small series of conversations, including mentioning a miniature railway for Roland Bugatti, the photograph below is posted by "the First Lazarus", of course most of us know who that is, isn't it John? It features exactly the same locomotive, in approximately the same condition. However, here it is just a background for a T64 engine-less chassis.
There is no further information, but the setting outside, and no clear Molsheim Buildings make me think this photo must be taken at de Dobbeleer in Belgium, who of course owned 2 of the T64 chassis at a time. This does of course make it quite plausible that the locomotive was at one time with Bugatti, but does not really answer any of the questions asked above.....
Update
My friend Donald Toms from the USA (Bugatti book seller and publisher) contacted me, and sent me the photographs above and to the right.
They are indeed, as was the photo where the locomotive sits in the background of a T64 chassis, taken at De Dobbeleer's, in Belgium. Donald has the negatives of the photos taken at De Dobbeleers, and these two of the model steam locomotive were amongst them.
He used the photographs, so the later owner of the locomotive could positively identify the locomotive he owned, as part of his large collection of mainly automobiles. This owner was the famous Pierre Bardinon who did indeed collect Bugattis, but became much more famous for his involvement with Ferraris. So much so, that he was knighted by Enzo Ferrari as he replied, when asked why he had not created a Ferrari museum: "No need, Bardinon did it for me !"
However, Bardinon died in August 2012, and it is unknown where the steam locomotive went from there. Maybe the family kept it, maybe it was sold......
Some more about Pierre Bardinon:
pierre-bardinon-a-ferrari-museum-in-france
pierre-bardinon-a-collector-admired-by-enzo-ferrari-himself
So, if anybody knows where this famous Bugatti-built model steam locomotive went, please let me know!
Please send any additional reactions to J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
28-9-2020 / 13/14-1-2019
I posted the following question back in 2006 on the (then still rather active) BugattiBuilder.com website:
I have always heard that Bugatti had 25 T41 engines made, and of course only 6 cars were build. The engines were later used in the AutoRail. Does this mean that the first AutoRails had double ignition-engines, as opposed to the later ones that had single ignition?
Finally, after 14 years, I saw the answer in the new book on the Automotrices by Eric Favre, on page 39.
There we find the above photograph, of an engine fitted as an AutoRail engine with, most clearly, the AutoRail intake manifold and carburettors. Clearly visible is that, though no spark plugs are fitted, there are two holes for each cilinder, of which one seems to be plugged off, to convert it into single ignition. Compare with a "regular" AutoRail engine as photographed at Retromobile years ago, below.
Thus, following the evidence from the photograph above, Ettore did use some of the surplus Royale engines for the Autorails!
Please, if you have any further information, send this to J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
4-9-2020
Frederick Lewellen Scholte A man with a very Dutch sounding name called F.L. Scholte competed with an "8HP Bugatti" in the Westcliff Sprint meeting of the Essex Motor Club on June 25, 1914: He won the kilometer sprint (stationary start) in the 1500cc class.
This info is in the book "Sprint-Speed hillclimbs and trials in Britain 1899-1925" by T.R. Nicholson, David&Charles Publishers, 1969, page 146.
He corresponded amicably with Ettore Bugatti (see letter on the right)
He was not a Dutchman, but an Englishman. But he was of Dutch descendance, his father was Dutch. He was a a consultant automobile engineer and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Flying Corps.
More info on the man here: david-crouch.com/Gardner%20-%20Watson/Second%20Site/Gardner%20-%20Watson-o/p314.htm
So far the man.
But what about his car ? What Chassis did he own / did he own more than one Bugatti?
Wiki does not know him. Eaglesfield does not mention him. Who knows more ?
Please send any informations to J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
2-9-2020
Correction: Not Victor but Werner Mölders I received the following correction from Greg V. Hill from USA
The man's name is Werner Mölders, not "Victor." He was a leading and famous Luftwaffe ME-109 ace in the early days of the war.
He was a Westphalian who was killed when the transport plane in which he was traveling crashed, probably not too long after the picture in the Bugatti was taken, during The Battle of Britain. You can find his biography on Wikipedia.
Victor Mölders, in France
I seldom had so many reactions, and so quickly, after placing a question on this page!
The first answer came from Uffe Mortensen, who sent me scans from the book in which the Bugatti was featured, as shown here. It's a book by Reinhard Frank on passenger cars used in the German Wehrmacht, including cars which were taken. The book clearly states that the picture was taken in France, and that the car is driven by Squadron Captain (Staffelkapitän") Victor Mölders, of the 2./JG51 squadron. According to the book, the T35B engine was placed in a T37 chassis, with chassis number 37328. There is not a specific date however, but it must have been at the beginning of WWII, probably 1940 or 1941.
Ben Cox added that the airplane is a Messerschmitt BF110, so he concludes that it must be a German airman.
Josef Boers was the next to comment, and suggested that the photo must have been taken in Belgium, as the number plate (6567, probably) has no letters, as usual in Belgium in the thirties. Anybody can look up the registration number 6567 in the Belgian archives?
Greg Morgan added the following: Victor Molders of 1./ZG 1 (slightly different from what is stated in the book) is the man in the "liberated" Bugatti. Based at a French chateau for part of the time during the French campaign, Molders, Falk and other officers would race the cars around the grounds of the chateau in off duty evening time.
Original question: Famous Bugatti Roadster Photo
Through Jim Rudholm I received this photo of the famous Bugatti T35 Roadster, chassis 4872.
The car is now in the Schlumpf museum in Mulhouse, and is said to be a Jean Bugatti designed prototype for the T55 with which it shares the flowing lines.
Does anybody have info about where and when this photo was taken? It must be somewhere around WWII, but the Cord in the background indicates that the man in the Bugatti is probably not German!
Please send to: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
2-2-2013 / 4-2-2013 / 5-8-2018
Bugatti T37A carburettor settings
I'm looking for some basic informations such as - what are the original carburetor settings on a Bugatti 37A ? (idle, main jet, venturi)
Is there someboby around who might share these informations ?
Please send any reactions to marc.hendrix1@telenet.be
11-7-2018
Bugatti Superchargers
As we know, Ettore Bugatti originally resisted the use of superchargers on racing cars. In fact he is understood to have spoken out publicly against their use, in hopes of having them banned. So…does anyone know of any such early public statement by Bugatti about superchargers?
Karl Ludvigsen, who is writing a book about supercharging, hopes to know the arguments that he made against their use. Of course he later changed his mind but Karl hopes to find out what objections he raised at first.
Answer - Public statement 1925
In the 1925 magazine Très Sport (which translates as Very Sport), in an article about the Grands Prix de l'ACF (A Tourisme class, and another Vitesse), Bugatti states that "Superchargers are a necessary evil for race cars - but only for those". More about this in the article, French only I'm afraid....
It is made clear that, however well made and tuned a non-supercharged Bugatti may be, the supercharged competition will have superior speed. The superior speed comes at a price though, reliability. The 5 Bugattis entered in the "vitesse" race finish all 5 of them in the 1000 km race!
Bugatti takes place 1 - 4 in the 1.5 litre Tourism class, in a road equipped 1.5 litre version of the T35, with Costantini taking 1st place. However, Benoist wins the Vitesse race in a Delage, with Costantini coming in 4th (as first of 4 other Bugattis). Incidentally, in this same race Antonio Ascari has a fatal crash in an Alfa Romeo P2.
Source for the article: Gallica / BNF
Please send any reactions to kel@ludvigsen.com
27-8-2011 / 25-3-2018
Who is the owner of Bugatti Type 57, #57725 ?
David Morris is trying to find the current owner of 57725.
He has some pre-restoration photos he would like to pass on to him/her, and we have not been able to contact the new owner.
So, if you are the new owner or know him, please contact dh.morris@btinternet.com
21-1-2018
Restoration of a classic car can be an expensive but exciting process. Some owners like to document the restoration process in a website or blog where other enthusiasts can comment on the process, much like review sites that allow customer comments and Titlemax reviews.
Unknown Bugatti Type 50
Pierre-Olivier Buisson found a picture of his wife's grand-father's Bugatti. (Complete photo on the right).
It seems to be a type 50 surprofilée, which apparently is not one of the few known Bugattis of this type.
Also, searching for the registration plate (2654-NR-3) did not deliver any info yet. However, Pierre-Olivier has done some searching and he was informed in the 1990's that the car was involved in a crash, was sold to Belgium at some stage, and at that time was still in Belgium, apparently without the damage having been repaired.
Reaction from Christopher Rheault
I believe the body for this car is the one that was eventually used by Eri Richardson on my father Andre Rheault's type 46, chassis number 46482. Richardson bought a new chassis from the factory in 1950, and the SuperProfilée body that had been taken off another car. To my knowledge this was the only Super Profilée body produced in the period by the factory (there are two more now, both of which are modern bodies).
Does anyone know anything about the car, if it still exists or if there are more photographs?
Please send your answer to Mr. Buisson through your editor: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
29-4-2016 + 16-12-2017
Bugatti Paint
Does anybody know the paintcode of the grey used on the wooden frames of the Grand sport bodies?
Update from Peter McGann, Australia
During the restoration of my T13 Brescia Bugatti I had the paint on the chassis tested by Dulux Paints for formula and colour.
Their advice was that the paint was identical to 1915 French Navy in formula and similar to the same in colour.
Maybe Bugatti made use of some war surplus paint for the chassis frames !
Update 2 from Andrew Cannon
I have been researching both the frame paint and body paint on GP cars for a while now, to try to determine if the body's were painted by hand or sprayed, I am of the opinion contrary to some the bodies were sprayed and the chassis frames painted by hand in the paint colour as McGann said.
Please if you come across method of paint application for the bodies let me know your findings!
Update 3 from GUy Huet
I think Bugatti did not need days to decide which color gray, (or black) he painted his chassis. He took the closest standing pot, and a brush, and gave that job to the youngest worker. The gray was certainly not based on the color of the French navy something, but rather what the store around the corner had on offer. I came for it first in the factory in 1958 and it was a mess, everything was mixed up.
Only Seyfried could find everything. The color was not blue-gray, but rather brownish gray.
There are of course two possibilities, either the supplier painted the chassis, because Bugatti never has a chassis self-made, or they were painted on entry. If the supplier dyed them, then the store around the corner did not have to deal with it, and then we know nothing at all ..
As the blue varied over the production period, the first 35's were light blue (1924), the later darker blue and the 43's dark blue (1927). That is how it would have been with gray.
The reason to paint the chassis was to prevent rusting. Apart from a number of very busy periods, those frames stood waiting for months on the wall. Painting was cheaper than sanding rust and then painting. Painting came first and drilling holes only if one was sold.
Please send your reactions to Olav Glasius: glasius@euronet.nl
8-11-2017 + 16-12-2017
Unknown Bugatti
From Instagram, and forwarded by Anton van Luijk, is this picture provided by Etienne Musslin of his grandfather Bruno Beninca posing in a Bugatti (not his) in 1947
Visible is that the Type 35 is road equipped with some very special front wings!
If anybody has information about this car, or it's current whereabouts, please contact me: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
30-10-2017
Bugatti Jukebox
A friend of mine, Ton Deutekom, is a restorer of Jukeboxes, and a collector of Carlo Bugatti furniture. He is also a Bugatti enthusiast and collector of Peugeot Bébé's and one of the founders of the Peugeot Bébé register.
Last year he acquired from France the Carlo Bugatti Jukebox, which he showed on Jean Prick's stand on the recent classic car show in Maastricht. The Jukebox has an American mechanism, which is from the early 1930's. This also dates the Jukebox cabinet which has many very obvious Carlo Bugatti details, as well as the overall shape. My first reaction was that Carlo Bugatti did not make furniture anymore in those years, that the furniture was much more of his early years still in Italy. However, in the book by Dejean, "Carlo - Rembrandt - Ettore - Jean Bugatti", on page 31 there is a photo from 1937 of Carlo Bugatti working on a very complicated looking cabinet which can be opened from all 4 sides. The laid-in wood and metal work has gone compared with his earlier work, the colour of the wood is very light and the detailed "insect motiv's" seem to have been painted. That, and also the overall shape is very similar to the Jukebox!
Update!
I found the picture shown above - right in the book: Bugatti - Carlo-Ettore-Rembrandt-Jean by Philippe Dejean, compare it with the color photo of the jukebox; the main design is identical though many of the detailed ornaments are different. Of course also the centre piece, where the jukebox mechanism was installed, is different.
The description in the book reads:
( I still have no clue as to how to translate psyché )
This raises a new question, according to the description of the B&W image, it was in the catalog for the 1902 exhibition in Turin. However, the mechanism for the jukebox is from the early 1930's, so 30 years later! Was this mechanism placed in a Carlo Bugatti cabinet, or did Carlo Bugatti make a new one to his own design, at a much later date?
Update 2 !
Herman van Oldeneel found this article from 1984 with an image of the same Carlo Bugatti item, which is in fact a mirror, which is your translation for a psyché.
Of course this can not be converted into a jukebox, so the mystery is not completely solved yet....
By the way, in the article it is mentioned that the Bugatti radiator is inspired on a horseshoe, which in fact it is not. In an early patent, Bugatti himself states his radiator as being "egg - shaped".
Does anybody have further info on this question? Hopefully a photograph of the Jukebox when new?
If anybody has more information, please contact me: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
17-1-2015 and 29-10-2017 / 30-20-2017
Bugatti AutoRail questions The 1st issue of Volume 18 of the Bugatti Revue posed two questions about the Bugatti AutoRail, one about details of an AutoRail engine, with unknown fittings and especially clutch and gearbox.
Update
Some while ago, at the Bugatti Festival in September, I described the engine to a Bugatti and Royale expert, Mr. Wettstein from France.
He told me that the most logical purpose for this engine with gearbox and clutch would have been the Bugatti Tank (Meaning a real armoured vehicle, not a T32 or LeMans winning T57G or C), the basis of which would be the invention as described in patent FR817631 from 1937: "Véhicule destiné à circuler en terrain varié". Click on the text to read the patent, or on the picture below for an enlargement. It is not difficult to see that moving the engine to the center, and joining the gearbox / clutch with the engine would give the layout from the photograph. An auxiliary output might also be very handy, for example to move the turret or the wheel retraction mechanism.
The other question was about the whereabouts of Bugatti AutoRail Surallongee XB4014 which was last photographed in 1977 at Lodève, in the south of France.
After the article, Jean-Claude Poisson sent the following message: I saw the Bugatti autorail in the Bedarieux railway station circa 1980; it was probably the same that the one seen in Lodève. (Bedarieux is very close to Lodève)
It was empty : no engine no seats and used as a changing room. Jean Claude does not know the whereabouts of this autorail, but indicates to a Mr Taconetti in Béziers who might know.
Does anybody have contact details for Mr. Taconetti?
Please send your reactions to: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
17-3-2013 - updated 19-2-2017
Where was this picture taken??
Many of you did receive this Christmas and Newyear wish by e-mail. But, where was the photograph taken??
I do not remember where I found the picture, but stored it with the intention to make a Christmas card from it.
But now many of you asked where this is, who, when, and which Bugatti....
My best guess is that it must be somewhere in the Alps, which narrows it down to Austria, Switzerland or southern Germany...
UPDATE
Arnold Manz from Germany has the following info:
The picture of the Season Greetings was taken at the Eibsee nearby the Zugspitze in the Bavarian Alps. Thus it is in Germany, though only a few miles from Austria.
In the background of the picture you can see the "Eibsee-Hotel". Please take a look at the photo on the right, which shows this hotel in summer, which was probably taken in the thirties too.
It's a pitty but I don't know neither the year of your photo nor the driver of the car.
But in the early thirties in nearly every winter so called "Eisrennen" (Ice races or Ice-Speedways) took place at the Eibsee and of course at other locations in the southern area, for example at Titisee in the Black Forest.
In the internet I found another photo which documents a race between a plane and a Bugatti on the Eibsee in 1932 . It's from a newspaper report and the text says:
In German:
Schnelligkeitswettkampf zwischen Auto und Flugzeug auf dem Eibsee in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Im Vergleichsrennen zwischen Auto und Flugzeug siegte Herr von Morgen auf Bugatti. Das von Udet gesteuerte Flugzeug konnte die Vorgaben nicht aufholen. Das Auto hatte 8 Runden, das Flugzeug 14 Runden zurückzulegen. Von Morgen blieb auch in dem Auto-Rennen Sieger und stellte mit einem Durchschnitt von 122,6 Stundenkilometern einen neuen Streckenrekord auf. Unser Bild zeigt einen Augenblick aus dem Rennen: Auto gegen Flugzeug.
In English this means: Speed contest between car and airplane on the Eibsee / Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Mr. von Morgen on Bugatti has won the speed comparison between car and airplane. The plane, which was operated by Udet, could not reach the targets (presets?). The car had to cover 8 rounds, the plane 14 rounds. Von Morgen was winner of the car-race, too. He set a new track record with an average speed of 122,6 km/h. Our picture shows a moment of the race: car against airplane.
EditorFrom this I remembered that, back in 2009 I published another photograph from the race between car and airplane, with even a motorcycle added. I copy the info and photo here:
The photo (at the right) has been taken during the weekend 17/18 Feb 1934 on the frozen Eibsee near Garmisch (Bavaria). In the 20's and 30's there was a rather famous race on the frozen lake, and as supporting event they organized a race between a car, a bike, and a plane. The plane normally was piloted by German flying ace Ernst Udet.
In 1929 4 wheels had been represented by Hans Stuck and his Austro-Daimler, and in 1932 by Heinrich Joachim von Morgen and his Bugatti T35B. In 1929 the bike driver was Josef Möritz, and in 1932 Willi Stör. In 1934 the pilot of course was Udet again, the bike driver Josef Möritz with his Victoria, and the car was Ulrich Maag from Zurich with his T35C. Possibly it was always the winner of the official races - cars and motorcycles - who had to perform the show race against Udet.
Now, the car on the newsyears-wishes photograph is fully road-equipped, and thus is neither the car from the race against the airplane from 1932, nor that from 1934....
Searching a bit further on "Eibsee Bugatti" gives this movie from the 1932 Eibsee Eisrennen. Click on the picture below! I copied it from Youtube, as you never know how long movies will remain there.... Excuses for the text, which is also impossible to read for me...
Details from the movie are different from the xmas-card (Much less snow on the roof!), so the xmas card is probably not from 1932...
Does any of you know a bit more? all info is much appreciated!
Please send your answer to the editor: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
4-1-2017
Bugatti connection of one Mercedes SSK Martin Schröder sent me these two photos of a Mercedes SSK near the Bugatti factory. The rumor says that the owner wanted a Bugatti with part exchange of his SSK. But Bugatti refused the offer.
Martin is doing a research on the car and any information is highly appreciated.
A second query is for the phone number or email address of old car dealer Henri Lalanne.
Please send your answer to : martin.schroeder@gmx.net
4-1-2017
Tamara de Lempicka's Bugatti
I recently read a biography of Tamara de Lempicka, the celebrated painter of the 20's and 30's. One of her most famous pictures is a selfportait of herself in a green Bugatti.Perhaps this question has been answered elsewhere, but does anyone know what model of Bugatti she owned ? It is very difficult to determine from the painting.
Update
Several readers pointed out that the car in the painting is a Left Hand Drive, while all original Bugattis were right hand drive.
That would make it impossible that the car in the painting would indeed be a Bugatti
However: The Left hand Drive, may that have been an artistic freedom? or maybe, if it was indeed a selfportrait, maybe the artist used a mirror?
Update 2
It is certain that Tamara de Lempicka never actually owned a Bugatti, When she lived in France, she owned a little yellow Renault. You can read about this in book with the title Lempicka and published by TASCHEN. ( Provided by Lars Carlsson).
Through Werner Striek I received the following reply from Patricia Lee Yongue from USA:
I do know that she caught the eye of the Die Dame fashion editor while wearing a black and yellow outfit that matched the paint scheme of her Peugeot. The editor wanted her to do a self-portrait in those colors, but she chose the Bugatti theme instead. The Bugatti was at its most popular and esp. so with wealthy young women. As far as I have gone with my research, Tamara herself did not own a Bugatti. I have the book her daughter wrote about her, as well as two other books, but there is no mention of a Bugatti.
So, it seems that Tamara de Lempicka never did own a Bugatti....
Original question was from Ron Kloetzli, Santa Ana, CA. USA
Please send your answer via the editor: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
18-11-2016
Wood supplier Buhr.
Can someone confirm that wood panels and dashboards on Bugatti made from 1923 to 1935 are stamped A.J Buhr?
I am trying to document the fact that the lumber mill AJ Buhr in Obernai delivered wood to Bugatti before WW2.
Any assistance will be greatly appreciated, Thanks
Please send your answer to Frederick Buhr: maserati@gmail.com
Wrong e-mail address, of course!
13-9-2016
Overton 'Bunny' Phillips Bugatti Photograph Recently I was sent an e-mail by Robert Kalinak with a Picture of a Bugatti 35, #49 owned by Overton "Bunny" Phillips, the picture was taken in about 1936 or 1937.
His question is where this picture was taken? The Gentleman in the picture is Robert's Uncle Steve Kaszarda, a AAA sprint car mechanic.
Could this be the '36 or '37 Vanderbilt Cup in NY? Or another AAA Champ race of the time, I believe Phillips raced the car at Syracuse, NY and Goshen, NY. I believe it went to Indy 500 in 1940 or 1941 but with a Harry Miller engine, body was also rebuilt at that time so I rule out Indy.
Key to the picture I believe is the Maserati V8Ri to the left, I believe there were about 4 of the Maserati's in USA at this time. Note the spoked wheels.
Any assistance will be greatly appreciated, Thanks
Please send your answer to Robert Kalinak: r_kalinak@msn.com
Some info from the Internet:
Overton-Axton Phillips, better know as 'Bunny' Phillips, was born in Ottomwa, Iowa. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was still very young. At high school he aquired his first car, a Chevrolet 490, which he used to get to and from classes. In 1923 he was sent east to continue his studies returning to LA in 1925, where he went to work for Harry Miller.
He aquired his first Bugatti, a Type 29 (though possibly at Type 30), from Chris Homes in 1927. Homes was an eccentric millionaire from Santa Barbara who had a private zoo and was also an excellent pilot.
Bunny took the Type 29 to the salt flats by Salt Lake City where he was clocked at 123 mph (198 kmh). He developed a good relationship with the Bugatti agent in London, Colonel Sorel, and was able to obtain spare parts through him.
In 1930, Phillips teamed up with Frank Scully to open an official Bugatti service center in Rosemead, West Hollywood. They also rented cars for film work.
One of their clients, who had apparently made his fortune running rum during the Prohibition era, had a boat powered by two 16-cylinder Bugatti-King aero engines with a third as a spare. Phillips apparently kept the boat running by pirating parts from the similar engines that powered the wind machines in Hollywood film studios.
In 1934 Scully aquired Harry Millers four wheel drive Indy car from his creditors for next to nothing. He sent it to Europe where he entered it for Peter De Paolo in the Triopli GP, becoming the first four wheel drive car to run in a Grand Prix. He also entered a Duesemberg-Miller for Lou Moore. De Paolo ran the car in Germany at Avus in May but a broken cod rod caused a massive explosion, parts of which are rumored to have just missed Adolf Hitlers head. The car was eventually shipped back to the States where Bunny rebuilt the Miller V8 engine and later fitted it to the T35B (4748) which he had bought.
The Vanderbilt Cup had not been held since 1916 but was revived in 1936 thanks to the efforts of George Robertson. William Kissam Vanderbilt II's nephew, George Washington Vanderbilt III sponsored a 300-mile race at the new facilities at Roosevelt Raceway. Enticed by the substantial prize money, Scuderia Ferrari entered three Alfa Romeos and a number of other Europeans attended. Bunny entered the T35B racing against the like of Nuvolari and Wimille but was forced to retire on lap eight when a connecting rod in the engine failed. Tazio Nuvolari won from Jean-Pierre Wimille, Antonio Brivio and Raymond Sommer.
He had also aquired a Murphy bodied T38 (38435) and, since he was not allowed to race the T35B on it's Bugatti Alloy wheels, he swapped them with the wire wheels from the T38.
In 1936 he started the Phillips Aviation Company with his brother, James. They purchased a large part of the Metropolitan Airport in Van Nuys and carried out contracts for Lockheed, North American and Douglas as well as the US Navy.
He raced his Type 35B with the Bugatti engine for the last time, in 1938, at the "El Centro" race, before replacing it with the rebuilt Miller V8 in 1941.
12-6-2016
Race driver Georges Cattelat Here is a picture of Vincent's great uncle Georges Cattelat in what is believed to be a type 37.
He used to race this car with his brother Louis and both lived in Montpellier in the south of France.
Unfortunately no one in the family knows anything about the car nor its history.
Does anyone know anything about the car, or has more photographs of George or Louis Cattelat racing?
Please send your answer to Vincent from St Légier - Switzerland: vincetr4@bluewin.ch
7-4-2016
Unknown "Bugatti Clutch Pedal" These two parts, one marked "Bugatti Clutch Pedal" are part of a box of old car parts that are just part of a garage clear out.
They do look very odd, the casting that is not marked looks unfinished with flashing still present. One appears to have a wooden insert within the casting.
Answer
These are from a T46 or T50. I am just about to machine these for my T50.
Paul Hicks, New Zealand.
Anybody knows which Bugatti these came from? Or maybe the Bugatti "Empereur"?
Please send your answer to Ian Fossett: superexeed2002@yahoo.co.uk
20-2-2016
I am restoring a late model T57 Bugatti Atalante.
Im looking for information on dimensions of the telescopic shock absorbers.
ie open and closed lengths and the make that may be suitable.
Also has anyone got the castings for the rear shock absorber mountings as they are missing from this car.
Please send your answer to Ian Neve: ian.hn@hotmail.co.uk
31-1-2016
Bugatti Wheel question I have very original Bugatti Special, it was the first car to be fitted with a Ford V/8 engine.
The car started life as T39 some of the parts are now in the USA.
All wheels now have 16 inch rims, three with the normal 70 spoke Bugatti centres.
One wheel has a 50 spoke Bugatti centre as pictured, 20 outside, 30 inside.
What model Bugatti had only 50 spokes??
Please send your answer to Rob Rowe: roweauto@ozemail.com.au
22-1-2016
Bugatti T37 Front Who installed this plow type front in the early 30ties on this 37A343 based in Belgium ?
And who raced with this car?
Please send your answer to François Feller: feller2@pt.lu
22-1-2016
Unknown Bugatti Plaque I'm writing to you about my old plaque Bugatti, which I bought last year. I have only a few information about it - on case is inscription:
DRAGO
INSIGNIE
MEDAILE
COUPE
39. R. GIOFFREDO
NICE
I traced that this company resided in Nice on this adress only between 1932 - 1935 and they made not many plaques.
On this plaque is stamped Bugatti Royale (Kellner, I think).
Nowhere is mention about Bugatti plaques by this DRAGO company.
My question is: Does anybody know anything about this?
Please send your answer to Stepan from Czech republic: stpn18@seznam.cz
13-1-2016
Bugatti race driver Louis Detilleux (ou de Tilleux?) The real name is Dutilleux, also Duttilleux (Guy Huet)
Bon soir à tous! Pour mon livre / part Hongrois nous avons besoin d'information sur Louis Detilleux (ou de Tilleux?), ingénieur et/ou pilote Bugatti. Qui a un photo de lui? Merci en avance pour vôtre aide! Répondez, s.v.p., à dr.hauk@chello.at
Good evening everyone! For my book project / Hungarian part we need some information about Louis Detilleux (or de Tilleux?), Bugatti engineer and/or pilot. Does anybody have a photo of him? Thank you in advance for your support! Please send your answer to dr.hauk@chello.at
Unfortunately we are still in delay, the "K&K Bugatti Register" will be published in 2015!
18-11-2015
Bugatti Type 57 confiscated by German Army
On these pages I have published more war-time Bugattis. The one above was sent to me by H.J. van der Leer.
He found the picture on the Internet, a Type 57 doing service for the Wehrmacht in 1940.
Chassisnumber and body builder are unknown. The registration 4839-RL3 is of the department Seine from 1937.
If anybody has information about this car, and what has become of it, please e-mail me: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
23-10-2015
Bugatti Type 57 early front axle; Anybody else with the same on his T57?? During the last Bugatti Festival in Molsheim, Robert Braunschweig, owner of the Bugatti T57 Stelvio, #57202, showed me his car, and in particular the front axle, as well as various drawings.
Details of the front axle of 57202; 2 pictures of the left side, the centre connecting piece, and the right side
As we all know, the prototype T57 had a fully independent front suspension, which was in fact shown in T57 chassis drawing 37. Ettore however vetoed this design, and a 2nd design was made, which had a split front axle (drawing 38), and two "torque stay rods" (on both sides), which attached to lips (nr. 9 in the drawing below) which were forged integrally with the front axle and located on top of the hole where the leaf springs pass through the axle, see the article below. These first front axles even had a few centimeters wider track, which can even be seen in the body, with the front fenders slightly wider than on other cars.
Article by the late Ronald van Ramshorst about the first version axle
Apparently, this design was used on the first 50 cars only, later it was changed (probably at least for economy reasons), with a soldered connection of the lip, and on the steering arm only. Later T57's abandoned the split front axle altogether. According to Robert, his front axle layout does give better roadholding, certainly in some specific conditions.
Picture of 57202, and a factory photo of a similar Stelvio, not necessarily the same car.
HISTORY of 57202:
This car was on the production list for July 1934 with engine 47, having been ordered by the Bugatti agent Monestier in Lyon on June 19, 1934 and produced as a Usine Stelvio; delivered on 30 June 1934 for Frs 64.000.-. It had the early split front axle and brake backplates.
The first owner was George Darne, a maker of custom hunting rifles in Quartier de la Solchère St Etienne in the Loire region. It passed on to a second unnamed owner in 1937 who was thought to have been killed two years later at the outbreak of World War II. In 1945 Mr Collange, a dentist in Aubenas in the Ardèche bought the car who had it 'modernized' by having 'filled in' the front fenders. (The modification of the doors must have been done earlier).
In 1952 it was bought by Mrs Combes, a garage owner in Val-les Bains who sold it in 1958 to Henri Girod Eymery for his museum in Uzes. His ownership was reported by Hugh Conway in 1962. He kept it until the beginning of the seventies; then it went to 'Francky' Dumontant, & Hervé Charbonneaux, and via Ortelli who had the car restored in Italy in the nineties after which it went to Maurice Marquès.
He in turn sold it to Henri Lalanne. It was sown at the Retromobile in 1995 and has been for sale twice at the Poulain auction 1995 and 1997 (lotnr 19 and 22) after which it went to the USA and was offered at Barrett- Jackson's Scottsdale auction in 2000 when it went to Mrs Terena Shaw in Ontario, Canada. It was for sale at Cave Creek Classics in 2003 after which she took it for Auction at the Greenwich Sale by Bonhams on June 7, 2009 (Lotnr 281) where it was sold to the trader Jaap Braam Ruben. He sold it to Robert Braunschweig who participated at the EBA in Molsheim 2011 (# 142).
The body of this car was often referred to as Gangloff, but serious research turned out that it is in fact built by the Bugatti factory, with body number 11.
One question remains unanswered: this Bugatti has chassis number 57202, but still is one of the first 50 build. The cars were build in order of the engine number, the chassis number was asigned later, mostly after the car was sold. So we can assume that this car is of much earlier date than July 1934. Why it remained unsold in the factory for a while remains a mistery.
Answer:
Guy Huet gives a reaction:
I remember that when I bought 57104 in 1960 it also had a split front axle. It was explained to me that the first cars had a variety of detail that was either rejected in later versions or kept as they were happy with it.
I am sure that the difference in cost of manufacture was a factor, as the years 30-34 had been meagre from a financial point of view..
57104 also had strange rounded camboxes. which I have never seen elsewhere.
If anybody owns a Bugatti with the same front axle design, or has more information, please contact Robert Braunschweig: robi.braunschweig@bluewin.ch
28-9-2015 / 23-10-2015
Bugatti T57 Jack ? I was wondering if one of your readers could answer the following question?
When the factory sold a new Type 57 with factory bodywork, did they supply a jack with the tool kit? Many years ago when I was restoring the first Type 57 SC for the then French owner(now deceased) we were missing several items-so the owner purchased another Type 57C for parts which was later resold and I believe restored.
Ever since that period (late sixties) I have had in the workshop under a bench a French made bottle jack (see attached photo) and as I was working in England at that time I cannot think apart from the Bugattis where else this jack could have come from..
I would be very interested to learn if this is an extra supplied by Bugatti?
Answer:
Guy Huet gives a reaction:
The 57 jack was made by Furet Gergovia and could lift 1200 kilograms.
If anybody knows more about this, please contact Paul Richfield: paul.richfield@cegetel.net
4-10-2015 / 23-10-2015
Information sought about Bugatti's in these races in the Czech Republic
Tomáš Rathouský sent these two photographs, with Bugatti cars.
On the left picture there is group of people with a Bugatti car on Masaryk Circuit in the year 1932, in this picture from the left - Ernst Gunther Burggaller, Pierre Veyron, Lehoux's wife, Marcel Lehoux. The last guy is in the meatime without name.
On the picture on the right there is a Bugatti car on Bohdanec Circuit in the year 1938. This is actually a postcard (as is the other), see on the right.
Is it possible to find any details about the cars and the people? If anybody knows about this, please contact: rathousky@gmail.com
9-10-2015
Type 50 rebodied by Saoutchik in the 50's
With a friend I have been discussing the question of who designed the above car, certainly the most ( or one of the most) beautiful rebodies on a Bugatti, the Type 50, chassis 50146, built by Saoutchik.
very little is known, from "Great Marques" Bugatti, where it is stated that the Englishman who bought the chassis from France, had the body made to his directions (also to his design? That's not clear), apparently in time for his honeymoon...
According to Bugattiregister.com the current owner is H.J. Hyams (UK), since 1950 ! So the same person still alive?? (and is he still married??)
This gentlemans honeymoon corresponded with the Paris motorshow where Jean Daninos showed the special Facel bodied Bentley cresta. There were 17 production versions and one very special and very pretty coupe. There are a few similarities, in the roofline but not so much in the body / fenders. Actually, that Bentley is much more somilar to the Antem T101!
What I also found is:
So, though Harry might have seen that car and been inspired by it, it still was redesigned and improved before Saoutchik built the body for the T50 chassis. Harrys business associate (Mouse Davies father) built another one using a Type 50 motor, Later used by me in a T 50 bought from Mouse Davies son. Confusing isnt it ! The copy still exists with the family with a 3.8 litre jaguar motor.
So, the questions are:
Who did design the body?
Were there two cars or only one?
Does the one car (or both) still exist, where, and with a T50 or a Jaguar engine?
Answers:
I got reactions from:
Herman van Oldeneel, that the Bugatti body was designed by Pierre Saoutchik, son of Jacques Saoutchik.
From Guy Huet I Learned the following: Harry Hyams still had this car when we lived in England, 1968- 1975, he was a very wealthy property developer.
I have not seen it since then.
From Erik Hakstege I get the reaction that the engine of the Bugatti T50 50146 is now in the T46 Coach Profilée at the Louwman museum in the Hague. Chassis 50146 being now fitted with the Jaguar engine.
This statement already reduces the chances of there being two similar cars, one with Bugatti engine and one with Jaguar engine. There is probably only one such car, with the T50 engine now in the Hague.
Please send any further reactions to Jaap Horst: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
22-1-2014
Record supercharged 1100CC Bugatti Brescia I received the following request from South Africa:
I had Brescia Chassis No.2534 Engine No. 933 which was modified in 1925 by Capt Middleton D'Este in order to attempt to take the 1100cc record at Brooklands.
To this end the built his own all roller bearing crank, roller bearing conrods, special cam.
He fitted 2 superchargers, one a Berk and one an Amhurst Villiers blowing into each other and used a large SU carburettor.
In his own words "I towed it to Brooklands, did 6 laps at 100mph, towed it home, dismantled it and went to India"
The car was discovered in dismantled form in the Captains loft and turned back into a road car, along the way losing the superchargers, crank, con rods and cam. I bought it semi finished and completed it.
I have all the record breaking attempt bits ie all that it lost in conversion to a road car, and decided to build a replica of the record breaker. About 2 years after starting the project, the original body turned up which I bought. THe pictures above are of this original body (which have been for sale on this site in 2009).
So the question is: does anyone have any photographs of the car in its record attempt form?
Please send your reactions to Richard Daggit: dickon@worldonline.co.za
28-4-2014
Unknown Bugatti
I received the photo's above from a reader who thinks they are from a Belgian family holidaying In Switzerland before the war.
Would appreciate knowing more about the car and/or the owners as well as where the photo was taken.
Answer
Andrea Capra from Switzerland gave the answer about where the photograph was taken:
The photo was pictured in Boltigen, Eschi Dorf close to the Lake of Thun, ca. 50 km south of Berne not far from Gstaad.
The cars are climbing the old street to the "Jaunpass" 1509m above see level.
The Jaunpass is connecting the lake of Thun with Bulle close to Lausanne.
The lake of Thun is ca. 550m above see level.
The cars were on the street in the left corner below on the picture on the right.
Please send your reactions to Jaap Horst: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
5 / 3-4-2014
Unknown Bugattis
Dan Vallan sent photographs of a Bugatti T57 (above and below) which he bought in Luxemburg. The photograph above right (6) is Dan Vallan seen on the back and the man he bought it from at his shop in Luxemburg.
Dan was stationed at the civil airport in Bordeaux, France in 1953, 83rd Air Rescue Sqdn, US Air Force. He bought the Bugatti in Luxemburg. He then moved to Bitburg Germany. He was able to ship the Bugatti to the States for free. but chose to sell it and left it there in 1955.
Stupid move (Dan's comment!).
He does not have any papers left of it, just the photos. Obviously the registration is 9994 GA8. Though the car was bought in Luxemburg, the registration seems French to me!
Further info:
Haje van der Leer from the Netherlands ads that the registration 9994-GA8 is of the French departement Gironde and was issued in 1937.
Answer:
Claude Taconetti from France identifies Dan Vallan's T57 as being chassis 57504, a car of which no trace can be found anymore.
Dan also photographed this T50 (or T46, the car has T50 wheels) and the T57 Ventoux, at a barn / farm in France. This would also be around 1953, Anybody recognises his car?
Answer!
Bohuslav Klein, author of the Bugatti T46 book, recognised the Type 46 on photo's 1 and 3: It is chassis 46167 with Figoni and Falaschi body, once owned by Noily Exshaw living in Arcachon, France, photo from the book on the right.
Bohuslav further adds that, though he is positive that the body is Figoni and Falaschi, some think that the body could be Labourdette.
Please send your reactions to Jaap Horst: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
8/9-3-2014
Looking for Gangloff drawings
Andrea Capra of Switzerland is collecting drawings from Gangloff, both originals and copies
He now has ca. 160 pieces most of them from the type 57 Bugatti
He is looking for more drawings in order to bring together as complete as possible the Gangloff drawing history, find above two samples.
Please send your reactions to Andrea Capra: andrea.capra@aranthes.ch
10-2-2014
Unknown Bugatti Type 30 at Spa race in 20's / 30's?
Yves Peeters from Belgium gave me this photograph at Retromobile.
He acquired this picture of what at first glance looks like a GP Bugatti.
However, when looking more closely, it is clear that it is no GP at all, the car is too high, has a spare wheel on the drivers side, there are small brake drums at front and large ones on the rear.
It is in fact a Type 30, with streamlined body, which raced at Spa "Coupe de la Meuse", with race number 9.
Does anybody have information about the race (when?), the car and the driver?
Please send your reactions to: Fordpeeters@scarlet.be
9-2-2014
Missing Bugattis - where are these?
Can anybody help find them?? They were sold to someone in France in 1969 in Charente-Maritime..around LaRochelle.
The Type 40 is licence no. 659 AH 17, and has a very special design for the bonnet louvres, these are curved! Following more or less the shape of the fenders.
The Type 44 is licence no. 427 BQ 79. The coacbuilder is unknown.
The question is asked by Phil Friday. His father's name was Charles Friday, he owned them in France from about 1958 until sold. Phil is in Virginia , USA, and would love to find some info on these two cars.
Please send your reactions to: fridays@va.metrocast.net
21-1-2014
Unknown Bugatti - unknown actress
I found this picture recently, it is an official press photograph, coming from the collection of a collector of Hollywood movie collectables.
The seller thought that it was from the 20's or maybe 30's, my own idea is that it is of much later date, maybe the 60's?
The unblown Bugatti T35 has some interesting details, like the horizontal plates connecting the front mudguards with the body (with the steering arm going through it!), and a very ugly license plate connected on top of the tail. There is also a searchlight, not really common for a T35! The windscreens are not the common small Brooklands, but slightly bigger and square screens.
Answer!
The Bugatti was identified by Claude Taconetti, who identified it as Chassis 4748, which is mentioned in Pur Sang , volume 40, summer 2000 n°2. He also identifies the actress as being Lili Dalmita, see on the right, a French actress (original name Liliane Marie-Madeleine Carré) who is, more than bacause of her 33 movies, known because of her marriage to Erroll Flynn.
In 1928, Bugatti Type 35 wearing chassis number 4748 was purchased by Colonel Lee Scott of the Hall-Scott Engine Company in Oakland, California. Ownership changed in 1931 to Frank Spring, general manager of Walter M. Murphy Coachbuilders of Pasadena, California. In 1931, Spring left Murphy to take a position as director of styling for Hudson. A year later, ownership of the Bugatti passed to Overton A. Phillips.
Frank Spring at the wheel of the Bugatti Type 35 #4748 on Dry Lakes. This must have been in 1931 / 1932. The search light is missing, the license plate on the rear deck however can be easily seen. Photo from BugattiBuilder.com / Christophe Chanterault.
In 1936, Phillips raced with this car in the Vanderbilt Cup against some of the best road-racing drivers in the world. After surviving a serious accident in J.L. Mannix's Duesenberg during practice for the 1937 Indianapolis 500, Phillips closed Bugatti Service and went to work for Dick Loynes. He used patterns Loynes had purchased at Miller's bankruptcy sale to create his own Miller V8 engine based on two 151 Marine blocks. The powerplant was installed into the chassis of his Bugatti Type 35. He then hand-hammered his own lightweight aluminum body for the Bugatti.
The Car is of course famous till this day, and was many years in the possession of Dr. Williamson.
Screen shot of the Bugatti in the movie "Speed", from IMCDB.org.
So what was the movie in which the Bugatti was used, with this actress??
IMCDB.org mentions Bugatti chassis 4748 as having been in the 1936 movie "Speed". The car here misses the horizontal plates, as well as the license plate. This leads me to the conclusion that the photograph with the actress (if IMCDB correctly identified the Bugatti) is of an earlier date, probably while in the possession of Frank Spring.
Does anybody have more info on the actress, or the movie in which the Bugatti was used?
Please send your reactions to: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
25-1 / 18-1-2014
Colombo designed 4-litre 8-cylinder Bugatti engine for armoured vehicle
Sébastien Faurès from France is investigating Gioachino Colombo, and of course also his "Bugatti period".
There are of course the known types 125, 251 and 252.
Sébastien found an article in an old Italian magazine from the 1970s (right, click to enlarge) which mentions a 4-litre 8-cylinder engine for an armoured vehicle. Does anybody know more?
Please send your reactions to: sebastien.faures@yahoo.fr
15-1-2014
Bugatti - License plate behind glass
Does anybody have photographs of a Bugatti T57, where the license plate is behind glass?
Answer
H.J. van der Leer sent 3 photographs of Bugatti Chassis number 57415, 57463, 57491 (Left to right, below), all with license plate behind glass.
Andra Capra sent a photo of his car , and the following comment:
My car is 57581 and has still the configuration for a transparent number but is now covered with a Swiss plate which is not transparent.
I understood this was original delivered from the factory.
When I exposed my car in Villa d'Este 2011, I had produced such plates with the old transparant factory numbers to have it most possible correct.
The 2 Scintilla backlight lights are illuminating from the left and ride side a white painted box over which is fixed the transparent licence plate.
This white box brings the light all over the licence plate.
It is seems transparent perspex licence plates were commun also with other French brands before the II war. (eg Citroen Traction)
The Black and White image is a photo of the car when it was with Ronald van Ramshorst with the transparent Dutch plate.
By the way the Atlantic which is now with Peter Mullin has the same configuration I believe.
By the way due of the non transpararent licence plates of today many 57 cars do have a wrong illumination on the rear.
Please send your reactions to Olav Glasius: glasius@euronet.nl
18-1 / 2-1-2014
Unknown Bugatti on "Look at Life" movie from 1963You can find this on Youtube, searching for "Look at Life - The car has wings 1963"
From minute 6.20 onwards, you can see two (Dutch?) Bugattis waiting to board a ferry. Can anybody positively ID the cars and / or drivers?
There seems to be another Bugatti (Stelvio?) at 6.40. All Bugattis seem to be returning to the continent from a Rally in England.
Click below to see the movie:
Answer I received various answers, from Guy Huet, Uwe Zumach, Martijn Visser en Bart Oosterling. The most complete reaction came from Haje van der Leer:
The Bugattis are all Dutch, and had been participating in the Internationale Bugatti Meeting in Prescott in May 1963.
6.20
The front car is chassis 44920, registration VT-85-93 (NL), driven by Willem Pieters
This car is now owned by Luigi Guariento, and has a different body.
The car behind that is 49391.
6.31
Bugatti is 49391 "Het Kanon", Arie van Ramshorst. Now owned by Louis Michel Quetelart
6.40
The Stelvio is 57435, J. Veldkamp. Car is now in Switzerland, with an unknown owner.
Please send your reactions to me: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
3-1 / 2-1-2014
Bugatti and Moscovics / Ferrari
Two questions......I remember from my readings of Griff Borgeson that Ettore Bugatti met with Mr. Moscovics, the President of Stutz ( at Le Mans !) , as well as Enzo Ferrari, whom Bugatti had Italian kinship with as they both spoke the Milanese dialect.
Does anybody know of any details of these conversations and if any fruit came from them ?
Ron Kloetzli
Please send your reactions to: kloetzli@pacbell.net
2-1-2014
Bugatti engine number 289
I am doing research on engine no. 289 ,Type 30.
I have two different chassis numbers this engine is listed. 1. Chassis No. 4287 owned by Leroy Beyers. The engine is all that survired.(this information supplied by the Bugatti-Trust -UK)
Another article states that the engine No 289 was in chassis no. 37387 a T-37. Both leads state that the engine was used in a midget racer. Is the midget the one Mike Caruso made ? And is there any pictures of this midget ?
For your info, the midget racer used a 4-cylinder engine, cut from an 8-cylinder Bugatti engine.
Answer
Both Greg Smith and Sandy Leith answered to this question: Greg states the following about the Caruso midget:
There is a picture in "Offenhauser" by Gordon Elliot White ISBN 0-87938-883-8 of the Caruso midget on page 83 which looks for all world to me to be a Brescia engine.
It is certainly 4 cylinders and has a Brescia style exhaust central to the block, not an aft biased front block exhaust off an 8 cylinder front block ,or a forward biased exhaust of an 8 cylinder rear block. Also it appears to have a front mounted magneto in the correct Brescia position low down adjacent to the crank and opposite the water pump. The crank case support arms definitely look to be Brescia in form and function and not sort of added on as you would have to do if you cut down an 8 cylinder engine.
They also start much higher on the case than type 30 mounts and interestingly enough , if it is a Brescia engine (it is just captioned "Bugatti" and the bonnet obscures the cam box which would be a dead giveaway,ovoid versus square) it must be a very early one as I cannot discern any steering box integral casting, nor evidence of one being sawn off.
Sandy is the owner of T37, chassis 37387 which was originally supplied with engine no. 289 (Note that this is Type 37, engine no.289). It has had a 4-cylinder Ford "B" engine fitted since the winter of 1935. The original engine was sold to Mike Caruso who used it in a midget, perhaps not the one you reference, but he had quite a few Bugatti engines in his day. He liked Bugatti engines...
Caruso had at least 3-8-valve Bugatti engines; 4-16 valve/Brescia engines; 1/2 of a T44 engine (ex-44311) and my T37 engine (289 ex-37387.)
Most did not survive, although one or two did. The 8-valve engine, no. 157 ex-500 (the first Bugatti to come to the US) was modified with a crude, twin-cam/single cambox arrangement, presumably engineered for Caruso, was found by the late Miles Coverdale, along with another 8-valve engine and a large quantity of 8-valve parts.
Coverdale also found and bought four Brescia camboxes. (one was no. 755) The sectioned T44 engine was located, but split up for spares. The Molsheim inlet manifold for my T37 modified for downdraft carburetor was found by Coverdale and given to me by him after I found my car. The ex-Uihlein T23 with engine no. 1143 ex-2743 was fitted to chassis 2690 (but hidden under the number 2743)...this was a Caruso engine and Uihlein exchanged a T40 engine for it with Caruso...no idea which T40 engine this was.
The Byers T30 engine no. 289 survives, but little else. This is an 8-cylinder engine whereas the T37 engine is a 4-cylinder engine. Keep in mind, the engine numbers reset with each type, so there are several Bugatti engines with the number "289".
Quesstion originally asked by David Ziegler, St. Louis, Missouri USA
Please send your reactions to: daveziegler@sbcglobal.net
29-9-2013
Bugatti in winter hill climb
Info provided y Michael Muller:
The registration is from Garmisch, so without any doubt the photo shows the Bugatti T37A of local hotel owner Hanns Kilian, who is better known for his bob sled racing career (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanns_Kilian).
Traditionally the Bavarian Automobile Club organized a winter rallye to Garmisch, including a hillclimb from Grainau up to the Eibsee lake (Eibseerennen). There had been also circuit races on the frozen lake und such crazy things like races against airplanes. Kilian later substituted the 37A against a T35B.
Anton van Luijk sent this photo of a winter hill climb, titled: "Bergprüfung February 2, 1929"
Does anybody know more about the event or the Bugatti? The photo does not really show it, but probably the tires were spiked?
Please send your reactions to: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
23-6-2013 / 26-5-2013 - Photo from bavarikon.de , where some more photo's can be found.
Unknown Bugatti brake drums
John Baldwin owns 4 brake drums which he acquired with a job lot of Bugatti spares.
They are aluminium with iron linings, 30 cms external diameter, 27cms internal diameter, finned on the rim and have 10 holes for their hub locating studs, opposite holes being 107mm apart centre to centre.
Does anybody know for what type of Bugatti (if at all) these are?
Please send your reactions to: gnjapv8@gmail.com
26-3-2013
Bugatti Type 40, chassis 40454
David St. Julian is trying to trace the details of Bugatti 40454.
The factory records show this chassis had engine no. 368 and he is curious to discover what are the numbers of the frame and axles fitted to this chassis.
The background to the question is the following:
The factory records show that this car was fitted with engine no.368. The factory records also show that David's car, 40446, was fitted with engine 357. The frame number of his car is 368, which raises the question of whether similar numbers were allocated to engines and frames once they were assembled as rolling chassis, or whether the numbers were allocated separately to frames and engines prior to them being assembled. I am inclined to accept this theory as 40445, a car consigned to Australia at the same time as 40446 and generally regarded as having its original engine and frame, had engine 323 and frame 325. When I bought my car, it had only the basics of the engine without a crankcase, rumour being that my engine, 357, had been donated to a T37. The last registered owner of 40446 also owned 40404 at the same time, however this latter car had engine 264 and an unknown frame no. 40454 was delivered to "Magasin" ( I believe this means storage ) in Paris and is believed not to have ever been shipped to Australia. It could well have been scrapped.
If the current owner of 40454 sees this email, he would appreciate hearing from him / her.
Please send your reactions to: saint.marine@bigpond.com
17-3-2013
Info on Maria Antonietta Avanzo Update 2
Dick Ploeg sent the following reply, as well as the picture on the right, which shows her photographed in a Bugatti T29 (1922 Strasbourg Bugatti).
The picture is from : Gioachino Colombo, ORIGINS OF THE FERRARI LEGEND, Haynes Publishing Group, Sparkford 1987 (ISBN 0 85429 624 7) , p17.
Unfortunately the book assumes that it shows her in a Packard that she drove at Fano beach in Denmark.
For all I know she may not have driven the 1922 Strasbourg Bugatti and merely been photographed in it. Later in 1922 the Strasbourg cars were brought to Monza and the picture may have been taken at that occasion.
Besides, she was co-driving a Bugatti T43 in the 1931-04-12 Mille Miglia, with count Carlo Castelbarco (race number 79).
If you have any relating information about Maria Antonietta Avanzo, I would be much obliged.
17-3-2013
Update
I received the following reply (in Italian) from Valerio Moretti
"spigolando" tra le "Bugatti questions" ho trovato una sua richiesta di informazioni su Maria Antonietta Avanzo, del 14 gennaio 2010 (!!) - e mi domando se sia ancora interessato all'argomento. Ho avuto il piacere di incontrare la "baronessa" a casa sua, a Roma - grazie alla cortesia delle sue nipoti -, moltissimi anni fa e di pubblicare una conversazione con lei su "La Manovella" (sotto il "nom de plume" di Federico Caprilli). In quella occasione mi confermò di non aver mai preso parte alla 500 Miglia di Indianapolis, ma di aver soltanto visitato "en touriste" l'autodromo e di aver fatto qualche giro di prova con una macchina da turismo. Tutto qui. Però aveva una bella fotografia in costume da pilota, ripresa nell'occasione, mentre si "rfà il trucco" allo specchio. Mi disse che dovette rinunciare (vero o falso non so) allo corsa perchè richiamata in Italia da urgenti ragioni familiari...
For those of you who don't talk Italian: Valerio Moretti talked with "the Barones" a long time ago, in which she confirmed that she was visiting the Indy track as a tourist, and did a few laps in a regular automobile. however, her photograph was taken in a driver's uniform, leading to the confusion. Maria Antonietta Avanzo was never planning on taking part in the race.
Below the original question:
Luca Malin is an italian writer. He is writing a book about Maria Antonietta Avanzo, an italian female car driver between 1919-1940.
Talking about this with the curator of the Indianapolis Museum Don Davidson he discovered she was near to enter in the De Vizcaya team at Indy 500 in 1923, the first with the 122 c.i.d.formula. Obviously all the cars in the De Vizcaya team were Bugatti.
Does anybody have any info about this? Did Maria Antonietta maybe ride any of the Bugattis?
Please E-mail any reactions to: Luca Malin
14-1-2010
Known Bugatti, unknown details Bart Oosterling sent me these pictures of Bugatti 4541, also known as 6212-W-10.
The photographs (Thanks to Nathalie for providing them) are most probably from the era when it was owned by Joe Loecy in the USA.
The car is a T35A, and was sold last year to Germany.
The question is, what the function of the "air scoops" on the left and right could probably be?
My own guess is that they are most probably for the cockpit ventilation, as they are positioned too far to the rear to be able to do any good for the engine...
Reactions
I have had quite a few reactions, all agreeing with my guess, the air scoops are for the cabin ventilation, which is something which you really need in a GP Bugatti, especially in hot climates!
Can anybody confirm this?
Please send your reactions to: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
28-2-2013
Bugatti's at Beach race, Berck Plage 1930
3 different Bugattis, apparently 2 T35's and one T37 (or T35A), at a beach race in Berck Plage, northern France in 1930 (year may not be exact).
Does anybody have more info?
Please send to: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
13-1-2013
Bugatti used by Senechal in the 1929 race at Le Mans
Andrew Cannon has been trying to confirm since a long time which Bugatti it was that Senechal drove at the Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France race at Le Mans in 1929 (not the 24 hours) for Count Velosic
It was a T35B Senechal drove for the owner in 1929 to 5th place.
Please send any information to Andrew Cannon,
Email: amcannon@monacohouse.com.au
16-12-2012
Bugatti T37 #37340 data and photo's needed A friend of Benny Graf is actually working on T37 GP's. He is looking for a good picture of 37340 for his datas. Can anybody help?
One image was sent to Ralf by Claude Taconetti, the registration plate shows RP 5947 or maybe RP 5347.
A second picture was sent by Mark Morris, easy to see that the license is in fact RP 5947
Erik Hakstege informs that the other Bugatti T37 on the above picture, next to the Vauxhall, is the ex Wilson 37225. Easy to identify 37225, on the bar between the headlights is an sculpture of a small animal, kind of pegasus or unicorn. Not seen on this picture, 37225 was equiped with a side mounted exhaust with a fishtail endpiece.
Please send any information to Benny Graf-Saner,
Email: bennygrafsaner@sunrise.ch
1-12-2012 / 24-12-2012
Australian Bugatti dealers
Any idea who would have sold new Bugattis in Queensland Australia (probably Brisbane) in the nineteen twenties?
Answer
From David Beaumont:
As far as I know the Sole Agent was:
Davies Motor Company
Centenary Buildings
Adelaide Street
Brisbane
(located near wharves)
Please send any further information, and or further questions to Ted Godfrey,
Email: robyngodfrey@bigpond.com
29-11-2012 / 19-2-2012
Identify this Bugatti in Brazil I received this photograph of a Bugatti roadster, apparently a T38 or maybe T44
It was registered in Brazil on 11 - 04 - 1939 with engine nr. 318737 (I don't understand the engine number, maybe an error and it should be 38737 or so)
Does anybody have additional information about this car? Please react to: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
20-11-2012
Identify this Bugatti on the champs Elysées in 1921
I received this photograph from Michael Hortig
Michael found this nice picture on the internet on a page devoted to Abbé Gavois. He was a "automobile crazy" priest, who always prayed to god, to get him an autocar, for which he was too poor. In 1893, he was the owner of the 6th. Panhard built 1891, he sold this car to the Abbe.
For the next 28 years, he drove the car on hot-tube ignition and iron covered wheels around Rainneville. In 1921, he sold the car to the French automobile club, the money went to a school for priests. The car at that moment was said to have covered more than 14o.ooo km, the car did the last journey from Rainneville to Paris under it`s own power ( ca. 46o km).
During the parade on the Champs Elysées, this small pre 1914 Bugatti T13 attended this heroic journey (max speed was 6 MPH) of this wonderful car.
Does anybody have additional information about this car? Please react to: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
Searching google on "Abbe Gavois" gives more pictures of the Panhard, a short clip with the Panhard arriving in Paris can be seen here
20-11-2012
Logo development
4th type of Logo
Lennart Haajanen sent this unknown type of logo which he received after publishing the different logo's in the Swedish Bugatti club Newsletter "Bugazette". The badge was on the radiator of a 1925 Bugatti T23, and seems to have been there since new.
There are similarities with the older type of logo, the square dots, but many differences also. Of course the "EB" initials are missing, and a little less obvious, the letters are a bit different, most clearly visible in the "B".
Does anybody have any explanation, or further details? The year 1925 is just before 1926, which, according to Olav Glasius (below) was approximately the year that the well known "round dots logo" was introduced.
Original question:
Olav Glasius posed the following question:
Who knows when Bugatti changed the emblem dots from square to round?
What I found was that it must have been around 1926, but maybe somebody has a more accurate date.
I would like to add another question to this: The most ancient logo (on the type 10 for example) had little triangles on either side of the "EB". Interestingly, this had round dots! So, until when was this "first type of logo" used? Before WW1 only?
Of course there is the possibility that logo's were mixed up, and different badges were used during the same year(s)
First type of logo: round dots and triangles (on type 10)
Intermediate logo: square dots
Final logo: round dots
Update:
Flip Klopper and Olav Glasius each own an original Bugatti from 1928 (Type 44, September 1928, respectively a Baby), that have the emblem with square dots. Anybody knows of Bugattis of later date (1929?) with square dots or with round dots?
Please send any information, and or further questions or better pictures to:
Email: glasius@euronet.nl
8-12-2011
Identify this Bugatti Anton van Luijk sent this photograph, something you did probably never see before. No, it's not the radiator that's leaking.
It's obviously a T57, probably a Stelvio, seems to be a late series.
The registration IV B 08794 is German. The picture must be from WW2, as the lights are blinded.
Can anyone identify this Bugatti?
Please E-mail any reactions to: Jaap Horst
22-10-2010
1952 Bugatti Special
Anton van Luijk sent me two photographs which he found today at his local Garage in France. The car was built in 1952 by Marcel Rousseau, the father of the current garage owner.
The rear of the photographs read: Bugatti type 35, chassis modified, carrosserie Marcel Rousseau.
The son has no further details about the car, which seems to have been modified to a single seater, and is very curious about the Bugatti; does it still exist, if so, where is the car now?
Comment
From Jan Cohen:
The car is cerrainly not a T35, but a T38, as the dynastart under the radiator and the distributor (not a magnet!) reveals.
Kees Jansen adds that also the chassis is not T35, but probably also T38, as the chassis is not tapered towards the rear.
Please E-mail any reactions to: Jaap Horst
27-9-2010
Unknown "Medallon" Kjeld Jessen poses the following question on behalf of a friend of his (David Katz): perhaps you can help me identify an item I bought at a flea market in Buenos Aires in 2004. As the attached photos show, they are 3 small brass medallions (for lack of a better description), each one measuring 25mm wide; 50mm high; and @1mm thick. The images appear to have been etched in a pattern that is stippled, like an enlargement of newspaper print. If you run your finger across each one, you can feel the texture of the etching. The reverse side of each medallion is covered with maroon velvet and they are held together by what appears to be fine lace material, which, I suspect, is unique to these pieces and was probably applied by one person who acquired them at some point.
I've never seen anything like them before and bought them as a curiosity. If you don't recognize them, I'd very much like to find out whether any of the members of the Bugatti world have ever seen them and know what they represent, why they were made, when and by whom, what they might be worth today, etc.
Email: jessen@wol.be
5-11-2011
Gangloff body drawing number "144G"
Jamie Simmons' Bugatti 44660 is under restoration, he contacted Mr David Sewell who has found out that his Bugatti T44 had a Gangloff body drawing number "144G"
Jamie would like to find anyone with this drawing and purchase a copy as to rebuild this Gangloff body style, This was a four door saloon configeration.
Email: sarah.jamie@blueyonder.co.uk
5-11-2011
Wire diagram from T40
Looking for wire diagram for T40 bugatti for ground up restoration.
Glenn at Competition Motors Ltd.
Please send any information to compshop@competitionmotorsltd.com
29-10-2011
Unknown special I usually do not re-publish questions here, that I found on other websites (this one I found on Prewarcar through BugattiBuilder), but this one is so intriguing that I would not keep it from you:
Thomas Erler found this interesting mystery photo which recently sold through the Austrian auctioneers Dorotheum.at . We see a massive chaindriven racing machine with a Bugatti like radiator with enlarged top tank. We can only speculate about the machine depicted. The thick as a leg, high mounted exhaust manifold is attached to a colossal 6 in-line which suggests an aero engine or something of similar size.
Does anybody have a clue? The radiator may be from a 5-litre Bugatti, as well as the chain drive. The chassis looks like what Bugatti designed for Deutz, before starting for himself.
Please send any information to J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
29-10-2011
Does anybody know the biography of Armand Esders? Lothar Bärz is looking for info about Armand Esders, famous first buyer of a Royale, the "Esders Roadster".
Some info is known; he was born in 1889, and died in 1940. Apart from Business man, he also spent his money for the public good, like the construction of the Deauville station, as well as the enlargement of the church and airfield of Saint-Gatien. Info from www.ouest-france.fr
That he was interested in flying as well as cars, can be read in an issue of "Flight" from 1933:
ARMAND ESDERS, the well-known Paris drygoods merchant and member of the Board of Governors of the Aero Club of France, has presented cash prizes to the amount of 200,000 francs, together with an organisation fund of 20,000 francs, for each one of three races, to be termed " the Grand Prix of the Aero Club of France,"
Read the full article here
We also know that he owned more cars than the Bugatti, like the Hispano that was often mentioned to follow the Royale, carrying the headlamps, he also owned a Rolls-Royce Phantom II Letourneur & Marchand from 1932 (which was auctioned in 2004)
Does andybody have more info, or maybe a complete biography?
Please contact Lothar Bärz
Please send any information to baerz@hotmail.com
23-10-2011
Who knows (former) Bugatti owner Hans Wolfgang Schemke?
Werner Gradisch is looking for Hans Wolfgang Schemke, who is thought to have rebuilt his Type 43 in 1969. Werner hopes to receive more info from him about his car, 43174.
Please contact Werner Gradisch, Tulln, Austria
Please send any information to di.gradisch@live.at
21-9-2011
Richard Shuttleworth Bugattis
Richard Shuttleworth collected cars and aeroplanes in the 1920s and 1930s. Today that Collection--considerably expanded--is owned and managed by the Shuttleworth Trust in Bedfordshire, UK, with the help of a "supporters club", The Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society (SVAS). The Collection is open to the public and well worth a visit.
Richard Shuttleworth owned and successfully raced two Bugattis in the 1930s--a Type 35 between 1932 and 1934 and a Type 51 between 1933 and 1935. The SVAS, of which I am a member, is trying to establish the current whereabouts of these cars (not to buy them--it doesn't have that sort of money!--but to fill in historical gaps for the interest of both the Collection and the current owners of the cars). The location of the Type 51 (51140) is now known, but the Type 35 is so far more elusive.
Can anyone tell me the chassis and engine numbers of the ex-Shuttleworth Type 35 and its current location? Any other information about the car, or suggestions as to where I might further research these questions, would be much appreciated.
Roger Young
Please send any information to ryoung44@hotmail.com
18-9-2011
Unknown Bugatti part
The current owner of this Bugatt made part searches more information as to what it was intended for
The prevous owner had indicated that it was part of the Bugatti 100P airplane, recent communications with Bugatti Aircraft Association members however, show that such a part probably does not belong to the airplane. Also, the part does not seem to come from one of the known automobiles.
Reaction from Wolfgang Fischer, Zurich:
I thought I couldn't trust my eyes when I saw this question concerning the unknown Bugatti part: I own a similar part, only there are grease nipples fitted, and I have been wondering what it is. See pictures below. I got this part with one of my Baby Bugattis I bought some time ago.
This really confirms that the part is in fact Bugatti.
Wolfgang sent me the dimensions:
Overall length: 49.5 centimeters
Maximum width (in the middle) 6.5 centimeters.
Does anybody know what this part, which seems to be a worm-wheel drive, is intended for? Maybe somebody has seen drawings or recognizes it from a patent drawing.
Please send any information to J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
31-8-2011 - 18-9-2011
Lagonda / Ventoux I received this photo from David Villalovos, of what he calls a 1937 Bugatti T-57 with a Lagonda chassis.
Anybody know the history or have more pictures of this car? this picture was taken in the early 1970's.
This reminds of a question on this page from 2008, by Todd Liem:
Ventoux body on Lagonda LG45 chassis I am conducting some Bugatti research, I do know that there were other cars built with non-Bugatti chassis's.
One example is a T57 Ventoux body on a Lagonda LG45 chassis. I am still trying to learn more about when the coach was switched and where it was done, also by whom and what happened to the original Bugatti chassis (if there ever was one).
Does anybody have more info on this Bugatti-dressed Lagonda?
Answer by Paul Hinton:
I am writing in regards to the question regarding the Bugatti bodied Lagonda. The car is owned by Bob Ohnstad, Clancy Montana. He has owned the car since early 70's. He is a Bugatti enthusiest and multiple Lagonda owner. He thought that this would be as close as he would ever get to owning a Bugatti. I helped work on the car through the early seventies and saw the car about 5 years ago. Still under tarps. still gonna get to it after the next project etc. Bob is a perfectionist and I don't think he can see it to the end. I hope for him and the car I'm wrong. The story at the time was that the car was built for Bugatti's banker. The banker wanted a reliable car with flair. We took it down to the frame and I personally hand sanded 50 yes 50 coats of primer, paint and sealer. Then we dropped it. Bob decided he wanted to try out this new imron product anyway... so it went. He had the wire wheels redone and new tires. 500 a piece for the wheels alone back in 1973. At last visit it appeared in the same general condition, I think he had some motor work done.
Bobs personal favorite car is the type 55. When I last visited him he had fiberglass molds for a type 55. Another project.
Over the years Bob has owned what would have to be a thousand cars. He was a Subaru distributor which put him in contact with everbody that had an "unusual car": Isseta, Messerschmidt, Crossly, Mokes, Fiat Abarth Zagato, Glas, Delage, Delahaye, Daimler, you name the car and he has owned it. I never knew when he didn't have 20-25 cars and, he'd turn over a couple a month. He is a briliant man and has breathed cars his entire life he kept me out of trouble and taught me a lot about cars.
A few years after we had moved away i came back and worked one summer in high school for him and got to pick a car, I chose a 1955 Arnolt Bristol. serial number 6. it was just a rolling chassis. needed money in the mid eighties and sold it for 5000. just saw one on line 295,000. I didn't want to be rich anyway.
Email: davmtnvw@hotmail.com
3-10-2010
Salvage-1: the Bugatti Treasure
Over 10 years ago I was contacted by a gentleman who was asking details about the Bugatti in an episode of the US TV-series "Salvage 1", broadcasted on March 5, 1979.
The episode was called "the Bugatti Treasure", because of a treasure map which was found in a Bugatti. The Salvage 1 team finds this16th century map that supposedly points to the location of Cortez's treasure in the Mojave Desert. Most famous actor in the series is Andy Griffith.
At the time, nothing could be found about it, now recently I remembered this old request of which I can not find any details, no e-mail (I must have switched e-mail system several times since that original request), nor can I find the name of the gentleman who pointed me to the TV series in the first place.
Of course, searching for the episode now was easy, there is a lot of stuff on YouTube! Clicking the picture above will show you a small trailer. (Nobody uploaded the full episode yet!)
Question remains: Can anybody identify this Bugatti, to more detail than a T57 Ventoux??
Answer by Julien Dubrulle:
This car must be 57594.
Answer by Charles Fawcett:
The Bugatti shown here is definitely 57594.
It was owned by a gentleman who lived in Malibu, CA who was working in the movie industry, which probably accounts for it being used in the film..
There will be several pictures of 57594 in my Jean De Dobbeleer book that is scheduled to be published later this year.
BTW; 57594 is currently for sale at Graber Sportgarage , for those who want to make their own epsiode.
Email: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
12-7-2011
Bugatti in Paris cemetary The photo on the right was taken on the "Pere lachaise" cemetary in Parijs, does anybody know who is actually burried here?
There is no further name on the stone, just the inscription "27 - PA 1942"
Update: I get reactions that Ettore Bugatti may have been burried in Paris first, and was only burried in Dorlisheim later. However, of course Ettore was far from dead (much more busy becoming dad!) in 1942....
Bart de Vries,
Email: bart7415@bartvrijevormgeving.nl
13-4-2011
Update 2: Of course after publishing the initial question, I started looking myself also a bit, and found the sculpture shown below, which is Rembrandt Bugatti's tomb, at the same cemetary in Paris. Rembrandt was of course burried in 1916.
Source: www.cbx41.com/article-35120967.html
Type 57 telescopic shocks We are now working on our 1939 T57 Galibier 57 752 and have a question:
Being outfitted with telescopic shocks perhaps you know of a schematic and/or instructions as to how to dismantle same as our intention is to re-build them in-house; we believe they are original.
Can you kindly comment on if you think they are original as well, see pictures below.
Would you also happen to know which manufacturer Bugatti used and the original proper color and finish.
Robert S. Piltch
Scottsdale Automotive Museum
Scottsdale, Arizona USA
Email: rspiltch@gmail.com
1-4-2011
Involvement by Bugatti in Michelin railcars? From Andrea Capra of Switzerland I received the picture on the right, which he shot from a movie. Supposedly, it is a Bugatti designed prototype for the Michelin railcar (with rubber tires on the rails!). The visible wheel seems to be of Bugatti design, though with 6 spokes, not 8.
Searching a bit on the internet gives a lot more information about the Michelin railcars, called "Micheline"'s. Surprisingly, on various occasions the name Micheline turns up in combination with the name Bugatti! Especially for the ones below (one of which is in fact in a museum in China!), which are from the early 30's.
Apart from the 4-axle bogies there is no apparent relation with the Bugatti AutoRail (It may in fact be that Michelin had to pay license rights for this to Bugatti, as the multiple-axle bogies were heavily patented).
I can find no further details linking these Micheline's to Bugatti, the motorisation of these Micheline's are Hispano V12's. The above type of Micheline (there are others, which look much like a truck with a passenger-trailer) seems to be type 22.
Apparently there was another connection, with the firm Budd in the USA, that made Budd-Michelin railcars in 1932-33, one being called the "Silver Slipper", using Michelin rubber tire technology. This is powered by two gasoline 240HP engines, supposedly from France. However, further digging gives that these engines were in fact American - LaFrance 12 cylinder engines. The trailing car of this Budd-built double railcar, had 4-axle bogies, just like the Micheline.
If anybody has any info as to why these Micheline railcars are sometimes connected to Bugatti, or about the prototype in the upper right picture, please contact Andrea Capra and myself.
Email: acapra@bluewin.ch and J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
22-3-2011
Does anybody have the original of the above picture (or a big scan)?
(more details lower down on this page)
Not really an answer: Jan Cohen sends the new picture at the right, probably taken the same day. It shows Ettore Bugatti with Leopold of Belgium seated on the same car, an Auto Red Bug. The picture was found in a book on the Belgian royal family.
Please contact Philip Kantor with an answer to the original question, Email: philip.kantor@skynet.be
27-2-2011
While talking with my very sharp 87 yr. old father in law today, He told me about working in a gas station in west Los Angeles in 1936 and 37 prior to attending college and going off to war. When he returned from the war he went up to through the ranks at an oil company ending up as President.
One of the regular customers was a prominent architect named Donald Parkinson who had recently had a Bugatti restored. He was very proud that they'd been able to use all original parts. He was using the Bugatti as a daily driver. Several times he came in after "celebrations" and had my father in law or another attendant drive him home while another followed in the Bugatti. Those drives in the Bugatti are still high points in my father in laws automotive history.
Working from pictures with my FIL, the car was probably a T35 or T37 although he remembers it as a single seater???? It was painted green.
Donald was a partner in the Architecture firm with his father John Parkinson who died in 1935. Donald passed in 1945. Their joint projects included the LA Coliseum, several buildings on the USC campus and more.
Does anyone know what this car was and where it is now?
Is the owner interested in talking to someone who drove the car in the 30's?
Paul Grisanti
Email: pgrisanti@netvip.com
30-12-2010
Dennis Barrat's T35B Bugatti
Dennis Barrat's son Robert is interested in the whereabouts and history of the Bugatti his father owned in the fifties, probably a Bugatti T35B.
Dennis Barrat at the time was living in The Grange, Holcot, Northants. The car may have seen some Silverstone racing.
Robbert Barrat
Email: rsb@richardsbarratt.co.uk
14-10-2010
Ventoux in USA in 1959
I received this photo from Bob Rush, USA. The person in the photo is his father, Wilson Rush. The picture was taken in Texas, probably.
The owner of the cars was a man named Hugo Buergerlll, who was a close friend of Bob's father. Hugo was an automobile dealer in Golden, Colorado. At one time he had been the Colorado importer for Jaguar. That would be early 1950's.
Mr. Buerger took a number of trips to Europe during the 50's. During these trips he bought several cars and had them shipped to the US. I know of two occasions when he and my father picked up the cars at a port and drove them back to Colorado. The trip that relates to the photo was when the cars were shipped to Houston, Texas. On another trip he had a Rolls shipped to New York and he and Wilson drove it back to Colorado.
The Bugatti was stored at a building that my father owned for some time. I never have been able to find where the car went after Hugo sold it. It was probably sold in the early 1960s.
Reply by Simon Ireland
The car is a late 1935 Ventoux coach, chassis 57344, with engine 265. It had several owners in France before being owned by Gaston Docime. Hugo Buerger purchased it from Docime in September 1958. After 3 more owners in USA, it passed to Bruce Murphie in UK. He kept it for 6 years then Sotherbys auctioned it and the purchaser was Romano Artioli. It has been undergoing restoration at Gianni Torellis.
As far as I know it is still in Italy. Picture of the car in it's current condition.
Info from HGC Register 1965. UK register 2nd edition and the newly produced Italian register.
original question: Anybody knows where this Ventoux went? The registration number should give a clue!
Bob Rush
Email: bob_rush@hotmail.com
28-9-2010 - 14-10-2010
Type 40 Differential
Does anyone have access to a drawing of the inner workings of the type 40 differential?
We broke a tooth on the pinion on the American Bugatti Rallye and need to see a view of how the differential is assembled.
Rudy van Daalen Wetters, USA
Email:
3-10-2010
Firing order of EB110
Who has info on the firing order of the EB110 engine?
JAMES MCCROCKLIN
Email: jameswmcc@att.net
7-9-2010
Unknown part
Some time ago I acquired this lever.
Apparently it came from the Bugatti factory and I can see a similar lever on the T51 dashboard that is pictured on page 213 of Conway's book Grand Prix Bugatti.
Does anybody know what it actually does?
Paul Hicks, New Zealand
Answer
I saw your question on Bugattipage.com concerning the lever you have.
It operates a bronze three-way air valve on the firewall side of the T51 and T43. I've made some new in the past for several T43 rebuilds. Don't have the drawing number of the valve at hand at this moment because I'm on holiday, but can look up for you if you wish as soon as I have returned at home.
Ruud Leenen, Netherlands.
Email: hicks.family@xtra.co.nz
28-8-2010
Bugatti at the 1935 RAI autoshow in Amsterdam
Does anybody have good pictures of the Bugattis at the RAI, in 1935, for part 3 of the Dutch/Belgian register?
Kees Jansen
Email: keesj@rdgg.nl
13-8-2010
Bugatti T35B workshop manual
Does anybody have such a manual, a copy would be OK.
Serge Poppes
Email: spoppes@pegamento.nl
13-8-2010
Bugatti Type 44 chassis 44660
My name is Mr Jamie Simmons and have just become the owner of a T44 which is requiring a full rebuild, if you can help find out if there is any one who has photographs during the years the old lady was being driven. As far as I'am aware it was owned in France and at some point was stored during WW2 and left in a barn until 3 months ago, I will be looking for a replacement chassis and various parts again original if possible.
Chassis number is 44660 and 17hp.
I have often looked and dreamed about owning a Bugatti and now it seems I'am in one of the lucky ones, I'am not rich or have a well paid job but hope to one day drive this car with or without a body.
Jamie Simmons,UK
Email: sarah.jamie@blueyonder.co.uk
10-8-2010
Info on Antonio Caliri (Picture on the right of Caliri in the 1926 Targa Florio
Dear Jaap: I wanted to tell you that the descendents of the famous italian driver Antonio Caliri, who raced Bugattis in the twenties in Europe and afterwards came to live in Chile (where he also raced for several years), have given me the attached pictures of his grandfather and his Bugatti. I thought yo might be interesred in this man and his car, as I understand he was quite famous in Italy, and he raced in well known place like the Targa Fiorio, Mille Miglia, Circuito Montenero, etc.
Mr Antonio Caliri arrived in Chile in 1929, he got married, and lived here in Santiago until he died. His Chilean son and grandsons (who live in Santiago and Miami) have been in touch with me and gave me all the photos and clipping of Caliris races and victories, both in Europe (during the twenties) and in Chile (during the thirties). I wrote an article on Antonio Caliri that was published in a web site and also on a paper magazine here in Chile.
Caliri in his Bugatti T37, and on the Esterel Plage Circuit in France.
Articles (in Spanish):
Antonio Caliri. Un legendario piloto italiano avecinado en Chile.
La increíble historia del "Caliri special ", Un automóvil chileno de leyenda.
I hope you enjoy these pictures and maybe you have more information about this Italian/Chilean driver and his Bugatti.
Rodrigo Velasco, Chile
Email: rvelasco@alessandri.cl
10-8-2010
Bugatti Part
This seems to be a Bugatti brake cross shaft part, but for what type ?
Daniel Scherb, FRANCE
Email: daniel.scherb@aliceadsl.fr
2-6-2010
Bugatti Part 2
Were these Fuel filters used on Bugattis, and if so, on what type ?
Ross Keeling
Email: rosskeeling@btinternet.com
2-6-2010
Alphonse Wachenheimer's Bugattis
My maternal grandfather, Alphonse Wachenheimer, (1894-1946) owned a Bugatti prior to 1938 or so. (In German Alsace his name would have been Alfons). He was born in Mutzig, France and lived in Colmar and Straussbourge, Fr. throughout his lifetime. He made his fortune with a chemical fertilizer company called Thomas Schlage in Sarreguemine, Alsace, Fr. He was also involved in the Kronenbourg Beer company and reportedly dabbled in importing slot machines from the U.S. for a while. He was quite the car guy, as most of my family has been ever since.
I understand from my late aunt from Munich, that Alphonse was friends with Ettore and Jean Bugatti. I would like to find out if his name appears anywhere in your records as a previous owner of a still-existing Bugatti and if it does, I would like very much to see and touch the car and possibly even buy it if it were to become available.
I am also related to Jean-Pierre Munsch of Alsace who owns a very large car collection in France. I'm planning to go visit with his family in the next year or so.
Any information you could supply would be very greatly appreciated!
Please contact Ray Munsch:
Email: porschevert@hotmail.com
11-4-2010
Bugatti T41 detail I hope somebody can tell me about the steel pipes going from the Royale rear wheel to the leaf spring. This back axle has 4 pipes like this .Each side has 2 pipes . One in front and one at the back of the axel .The pipe is conected with the leaf spring eye. I believe it is for lubrication , but from where is the oil comming ?
Inside the brakes there are 2 cylinders cast together with the aluminium plate, these 2 cylinders have again a steel pipe connecting the 2 cylinders. But there is nothing to see how to put the oil or grease into this system. I can not see how this system works at all. How many Bugattis have this system?
Answer from Greg Morgan:
The question answers itself- On the photo you posted on the Bugatti page showing a close up on the Park Ward Royale you can see the pipe connects onto the back plate with a grease nipple, on the other side of it is one of the cylindrical reservoirs. On the old photos that you have probably seen from when the Binder car was being restored, the piping has not yet been refitted.
Question remains why Ettore put the reservoirs inside the brake (not very safe if a reservoir fails!) and if these reservoirs are fitted with a spring-backed plate to ensure that the grease is released continuously, or with some other system??
And: does only the Royale have this system, or also others like the T46?
Please contact Udo Joerges:
Email: ujoerges@aol.com
29-3-2010
Unknown Bugatti differential I recently purchased a new old stock Molsheim differential ( crown wheel, pinion etc.) It is most unusual inside in that the planetary gears have been removed and replaced by a splined centre piece which effectively removes the differential action. The splined piece is beautifully machined and has MH2 stamped on it.
I wonder if it was built for a hill climb car but never used? Does anyone have any ideas?
Please contact Paul Hicks:
Email: hicks.family@xtra.co.nz
28-3-2010
Unknown Bugatti with Fernand Gravey Would you know which Bugatti is on the picture (chassis #) ? I took this bad picture with my phone at La Cinémathèque in Paris (Rue de Bercy, close to Gare de Lyon railway station) where you can see a very nice exhibition on pre war movies (studios, cameras, light, sound, actors, directors) up to 1939. more infoThe actor in the Bugatti is Fernand Gravey (actually Fernand Maurice Noel Martens born in Belgium in Ixelles in 1904 or 1905) in the Paramount studios near Paris (Saint Maurice, near Joinville le Pont) in 1932. The film title is Passionnément by René Guissard. Fernand Gravey worked for Paramount at that time. more info on Fernand Gravey
Note the plaque d'immatriculation on the car: 1178 RE 5 (French)
The car is obviously a Type 43, who has more info about this car??
Please contact Jean-Paul Michel:
Email: jean-paul.michel695@orange.fr
21-3-2010
Rembrandt Bugatti Signature Steve Vermillion put up this question back in 2003; we are now trying to locate him, as he does not react to his old e-mail address. Steve; can you contact me, or also anybody who has Steve's new contact (e-mail or phone), please react!
Steve Vermillion bought on Ebay a postcard, sent December 30, 1915, in Paris. it is signed Bugatti (see picture), though it is unclear who this would be. It could be Rembrandt Bugatti, does anybody recognize the signature?
Please contact Steve:
Email: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
6-3-2010 - 22-3-2003
Vijay Mallya Bugatti Does anybody know more about this car, where is it now?Is this the same Vijay Mallya of Force India fame?
May this be the Type 40 sold by Elisabeth Junek ?
Frederick Nakos, E-mail: fredericknakos@tlb.sympatico.ca
21-2-2010
Bugatti Rifle
The firearm was manufactured in Germany in the late 1920 's by a master Prussian gunsmith. Possibly a one off for LePatron's hunting or competitive target shooting outings.
Having been involved with many restoration projects of Bugatti orgin over the years both passenger and competition, this very much has the "feel" of Bugatti design. Simple elegant function with just the most perfect balance, eye appeal with minimal tasteful engraving, mechanical excellence in the trigger release system (double set touch triggers) with an innovative shell in chamber indicator.
The wood is Euro Walnut that is finely figured and slender to the shouldering. I am in the process of trying to find more information on this beauty.
This was a WW2 "bring back" from an Army M.P.who was stationed in France in 1945.
Any information or photos you can direct me to, would greatly be appreciated. In the long distant past I remember seeing a photo of EB standing in riding pants, boots and shooting jacket next to a table with what was more than likely lunch as both wine and rifles were in view.
This rifle is really special and I would like to know the whole story, it shoots excellent and is extremely accurate, yet so light to the touch ,like caressing a fine woman.
Chris Tyler, E-mail: tylermotorsports@att.net
15-2-2010
Unknown Bugatti crank 
The crank on the pictures is according to various Bugattistes from Bugatti.
However, it is unknown for which type, it is at least not for: Brescia, 35, 37, 43, 44, 57. It was suggested that the crank may be for either T59 or T73, as these are cranked from the side
Does anybody have some info?
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
14-2-2010
Bugatti Morch car I received the following mail from John M. Morch:
My father designed a body for bugatti some time in the early 20's. I once saw a picture in a magasine but can find no records of it, the car is similar (maybe even the same) as the picture above.
My father had been the Bristol Aerocraft plant manager during the war and had studied aircraft design so I expect Bugatti wanted to get some features from aircraft to reduce drag.
Guessing from the sparse notes I have of my father's career which did include racing at the Brooklands track in England, I would think that he did the design sometime between 1920 to 1930.
Reaction from Bob King:
This racing Bugatti in the picture was delivered to London on 06/11/1923 and was already competing at Aspendale track, where the photograph is taken, as early as 22nd February 1924.
The picture depicts Carlo Massola with 'Sporting Cars' 16 valve Bugatti - believed to be chassis number 1869.
We do have a photograph of it taken at Aspendale with a Bristol Box kite(see picture on the right: Massola and Gregory with George McCarey's Bristol Boxkite), which is a curious coincidence, given John Morch's fathers connection with Bristol aeroplanes. Could the body have been designed by Morch? Whether designed in England or Australia, there seems to have been little time to build and fit it prior to its first competition appearence here. Photographs suggest a very professional body.
- it is unlikely that the car was bodied by Bugatti.
Has anyone more info on the "Bugatti Morch" car?
E-mail: John Morch
16-11-2009
Original photographs of 1938 BUGATTI TYPE 57C ARAVIS CHASSIS # 57736 ENGINE# C47
Here in Scottsdale Arizona, USA we have the Scottsdale Automotive Museum which is a fine Collection and we are proud to have Type 57C #57736, which is driven regularly.
Taking the liberty to paraphrase, the RM Auction Catalog of 2006, when the car was purchased by us, "Sold new to Canadian Industrialist Orr Lewis by the Bugatti Agency in Nice. Shipped to England in 1939 and notes that Lord Doune who became the Earl of Mourney bought the car in 1952 and owned her until 2000. He could have been a cousin of Orr Lewis."
We believe that the rear of the body of the car may well have been modified from her original design spec and construction as there are indications somewhat evident to our coachwork experts that the rear treatment has been modified.
While we believe that this exquisite T57C Aravis is done by Gangloff, we have as our objective to locate a photo of the rear with perhaps an "original" treatment, as if the car had been damaged in the past and modified to her current disposition.
Please see attached photos. Thus I seek an older photo of this machine that may help us in our quest of bringing the coachwork up to spec. While the car may be correct, we have had some "experts" visiting this past week who have expressed a theory that the rear could well have been different and perhaps not Gangloff at all.
Any assistance that can be provided would be appreciated.
Robert S. Piltch
Scottsdale Automotive Museum
Please E-mail any reactions to: rspiltch@gmail.com
27-1-2010
Louis Chiron's Bugattis
Does anybody have info on the Bugattis that Louis Chiron used, and especially if he had a Type 44? Maybe even some pictures?
Also; I heard rumours that somebody was writing a book about Chiron, can anybody conform this, and if yes, who is the author?
Please E-mail any reactions to: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
14-1-2010
Jarvis bodied Bugattis
I am hoping someone out there may have photos showing the Bugatti Jarvis bodied cars at the 1926 olympia motor show or indeed for that matter any information on the cars and specifically torpedo bodied type 40 that Jarvis created.
Ted Sterner
Jarvis bodied Bugattis, from Sandy Leith
Below are brilliant pictures of three Bugattis with Jarvis coachwork which were at the 1926 Olympia Car Show. I am 99.99% sure the T40 torpedo is the same car as my friend Michael Gans' as his is an very early T40, not the chassis 40384 it has been called for 50+ years..
I had a chance to look it over carefully and the frame and running gear all have single digit numbers, so it if one of the first T40's produced. The previous owner, the late Tom Melahn, fitted HRG fenders as he was a big HRG devotee.
Above left: T23 Brescia, right a "1927" T40 (shown in 1926). Oddly the Brescia is slightly more expensive at 140 pounds, and the T40 at 135.
3 views of another T40, also shown in 1926, with the designation "1927". This one would have been yours at 150 pounds.
Jarvis bodied T40: Chassis 40384
Michael Gans shows photographs of his Jarvis - bodied T40: Chassis 40384
Jarvis bodied Bugattis in Australia
Answer by Bob King:
The only one I know of is 40114 - see Bugattis in Australasia p159.
37160 was also Jarvis bodied. p 109
E-mail: Ted Sterner
18-1-2009 = 14-6-2009 = 6-7-2009
Bugatti in Ohio
In the late 70s I witnessed a small Bugatti being rediscovered on Collingwood Blvd. in Toledo, Ohio.
The old man that lived there had died and his son was removing several antique cars from the garage.
The dusty little Bugatti has stuck in my memory for all these years. I don't remember much about the car or the model but it was a single seat or two seat, open wheel car that looked like it may have been raced.
I would love to know what happened to the car.
I'm sure it was restored at some point, the guy was being very careful about transporting it.
Thanks in advance for any information.
Doug Ayers - Tampa, Florida.
E-mail: artboy2(AT)tampabay.rr.com
27-6-2009, (Change the (AT) into a "@" before sending!)
History of Bugatti 37265
I recently purchased (last year) 37265, which is a Bugatti T37A (converted to compressor by Bunny Phillips in 1960s.
I am trying to track down it's history before the 1960s. It started off as a T37 roadster (bugatti blue), and in the 1960s, Bunny Phillips converted it to a T37A grand prix car (US racing white color). The roadster tail, fenders and lights went to Erik Koux, who refitted them to a replica T37A, which his son has now.
Previous owners were: Jan Voboril (usa), Mike Gertner (usa), Willet Brown (usa), Joe Ricketts (usa), Otto Zipper (usa), Jean de Dobbeleer (belgium), Paris Showroom.
Another owner seems to have been Jacques Buson
There is a big gap between the paris showroom and going to de Dobbeleer, so this is some of the history I'm trying to fill in.
Would you have any possible history that you might know of?
Andrew Larson
E-mail: andrew.larson(AT)galarson.com
20-6-2009, (Change the (AT) into a "@" before sending!)
Bugattis in the Netherlands Through Taco Sillem I received a collection of photographs which belonged to his father-in-law Boele van Hensbroek, the photographs were taken in the 60's, as it seems during different events of the Bugatti Club Nederland. Boele van Hensbroek himself owned a Type 46 with a Dutch-made Veth body in those days (46293, a Faux cabriolet) which can be seen as the biggest car on the photograph above, and in the front view below.
Also clearly recognisable is the shortened Type 43 (43303) which belonged to Guillaume Prick at the time, photographs below.
The following info was provided by Jan Cohen:
Pictures were taken in May 1957 at the occasion of the first outing of the BCN which went from Ede to Eibergen, starting at the home of dr. E. Lautier
- BCN 1 (top right). The car behind the big 46 is 44637, at that time belonging to Eggy de Flines
- BCN 5 (between text) 46293
- BCN 2 (top row left). 43303 with Guillaume Prick and alongside a Baby Bugatti belonging to the daugher of Sebo ten Cate
- BCN 6 (top row right) 43303 the person with his head above the steeringwheel is Alex Paul, father of Jacques. The man next to Alex Paul is Guillaume Prick (with leather cap)
- BCN 3 (middle row left) 35b chassis 4955, then owned by Bob Laming and fitted with a BMW engine
- BCN 4 (middle row center)ten Cate´s daughter
- BCN 7 (middle row right) before the start of the above trip,in the garden of dr. Lautier.Car are from left to right 1: het Kanon (49391), 2: 44920 Willem Pieters, 3: 40172 Jan Sontrop
- BCN 8 (lower row left) 4955
- BCN 9 (lower row right) Dr. Lautier at work on the above engine
(already received some from "Enters" and Haje van der Leer.)
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
6-6-2009
Type 55 in New Zealand in the 50s
According to a local enthusiast, a Type 55, with Jean Bugatti Roadster body, painted red and black was seen in the ferry carpark, of Devonport, New Zealand in the 1950s. On further investigation, what appeared to be a Ford V8 was seen through the bonnet louvres. Devonport is the main naval base, so it may have been owned by a naval officer while in New Zealand.
Can anyone identify which type 55 it was, and who might have brought it to New Zealand? Where did it go to from here, and where is it now?
Daniel Hicks
E-mail: daniel_hicksnz(AT)yahoo.co.nz
6-6-2009, (Change the (AT) into a "@" before sending!)
Black LeMans Bugattis
Why were the early 1930's Bugatti 'LeMans' entered cars (1931 Type 50 and 1932 Type 55) painted black?
Was this Associated with a death? (as with Lotus and 'black badging' after Jimmy Clark was killed)
John Mellberg, USA
E-mail: john.mellberg(AT)daimler.com
21-5-2009, (Change the (AT) into a "@" before sending!)
Unknown Dutch Bugatti From Taco Sillem I received this picture of a Dutch registered Bugatti (license plate HZ 22738, which indicates the province of Zuid Holland). His father-in-law owned a well-known Type 46 after the war, as well as a GP or GS type before the war (all that is known about that car is that it had a pointy tail).
However, the car in the picture is most probably not one of his Bugattis, might have been of a friend or relative.
Does anybody have any info on this Bugatti, with it's very characteristic body? the car seems to be a late type Brescia. Several readers commented that the car has no front brakes, and a Brescia front axle and radiator (late type radiator). The red fenders have been coloured later, probably true to the original, but not necessarily.
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
10-5-2009
Bugatti Brescia 2586 Some weeks ago, I got a BW picture (attached) showing an unknown Bugatti cabriolet with a beautiful body, like a small Stelvio or Aravis... Mister Fernando Flum who shot the photos, has owned this car from the end of 1952 to spring 1953. He now is 84 years old and lives 3 km from my home, in a village called "Bettingen" near Basle, Switzerland.
Unfortunately, there are no more pictures or documents left, but M. Flum has kept the plate (BS 28963) on his actuel modern car, the same plate his Brescia was registered with 1952 in Basle. So I asked for more informations, especially for the chassis-number and the "Motorfahrzeugkontrolle Basel-Stadt" had to dig in its archives. The police was friendly enough to send an new "carte grise" with the datas from 18.05.1953. Mister Gilbert Hirlemann must be the guy who owned the car after M. Flum who had given the car back to the dealer in 1953 (M. Pulver in Basle).
Fernando Flum has never been a member of a Bugatti Club during his very short ownership of 2586, and he doesn't know much about his car, but he remembers that the colour was dark red (metallic) and that the interior was "pied de poule". And he told me that the car had three front-lamps when he bought it. He had to remove one (the central lamp) because the police didn't tolerate this at that time. M. Flum still owns this third lamp. Of course, I asked for the name of the coachbuilder. He just could explain that the Brescia has been bodied (I suppose "rebodied" in the fourties or late thirties) by an unknown swiss artisan in the area of Zurich, not by a great coachbuilder like Graber or Worblaufen... M. Flum tells that the body was very well done; the rear wings had not been separately applicated, they were made of one piece with the body. Chassis-number 2586 is totally unknown to me, but the car must have been delivered in the middle of 1925, original engine-number near 980...
If you could help me in getting more infos about this car, which, I'm afraid, has disappeared, I would be very happy. Thanks in advance. M. Flum, too, of course, would be very interested.
I will found out if Mister Hirlemann is still alive, and if not, I will try to contact some of his descendants and I have also sent my request to other Bugattists, like Roland Saunier, the "BIG", the Swiss Bugatti Club (Matti, Jordi, Gantner, Aeschlimann, Burckhardt, Grell), David Sewell, Philippe Bergmann, Pierre Monaco, Claude Taconetti and Pierre Yves Laugier.
Benny Graf-Saner, E-mail: bennygrafsaner(AT)sunrise.ch
5-4-2009 (Change the (AT) into a "@" before sending!
T43 GS? with Ford V8 engine
In 1946 I had the pleasure of driving a Bugatti similar to a Type 43 GS for a few days. It was a boat-tail with rumble seat but the rumble seat had a hinged metal cowling between it and the forward cockpit. No windshield, but 4 Brooklands style wind screens.
The engine had been replaced with a Ford 60 V8. I also remember it having crossed struts in front of the radiator for bracing the clamshell fenders.
The owner was an artist living in Philadelphia, Penn. USA (where the car was).
So far I have not seen any Bugatti pictures of this configuration. Does anybody know about this car, and if it still exists??
John Allen, E-mail: skipperjon(AT)shaw.ca
28-3-2009
Tiny Hindle's Bugattis in South Africa
Answer, by Bart Rosman
Hi, the T51 (is not and never was a T51A) chassis number 51122 is currently owned already for many years by Hans Matti from Switzerland.
Original question:
I am beginning to research the three Bugattis owned by my late uncle 'Tiny' Hindle in South Africa until the very early 60s.
I have photographs of him and his daughter with three cars, a type 37, a type 51A blown 2.3 litre and a type 59 (which I believe was the Lord Howe car.)
I would like to meet the cars as they have long gone from our family, Tiny died in 1960.
I have some information from CAR, the motoring journal of South Africa of February 1961 and some information from Bugatti by HG Conway relating to the cars but I don't know where they are now.
Can anybody help?
Question from Andrew Middleton
Answer by Michael Muller
The Lord Howe car #59123 was in fact in South Africa.
The car is owned since 975 by Neil Corner, who afaik still has it today.
My father bought the 1927 type 37 from tiny hindle in the early sixtie's, I suspect just after his death.
The same car is now owned by Mr Rob van zyl, he lives in Bryanston. North of Johannesburg.
The type 59 went to the USA.
I don't know about the 51A.
Partial answer by Jack Lester
If you have more info, please contact Jack Lester: E-mail: randcarpetlayers(AT)telkomsa.net
1-3-2009
Senechal / Bugatti
I am writing the story of how Robert Senechal became the Paris agent for Bugatti. He placed a bet with le Patron that he could drive from Paris to Nice on a Bagatti in under 10 hours. And he did!
Does anybody have any pictures of Senechals garage showing the name Bugatti or even a picture of Senechal in a Bugatti?
The story was written in French and I have translated and it will be in Our Amilcar / Salmson Register Magazine in a week. The story was kindly sent to me by Glen, and is reproduced below, top right is an advert for Senechal's garage.
Glen Robb, Editor of the Amilcar / Salmson Register UK , although we cover all French cyclecars.
E-mail: Glendalerobb@aol.com
1-3-2009
How to become a Bugatti agent ?
During the night of 29 to 30th July 1985, in his house at Saint-Ay near Orleans, Robert Senechal died at the age of 93. The following anecdote has been recalled by Michael Declerck, the very active president of the Amicale Senechal who obtained it directly from its author.This took place at the beginning of the 30's, probably in 1939/31 (Mr Senechal was not very precise about the dates) , at the time when "Stand Auto" was trading, of which he was sales director. This company, which represented Delage, Chenard et Walker, Minerva and Ford, owned as well as it's property at 182 Boulevard Pereire in Paris, a showroom in the Champs Elysee in the Gallery "Les portiques" at numbers 144 and 146. One of Robert Senechal's dearest wishes was to represent Bugatti officially, a make for which he could only consider himself to be a specialist. Attending a reception he happened to be presented to Mr Bugatti. With his typical quick decisiveness he at once requested the Paris Bugatti Agency, offering his prestigious premises and Bugatti finally told him "if you want to be my agent you will have to deserve it!"
A little non-plussed and after a moments reflection Senechal proposed that he would drive from Paris to Nice on a Bugatti in less than 10 hours. Ettore thought he was mad but , excited by the challenge, offered him the official agency if he succeeded in this almost impossible challenge.
Little did he know Senechal, who combined a natural daring with great organising ability. So Senechal began very carefully to draw up an itinerary for crossing towns, then to study the rail time-tables (at the time the N7 was cut by numerous level-crossings) and he reconnoitred the route in person. This led him to visit each level crossing keeper and each petrol station where he would have to fill up (in garages where all pumps were hand-operated). He gave exact instructions (accompanied by generous tips) of which the main one was on the day of the attempt he would announce his arrival by loud blasts on a whistle. His journey was planned to a strict time-table and on the appointed day everyone along the N7 was waiting for him.
Taking the rail traffic into account the ideal departure time from the Porte d'Italie was 5a.m. under the control of the Automobile Club de france, and everything went as planned: the level-crossing gates were nearly all open and the few refilling stops were so well organised that the refilling and the checks were carried out while Robert Senechal went to the toilet and then left immediately.
His own sustenance , as on all other trips he did, consisted of a 5kg box of biscuits beside him on the passenger seat.
At exactly 14.43 he was checked in by the Automobile Club de Nice with 17 minutes in hand over his wager time. Ettore Bugatti kept his promise and Senechal became agent for Paris, Seine and Seine et Oise. The car, as far as Mr Senechal remembered, was a type 43. This is the 8 cylinder 60x100, 2.3 litres developing 13 hp. It was touching 170 kph top speed and did 0-160 in 30 seconds. The petrol tank capacity was 72 litres and consumption during normal driving about 16-18 litres for 100 kms (which cannot have applied that day), it must have required 2 refills en route. This performance illustrates the talent of the driver and organiser Robert Senechal because it is more than 900 kms from the porte d'Italie to Nice, and this underlines the exceptional performance of the Type 43. Pierre Dumont records that Jean Bugatti often drove from Paris to Molsheim (435Kms) in just over 4 hours on this type of car.
Alittle after this, Senechal carried out another exploit in the same vein. Driving a Type 43A he drove 2400 kms on the route Paris-Monte Carlo - Paris via la Turbie and l'Esterel, with a sealed bonnet and with the gearbox lockedin direct drive, which illustrates the tractability of the supercharged 8 cylinder.
Thus nothing is impossible if one is sufficiently determined; obviously a sporting gesture always appealed to the "Patron".
Unknown T13
Answer
The first one from left is a type 25 in the thirties rebuilt as a racing car. The owner is Mr Seda in Prague.
The second one belongs to Mr. Ernest in Ceske Budejovice is a type 13 of the year 1913. The third one I don't know, it is not a Czech one, and the last was owned by Mr Podubecky in Prague and it is now in the Schlumpf Museum.
Photos are from Munich 1965. See Pur Sang from American Bugatti club vol 6, no.3 Fall 1965.
Petr Volf
Original question:
This picture was taken at a bugatti ralley in Germany in the mid 6o`s.
On the left (in the frame), there is a pre WWI , 1913 T13 racing two seater.
This car came from Czechoslovakia, and was seen in some other events in the 6o`s. The photo comes from Erwin Tragatsch' "das Grosse Bugatti Buch".
Can anybody tell where it is now ?? Michael Hortig
E-mail: Michael.Hortig@unicreditgroup.at
23-1-2009 - 1-2-2009
Pierre Couturier Bugattis
Type 50 - 4382 RL1
Type 49 (left) and Type 57 - 7719 RN3
Type 57C - Letourneur et Marchand, Chassis 57726, registration 3543 J75.
The cars above belonged to the father of the person who sent them to me, these Type 50, 57, 49 and 57c were bought by Pierre Couturier, the question is what became of these cars. Only the last one, the Type 57C seems to be known (well, the chassis number), does anybody have more leads?
Some more details and recollections from Pierre Couturier's son; the type 50 was bought in 1949, it was black. Mr. Couturier had it repainted grey and black. The exhaust note could be changed using a lever on the dashboard. In 1952 the T50 was sold to buy the Type 57C - Letourneur et Marchand, which was very beautiful light grey, with a Cotal box and hydraulic brakes. The car was later repainted blue and grey. However, one week-end the engine broke down, while doing a 160kmh on the autoroute. (crank through the carter).
Henri Novo repaired the engine, we were living near his garage in Montrouge, after school I used to go there to see him work. The reparation takes a lot of time, meanwhile the Type 49 was used. I am on the picture, in the dickey seat. I learned how to drive in that car. It was sold after the Type 57C was repaired.
At the end of 1963 my fater sold the T57C 57726. It seems that the owner of the T57C before us was a Mr. Brossette (an Industrial), and before that the Bugatti family.
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
25-1-2009
Bugatti type 57S at the Dobbeleer
The pictures show a type 57s chassis in the workshop of J de. Dobbeleer, Belgium in the 1950's.
I recently found these pics that I have had for approx 25 years.
On the back of one pic it says ........... tyres are old ones I had because there was no tyres on the wheels when I bought the car....................
Questions are what is the chassis no.? and who was the person who bought this chassis ?
Can anybody help?
Brian Swann, UK
Answer
The dismantled type 57s is chassis number 57471, a very nice Gangloff Atalante that is now in the Schlumpf collection.
Greg Morgan
E-mail: Brianswann01@aol.com
7-1-2009 - 23-1-2009
Top material for the Type 43/43a Bugatti
Was there a "standard" top material for the Type 43/43a Bugatti?
We have an inquiry about the proper material for this kind of car but as makers of Haartz top materials in the USA and Sonnenland materials in Germany, we do not have information with which to answer the question, except to generally suppose it is a canvas material of some kind (either heavy waterproof cotton canvas of the period, or more likely, a three-ply composite with black exterior cloth).
If anyone can advise, feedback is welcome via e-mail.
Eric Haartz
E-mail: jonarts22@haartz.com
21-1-2009
Bugatti type 37, nr 37.133
I was wondering if anybody knows the whereabouts of the above Bugatti?
Ben Speak
Hi, according to the USA 2000 register the car is in The States. More info from the ABC.
Simon Ireland.
E-mail: benspeak@castlesportscars.co.uk
6-1-2009 - 21-1-2009
Early Bugatti Patents
I am investigating all the Bugatti Patents, which will hopefully culminate in a book. I have currently over 750 patents, from many different countries (Germany, France, GB, USA, Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Canada, Switzerland, Spain). Most patents are of course by Ettore, quite a few by Jean, but there are also patents by Carlo and Roland.
Now, my question is the following: I have difficulty finding especially the early German (also the very early French) patents. The early German ones I have are:
DE158066 1904 Zerlegbarer Kurbelarm
DE167618 1905 Innenradbremse für Motorwagen
DE170691 1905 Ventilsteuerung für Explosionskraftmaschinen
DE203453 1907 Andruckgetriebe für Bremsen und Kupplungen
DE273247 1918 Lagerung der Motorwelle von Kraftfahrzeugen
DE332778 1921 Vergaser mit doppelter Regelung des Lufteintrittsquerschnittes
Early French ones:
FR461836 1914 Jonction de chassi monté sur ressorts d´avant
FR473605 1914
FR474536 1914 Dispositif de coussinets supportant l'arbre moteur dans les véhicules à traction mécanique
FR503441 1920 Dispositif permettant l'aménagement dans un carter de moteur, d'une bouche à feu tirant à travers un arbre porte-hélice
However, I know that there were quite a few more, especially German ones before WW1 (so up to 1914).
Does anybody have more info about these? What I basically need are the numbers only, but of course more info would be very welcome!
Jaap Horst
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
8-1-2009
Bugatti type 40, nr 40.801 40801 does indeed exist, she is in the USA. In the 2000 Register it is listed as being with someone in New Woodstock. It was one of the cars that passed through De Dobbeleers hands. According to the factory records it was an Usine Grand Sport.
Mike Talbot's father has written a letter to the Bugatti Club Nederland on 9 April 1958 asking whether there would be interest in this car as he was too big for it; he did not fit. As far as we know although Mr. Talbot had bought it he left it in Paris for sale. It was then sold to Jean de Dobbeleer who in turn sold it to Gene Cesari.
Kees Jansen and Simon Ireland
Original question: Does anyone know if Bugatti type 40, nr 40.801 of 1926 still excists? My father bought the car in 1958 from Henry Novo and imported it to the Netherlands.
Does anyone have photographs of the car?
Mike Talbot
E-mail: m.talbot@planet.nl
3-1-2009 - 6-1-2009
What "car" is Roland Bugatti driving?
I recently found this photograph, which I believe is published also in some of the books
I wonder however, if anybody has more info on this "buckboard" design. Roland obviously is too big here to fit in a T52 "Baby" anylonger. The "car" is very simple of course, but has a rear-mounted box, probably hiding the drive mechanism. Knowing Ettore Bugatti, this construction is probably Bugatti-made (or not), and could be using maybe T52 parts? Does anybody have any information?
Answer 2
The "car" is a "Auto Red Bug".
Red Bugs are small, two passenger, wooden buckboard cyclecars that were produced from 1914 to about 1930. Early Red Bugs where powered by a fifth wheel with an integral motor. The Smith Motor Wheel and the Smith Flyer were first manufactured by the A.O. Smith Co. of Milwaukee in 1914. Five years later, Briggs and Stratton bought the manufacturing rights and produced the little woodie for several years.
The rights were sold to Majestic Engineering & Manufacturing Co., later known as Automotive Electric Service Company of North Bergen, New Jersey in 1924. Now called Red Bug or Auto Red Bug, production of the car continued. For a while, the Red Bug was powered by either the Motor Wheel or a Dodge 12 volt electric starter motor. The Motor Wheel was ultimately replaced with a five horsepower Cushman engine with chain drive to the rear wheels. The company was renamed Automotive Standards and in 1928, and an amusement park version featuring a wrap-around bumper was announced.
In March 1930, a news report indicated that the Indian Motorcycle Company in Springfield, MA was to build the diminutive vehicle on a "cost plus" basis. Little is known of the Red Bug after this date. After all, it was the depression and a new Red Bug sold for more than a used Model T Ford.
Specifications --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Wheelbase - 62 inches
- Track - 30 inches
- Weight - 150-240 Pounds, varies with motor and batteries
- Chassis - Ash wood
- Top Speed - 12-25 MPH, Gasoline; 8-16 MPH, Electric
- Wheels - 20 x 2" clincher (early non-drive wheels 20 x 1-5/8")
- Price - About $150 in the late 1910's, $300 in 1928
provided by: Manuel Barje, Alabama, USA
Answer
The picture was published in Bugantics Summer 1966 vol.26 Nº2 Page 8, with the comment that it was Roland Bugatti on an American-built electric vehicle in the mid 1920's, and that this probably inspired Ettore to build the Baby Bugatti (T52). However, this seems doubtful, as Roland seems older in this picture than in the known pictures where Roland is shown in a T52. Seems the problem is not totally solved yet.
Julio Gonzalez
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
8-9-2008, 6-10-2008, 3-1-2009
Tools delivered with Bugattis
I am very interested in the tools that were originally issued with Bugatti motor cars. Can anybody tell me what tools were originally issued with the new Bugattis?
John Sime
E-mail: sime_john@hotmail.com
28-12-2008
Info needed on VanVooren I'm the owner of the Bugatti Type 57 cabriolet Vanvooren 1937, n° 57529. which first owner was Ettore Bugatti.
The car was sold in 1938 to Mr Plegat, by the Bugatti Showroom in Paris who commissioned the building of the Vanvooren body. Even if Vanvooren was a famous french coachbuilder, settled in Courbevoie, near Paris, I have not found many archives about it.
Therefore I'm looking for informations, registers, and all documents about Vanvooren.
Patrick Meney (from Paris, France)
Answer
In response to the Bugatti 57529 owner's, about the coachbuilder Vanvooren, there are some documents about Vanvooren at the bookshop "Librairie & Documentation", in Paris (75008). The Vanvooren coachbody of this car was commissioned by the boss of the Bugatti Showroom in Paris, Mr Benoist, in 1938. The car was registered by Ettore Bugatti as "ex-demonstration Benoist" (See The Dutch Bugatti Registry). Vanvooren made several Bugatti 57 cabriolet (one on them was burnt some years ago in Switzerland, see the pictures in the Bugatti page).
E. Jouanneau.
E-mail: pmeney@magnoliatv.fr
7-7-2008 - 27-12-2008
Bugatti Brescia Horn I have a Bugatti Brescia horn that has 2 trumpets with a line that goes back to a cylinder with a spring loaded lever on top. Everything seems to work just fine except the leather has worn out inside the pump. There is the sound of air being pushed out, but doesn't have enough air to make the horns sound. I have searched for information about the horn, but have not been able to come up with anything. I assume the horn is foot operated and it would be on the side of the car. The mounting brackets are on the horns. The insides of the horn are dark red. Any help you could give me on this horn would be very helpful.
Dean Wankel 
E-mail: wankels@msn.com
13-12-2008
Bugattis from Söderström collection
Can anybody tell , what happened to the famous Söderström collection. this was a real sporting/touring car collection with several Bugattis in it: T23, T40, T46, T 57 and T 35. but the most interesting was a yellow two seat sports car, dating pre 1914 !!!!
Answer from Bill Clarke
Bill Clarke from Ireland was offered the T23 in 1956, for 125 pounds, but could not buy it. It was bought by a friend of him, later sold through, and also through the hands of Hugh Conway (who used this T23 to write the "Brescia Overhaul Manual") ended up in the Söderström collection. When the collection was broken up, Bill finally bought the same T23, 18 years ago. However, not for 125 pounds!
Also the other cars were sold, ended up in different places. One of the other cars in the collection, a T30, ended up with a friend of Mr. Clarke in France.
Original question from Michael Hortig
E-mail: Michael.Hortig@unicreditgroup.at
24-4-2008 - 8-12-2008
Schlumpf affair legal proceedings
After we have finished our book about the Dovaz-collection, we are investigating the Schlumpf-affair. Although, according to European Laws, the records of the legal proceedings against Fritz Schlumpf had to be available, the French justice is doing very difficult to hand them over to us. We have two specific questions:
- Does anyone know the exact dates of the cases against Schlumpf and the dates of the judgments
- Does anyone have anything of the cases or something of other importance to us.
Ard op de Weegh
E-mail: ard@opdeweegh.net
2-12-2008
Identify these cars - Two new photo's of the Juillerat car: 44923
Above two addtional photographs of Juillerat's T44 (also below, but with front bumper), 44923
I received two more photographs from David Juillerat. His father owned several Bugattis, though I'm not sure if these were his.
Does anybody have info about any of these cars, maybe chassis number, current owner?
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
51129
The GP is 51129.
The car was produced in May 1931 with engine 11 and delivered to the Bugatti Agent Dominique Lamberjack in Paris on June 18, 1931, rendering the story, which was told by later owner H.K. Dale that it was a Louis Chiron works car and winner of Monaco 1931 probably wishful thinking.
Lamberjack had ordered it on June 10, 1931 and he had paid the full price of Frs 117.000.- for the car, highlighting that it must have been an unused, brand new car. In December 1932 in was registered in Paris as 6203-RG for an unknown owner. On Oct 16, 1945 it was registered as 8860-CB3 in the Département Bouches-du-Rhône close to Marseille, possibly for Mr Pfenninger or mr Loyer (the first mentioned as owner by Antoine Raffaëlli). On 20 December 1950 it got the French plate 3569 AG 78 for Robert Morra, a grocer living on 104, Boulevard Roger Salengro in Livry- Gargan in the Seine-et Oise area. With this plate it was sold in 1954 to Henry Dale, an Australian in wool merchandise, at that moment living at Casella Aperta, Biella, Vercelli in Italy and who also had lived in Egypt. He had it rebuilt with a new engine block, pistons, rods, crankshaft etc. It was blue with beige leather seats. All parts had been chromium plated which in fact is an anachronism: Chrome plaiting had been invented in the USA but only came to Europe for factory cars later in the thirties as an accessory option. In 1954 it was for sale and it was bought by L.S. Juillerat, box 482, Highland, New York in the USA. It was sold to Tunick, who in turn sold it to the trader Bill Serri in Merchantville, New Jersey. He became a long-term owner from1973 onwards. In 2002 it was sold at the Christies auction at Pebble Beach when it went to the present owner in The United Kingdom and when it got the British plates 303 UXK.
57604
The Ventoux with plate EXH 6 is 57604.
The car was produced in October 1937 (no 8) with engine 439 and the optional Lockheed hydraulic brakes. The body was an all black factory made coach Ventoux made from December 1937 onwards. The car had been ordered on Nov 22, 1937 by the London Bugatti agent Sorel in a batch of two cars (57604 and 57605) and the chassis was finished on 22-12-1937. The factory had promised the car for the beginning of February 1938, and it kept its promise: It was delivered on Feb 7, 1938.
Its sister car 57605 had been delivered earlier on Dec 16, 1937 as a chassis, which was an urgent delivery. This chassis was used for the production of a green drop head coupé by the coachbuilder Corsica.
The first owner of 57604 was a company of the name Watkins Ltd. It was registered n May 5, 1938 as EXH 6 (GB). A next known owner was Ivan Carr, and in 1954 the car was owned by Berry Bamberger, Queen's Gate, Cookham Dean, Berkshire in the UK. It passed on to Dr. T. Black, the Nine Elwes in Knowsley in the UK. He sold it to James Berry, who had the engine completely reconditioned with new cylinder blocks, pistons, reground crank etc. He offered the car for sale in the winter issue of Bugantics in 1957. for the magnanimous sum of GBP 425.- (which was after the rebuild of the engine!). The car participated at BOC meetings as can bee seen on pictures of the Trust (53A, 67A and 68A) when it was a two tone (possibly yellow).
The car came at some point in the ownership of the Dutchman Dries van der Lof when it got the plate 04- 52- AZ and it is mentioned on page 248 of the first Volume of the Bugatti Register The Netherlands- Belgium. (Two future volumes of equal size will follow with each over 250 additional cars).
We have no record of the ownership of Juillerat! Can David tell us maybe who are the people on the picture, where and when the picture was taken??
Kees Jansen, The Netherlands, 25 June 2008
On behalf of the BIG (Bugatti Identification Group)
19-6-2008 + 25-6-2008
Identify these cars + answer I received these photographs from David Juillerat. who's father sold his Bugattis (he had 5 or 6) many years ago and David doesn't know much about them. David is the boy in front of the top right photo. Several of the cars were sold to a Mr. Tunik in New York circa 1970.
Does anybody have info about any of these cars, maybe chassis number, current owner?
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
35 4752
The purple GP is Bugatti 35 chassisnumber 4752. The car was produced in February 1926 with engine 69 as a Course Imitation 2 litre with a Grand Prix body. It was ordered by the Bugatti agent Matarazzo in Sao Paolo in Brazil on March 23 and shipped on March 129, 1926. He paid Frs 76.500 for it.
The car stayed in South America: In 1931 it was in Buenos Aires in Argentina where it was bought by Paul Ivanos, a cameraman for early sound pictures from Hollywood and taken to the US. He swapped it for a Chrysler '75' roadster with Bunny Phillips in 1932. Bunny Phillips overhauled the engine and sold it thereafter to Tom Ince later that year. The next owner was Tetze and then before the war- still on the East Coast of the US- it went to Al Crundall. It was a well known and often seen car there where it participated in many competitions.
After the War it went to the East coast where it was reportedly raced at Linden Airport in the fifties and where it was owned by Bob Morgan, Larry Kulack, Harry Gray en Bill Wonder (Glen Cove, New York) before it came into the hands of Steve Juillerat, the father of David. The next owners were Art Jacobs, then Bill Serri (Merchantville, New Jersey) and Edward Gilmour after which it came into the hands of thye present owner in Philadelphia when it enjoyed a leasurely retirement in his collection for the last 20 years or so. The car is described as 99 % original; still has its original engine; a very unusual feature for Grand Prix types 35! The only main deviation from original is that it has non- standard needle bearings in the big ends.
It is used as a model for the Franklin Mint 1:24 die cast model down to the same eccentricities of the same car.
30 4209
The second blue and black car is type 30 chassis number 4209
The car has engine # 210, and was ordered on April 3, 1924. When new it had an eight cylinder engine 60 x 88, 1 Zenith carburateur, Delco ignition, rear axle 12 x 54 5 Rudge wire wheels with Dunlop tyres 765 x 105, electric lights, front wheel brakes (so 4 wheel brakes instead of 2 wheel brakes just on the rear), 4 shock absorbers and extra equipment. It got a 3/4 seater open touring body by Lavocat et Marsaud. It was ordered by Roger W. Kahn in New York and sent to him straight from the factory. The bill was paid on Sept 30, 1924.
In 1954 it was mentioned as being owned by J.L. Juilleret, Rocky Point, L.I., New York. In 1962 it was mentioned L.S. Juillerat, Box 482, Highland, New York. The engine had already been rebuilt with major parts from engine 224 ex 38348. The original engine except the lower crankcase was later sold to Peter Williamson whilst the lower crankcase with the numbers stayed with the car for eventual later refitment. It had a tubular front axle fitted. Steve Juillerat sold it to Ace Parker, then it went to Cory Parker and Cos Cobb in Connecticut. In 1988 it was owned by the latest owner in Greenwich, Connecticut 06830, who supposedly still owns it. The plate in 1953 was D- 71-24 in the state of New York.
40469
The blue type 40 with clear engine hood is 40469.
The car was produced in May 1927 with engine 264, ordered by Fred Elbs in Metz on July 18, 1927 and delivered as a chassis on July 18 for Frs 32.850.- The first body in unknown.
In 1962 it had a 2 seater roadster body with Dickey seat; the engine had been replaced by engine # 2 (which was an A, the later version of the engine with Double Ignition, a bore of 72mm and a displacement of 1627ccm (half engine T49) instead of the 69mm and 1496 ccm (half T44 engine) of a T40. Addition by Ralf Scholz) ex 40903 and the owner was L.S. Juillerat, Box 482, Highland, New York. He had imported it from France- probably from a mr Bouchier- into the USA in 1959/1960 together with a type 49, chassisnumber 49369 , also owned by Juillerat (now Gene Cesari's car) . 40469 was sold to David Tunick in Greenwich, Connecticut, then travelled back to Europe- the United Kingdom- and from there it was sold to Mr Korreman in Denmark. In turn he sold it to Mr Sorrenson in Denmark, who in turn sold it back to the UK, to the present owner in 1990. He removed the body and replaced it with a Grand Sport body, as happened so often in those days
44923
The 44 is 44923.
44923 was produced in February 1929 with engine 636, It was ordered as a chassis by the Bugatti Agent Colonel Sorel on Brixton Road in London in a batch of four cars (44923, 44924, 44925, 44926) on April 10, 1929 for a price of Frs 29.290.- each and delivered on 23 April 1929. As known this was an exceptionally low price; Ettore had a high esteem and appreciation for sales to the UK. A 4-seater open tourer body was made by the coachbuilder Harrington of Brighton in the South of England. It was made of fabric covered aluminium; double side mounts and rear trunk, painted maroon with black wings and bonnet.
The car was exported to the USA before 1960 when it came into the hands of William W Marden jr. In 1960 it was sold to John Mc Gill Jr. In 1962 the engine was rebuilt by Basil Scully and in 1964 the owner became John King. King woned the car very briefly, before 1979 it came back into the ownership of John M. Gill, in East Dennis, Massachusetts. It got the plate Antique Massachusetts 1996. It stayed almost completely original. Gill sold the car to Judge John North who claimed he had always wanted to own the car. This longing lasted all of a month or two before it was sold to Ed Hubbard in the UK in 1988. He sold it to P.F. Parkinson in 1989. The car was still original and remained so, but was restored again. The engine was rebuilt by Taylor of Birdham and a complete historically correct restoration was performed by Mike Thomas of Birdham. It got the plate UL 4703 (GB) and it participated in at the Bugatti Meeting in Prescott in 1997 and the Bugatti Drive in May 2003, passing the house of photographer Tony Baily who took the opportunity to take pictures, which now can be seen on his website and on the Wiki.
Remains unsolved the T57 with typical English style 4-seater tourer body.
Kees Jansen
8-6-2008 + 16-6-2008
Whereabouts of T32 - 4059
In an article in "the automobile" 4th issue in the first year 1983, I found an article by famous british collector, paul foulkes-halbard, about his aquisition of the remains of bugatti tank T32 # 4059.
He tells the story, that nearly half of the original tank parts had been incorporated in a postwar bugatti special, another quarter of parts were genuine bugatti. He also writes , that the tyres were the original ones from the french GP. as you can see in the pic, a replica body has been made.
but, where is it now ??????
Michael Hortig
E-mail: hortig78rpm@gmx.at
27-10-2008
Australian Type 38
Around 1959 in Toowoomba Queensland Australia we used to see an old absolutely worn out 1926 Type 38 Bugatti tourer come into town from a tiny town called Nobby some 20 mile from Toowoomba. The car had no lights and had a 1947 Chevrolet motor fitted. At the time I was about 16 and was intrigued by this car and wondered just how bad a car would have to be and not go. I did some research on the car back then, and the first or maybe second owner was a Dr. Feather in Roma Queensland. When we used to see the car the owner was a Mr. Ben Free. I always wondered what became of the car and was wondering have you any records on the car. I got out some of the 1959 letters I got from the maybe second owner of car and he said when he sold it he never ever got paid for it. The new owner went on to win many hill climbs around the Brisbane area.
Anybody knows more about the history or current whereabouts of this car?
Answer: 38195
From the book 'Bugattis in Australasia' by Bob King, the car in question is 38195. See the book for more info.
Simon Ireland
From the Wiki I get the following info:
Owner: Mrs M. Gillies (chassis) (AUS) and Harry Hagan (engine) (NSW)
Former Owners: Ben Free, Fred Laing, Dr Feather,
Type 38 Torpedo, body by Compton
http://www.bugattibuilder.com/wiki/index.php?title=38195
E-mail: robyngodfrey@bigpond.com
19-10-2008
Carroceria Vert, Gerona, Spain Recently a T44 Roadster (44725) in the style of a T55 was for sale on my site. As I understand, this car has since sold. The body was built later than the car (but before 1967), in Spain by "Carroceria Vert". However, there seems to be no info on this "Carroceria Vert". Does anybody know anything??
Dave Ohrman
Answer
"Carrocerias Vert" was founded early last century by the family Vert-Planas near Girona in Catalonia, and devoted to horse carriages to turn soon afterwards, as most of those artisans, to the new horseless carriages. Vert specialized basically on lorries, buses and commercial vehicles. During starved period following the Spanish civil war, Vert and others carrossiers were asked to turn many former exclusive cars such H-S, Delahaye or Bugatti, into humble transport vans and pick-ups. Later on, some of those aristocrat chassis were fitted with apropiate special bodies again.
There is a book about "Carrocerías Vert" written in Spanish by J. Vert Planas I do not know the story behind # 44725 with plate nº A-2944, bodied by Vert. Have heard it was seen in Norway some time ago.
If you are interested, I do have a list of the most Bugatti plate nos. sold in Spain until 1927.
Manel Baró
E-mail: ibocquarterley@homecall.co.uk
17-1-2008 and 6-10-2008
Tank design
I'd like to know the design / development history of the Tanks (T31, T57S45, T57G and T57C). Who was responsable for the projects and/or for the design? Were any (windtunnel?) tests done, was any aerodynamics specialist called in for help??
Marc De Rijck
Email: marc.de.rijck(AT)pandora.be
5-10-2008
Question on Berlin chassis builders
I am researching Berlin Automobil History and in the latest edition of the German car magazine Motor Klassik was an article about the swiss Bugatti rally. And on page 49 is a small foto of a Bugatti and the caption says that Alexis Kellner of Berlin made this body on a T44 chassis. As I am researching especially Alexis Kellner it would be very interesting for me to get more information about this car and to get in touch with the owner.
Also I would be interested what happened to the T23 with Berlin built Baer body which Hamish Moffat had for sale one or two years before his death?
Anybody has the answers?
Thomas Ulrich
Email: IsettaUlrich(AT)aol.com
25-9-2008
Unidentified Austrian Bugattis I am trying to find out were there any Bugatti's in Croatia. Since the communists took over in 1945, the only possibility for someone to own a Bugatti was before that year. 1918-1940 Croatia was part of Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and 1941-45 it was independent. My first question is:
1. Does anybody have any information about any Bugatti sold to Yugoslavia or Croatia?
Second question concerns the photo above (same as in the question from Helge Hauk):
2. I have bought this photo recently in Zagreb. With the photo I the information that it was taken in northern Croatia (Medjimurje) on the estate of count Fodroczy, who was the owner and a gentleman in the car. Family Fodroczy had estates in that part of Croatia. Car is Bugatti Type 40 with Gran Sport coachwork. Registration plate is Austrian, which is no surprise because Habsburg nobility considered themselves as Austrian's after Austro-Hungarian empire has fallen apart in 1918. Does anybody have more info?
Daniel Tomicic
Email: daniel(AT)@danieltomicic.com
25-9-2008
Unidentified Austrian Bugattis The pictures above show 2 unidentified cars, which belonged to an Austrian Family called 'Schuh'. Nothing else is known (who is able to identify the type?).
The T40 on the photo below is said to have been owned by Count Fedroczy (of Hungary, the car also has been registered there), who left his homecountry, lived for a short time in Croatia and then is said to have moved to Austria.
Perhaps somebody has an idea, which cars we see on the photos and what has happened to them!
Email: dr.hauk@chello.at
25-9-2008
Identify car and lady! Mario Saviano sent me this very nice picture, which he just bought (the photograph that is, not the car!). He asked me to identify if it is a Bugatti, it is of course a Bugatti T57S Atalante, but can anybody identify the car and the lady?
Mario: I sent you an email with the reply, but it bounced back. I could not reach you, hopefully you read this!
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
8-9-2008
Initials and 5-pointed star on Bugatti engine On Bugatti T35 4451, the Initials "E.T" and a 5-pointed star can be found on various locations, stamped on the engine.
Comment from Julio Gonzalez
I heard sometime my father and other bugattiste, E. Carmona currently living in Brazil (Owner of an original 35 TC with Original 35B engine) say that some (with Le Patron permission as Mr. Carmona thinks) works mechanics used to mark the engines they worked on to identify them and that way avoid the posibility of that engine to fall in other hands or to be changed with another engine or parts. This seems to be a very probable explanation.
Does anybody know of another explanation for this feature, what these initials signify, or is there anybody who has seen this before, maybe on another car??
Martijn and Jan Smits, E-mail: carlein-martijn@chello.nl
25-6-2005 + 16-6-2008 
Answer! Raul Franco Reinoso
From Ramiro A. Fernandez , who is writing a book on photography in Cuba, I receive the solution to one of the photographs that were posted on this page earlier (see below).
The driver is Raul Franco Reinoso which was written on the back of the photograph of which Ramiro sent me a scan. He knows the date to be around 1932-34. It really is the same car, compare the two photographs: The wheel nuts (front and rear) are in the absolute same position, and the background is the same! It is clear that the Bugatti carries the number 4.
The Bugatti is probably a T35 Tecla (cheaper version of the regular T35 with a more simple engine and lacking the aluminium wheels), or a T37 (4 cylinder). Difficult to tell the difference.
Comment from Julio Gonzalez
I´m sure that car is a type 37. we need to thank the "Blessed Photographer" because it´s almost a side view and we can see the bottom of the crankcase. which is short as on a four cylinder engine, in any case of an eight cylinder engine the crankase should finish almost "tangent" to the back of the front wheel (there is a beautifull photo of the prototype which can be used to compare apart from others). other way to know that, is by looking at the osition of the bolts in the engine front arrangement. They are almost impossible to see in that photos but I think the crankcase is enough.
Do you have any ideas as to the history of Raul Franco Reinoso, the event, or the car?
Below the picture from the original question! (Click any picture for an enlargement)
The photograph above was provided by Terry McGrath.
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
21-4-2006 / update 16-1-2007 + 16-6-2008
T57C Le Mans
What is the chassis number of the Bugatti T57C Tank, winner of Le Mans 1939 and in which Jean Bugatti dies on 11th August 1939?
Pedro Duarte de Castro e Silva
E-mail: peducassi@gmail.com
21-5-2008
Another unknown car, probably T44/T49 This unknown car is only known to have a body by Pourtout. Does anybody have more information about this car, year, chassis number, whether it still exists or not?? Also, does anybody have information on other Bugattis with a Pourtout body?
Michiel van den Brink
E-mail: michiel@vandenbrinkdesign.com
7-4-2008
More info on T44? This type 44 was driven by K. Hofman / Saar and H. Weinman from Saarbrucken, startnumber 37, in 1933 during the rally "2000 km durch Deutschland". Does anybody have more information on this car, or more photographs of this Bugatti or other Bugattis in this event? Does this car still exist?
Ton Stoffelen
E-mail: ton-stoffelen@hetnet.nl
24-3-2008
Louis Garnier T35B
In the year 2006 or 2007 a friend of mine in France, named Andre Garnier, was called by some Bugatti-connaisseur from Reims who asked him informations about a Bugatti, presumably a 35B, previously owned by his uncle, Louis Garnier.
Louis Garnier lived in Mirabel-aux-Baronnies, France, where he owned 3 Bugattis. This one is presumed to be a 35B, 2.3 litre engine with mechanical compressor. Bought in Molsheim as a chassis with engine around 1929, equipped with a closed 2 seated coach made from unpainted aluminium in the south of France. Not too nice a design, apparently. Rather cubic.
This car was sold due to bad business results of Louis Garniers company to the United States, around 1962, and was reported by the mysterious caller from Reims to André being seen in or near Maastricht, Netherlands. The caller was aware of the chassis-number of the car and had traced the car down to Andre Garnier, being the nephew of Louis. Andre promised to look into his archives, the caller should call back within a week and never did. However, he rose the curiousity of Andre who would like to know if the car was back and also would be curious to see it once again in his life. He personally would not be surprised if the coach was replaced during the stay in the US.
Is there anyone who can make sense of this story, who has knowledge of a Bugatti in the Netherlands or Belgium coming from the states? Or who does know somebody in or near Reims who might be interested in these cars, a private person or somebody from a classic-car museum near Reims?? Be aware that all indications are not more than that, it was a long time Andre has not seen that car. He is sure about the aluminium coach and the engine with compressor, not too sure about the type 35B, only 80%. So if you think to know some story that holds only for half, let us know please.
If anyone has a clue please contact stefan.wolfrum@borgwolfrum.com who will contact Andre Garnier immediately.
24-3-2008
Unknown Bugatti - T40? Who knows this car? Between 1960 and 1962 the car has been shipped from Austria to USA, but it is NOT the so called 'hybrid-Bugatti' ( basicly a T30 with a lot of T40parts and a chassis-badge #57453 ) !!!
Does anybody have any information on this car?
Helge Hauk
E-mail: dr.hauk@chello.at
28-2-2008
Bugatti T37 with Maseratie engine 2 In Austria ( mid-50ies) a car raced under the Type T37'M', see picture. It has been announced in the racing programme as 1995 ccm, and as far as I know there also existed a 6-cylinder Maserati engine with 2 litres. There is nothing known about this car, neither a Chassis-Number nor what engine really has been installed. It also could be, that the 3 short sidepipes only have been decoration, as there are no black traces around and behind them.
Does anybody have any information on this car?
Helge Hauk
E-mail: dr.hauk@chello.at
25-2-2008
Ventoux body on Lagonda LG45 chassis
I am conducting some Bugatti research, and have read quite a bit of your Q and A. Thanks for that. I noticed a posting about a Bugatti coach on a Fiat chassis. While I have no information to provide on that car, I do know that there were other cars built with non-Bugatti chassis's.
One example is a T57 Ventoux body on a Lagonda LG45 chassis. I am still trying to learn more about when the coach was switched and where it was done, also by whom and what happened to the original Bugatti chassis (if there ever was one). Does anybody have more info on this Bugatti-dressed Lagonda?
Todd Liem
E-mail: tliem@sbcglobal.net
25-2-2008
John Shakespeare Collection
I am looking for a photo(s) of the John Shakespeare Collection of Bugattis as found in Illinois before & during their preparation for moving to the Shlumpf collection. Do you know where I could find photos taken before they were put on the train cars?
I have visited the Schlumpf Museum three times and have many photos of the Shakespeare Bugattis on display, and I would love to have photos of them covered in dust before they were moved. Thanks very much for your help .
Doug Mayhew
E-mail: douglasm@mayhews.com
21-2-2008
Carburetor for 35C Bugatti
I am looking for a proper carburetor for my 35C Bugatti. It currently has a Claudel carburetor; paper work on the carburetor indicates that it was designed for airships.
I've been told that the Carter BB2 carburetor works well for the 35C, also a Schebler carburetor, both of which work better than the original Zenith (48K?).
Can anyone comment, preferably from experience?
Replies
I have used Solex 46 AVDP on both 43 and 35C with great success, but they are tough to find.
Zenith 48K are no good for traffic and Sunday outings, only for racing.
Guy Huet
The best carburator (for street use) for the 35B/C and 43 is the Solex 46AVDP but hard to find. We have severall cars running with it and it does everything you want. The starter device we don't use and I can help you with the correct setting if you can find one.
With some luck I might be able to help you with one but you have to be patienced.
Simon Klopper
On the right a picture of the Solex 46 AVDP
Cordell H. Bahn
Tacoma, WA
253-564-8201
E-mail: cord@u.washington.edu
10-2-2008
The Bugatti T41 Royale elephant With regard to the question about the Rembrandt Elephant, I can tell you a few interesting things on the subject. Firstly, although all six cars are fitted with one of these statues, all but one of them are fakes-some of them are fairly crude ones at that.
In fact only three of the cars were originally fitted with these mascots and they are as follows;
Ch No 41100, from its days as a prototype until it was hastily removed by Fritz Schlumpf in 1977. Now replaced with a copy.
Ch No 41111, Fitted from its time of delivery to Esders, and the only car with the genuine article. At least this was true when the car was sold to William Lyons, I examined it closely at Goodwood last year, and thought it looked considerably different to photographs I have of it from twenty years ago.
Ch No41131, Initially fitted with a Rolls Royce 'Spirit of Ecstasy,' subsequently replaced by Bugatti's Elephant while still in the ownership of Captain Foster, its original owner. Also removed by Fritz Schlumpf in 1977 and now replaced with a copy.
Ch No 41121, 41141 and 41150 left the factory unadorned, and gained them much later.
I believe that the idea of the 'Rubies For Eyes' came about because they are painted red on the Berline de Voyage.
The 'genuine' mascot was silver plated bronze, made at the Valsuani Foundry.
When the Weyman coach had its accident, the elephant was snapped of at the knees. These parts were kept in the Bugatti Family until L'Ebe Bugatti loaned them to the Bugatti Owners Club in the 1970's to be repaired and a short run of castings made for club members. It then vanished...
Greg Morgan
The original question was:
We all know that this elephant is based on a statue by Ettore's brother Rembrandt. However, there are a few things we don't know: Rumour has it that the Royale elephant was solid silver, is that correct? Also, it is said that the elephant has inset- purple ruby eyes. These seem to be visible on some of the photographs of the elephant, and on others not. (see both pictures!)
So, the question is: Were the elephants of solid silver, and did these have ruby eyes or not. Other possibility is that there were different elephants. Maybe some elephants were later modified by an owner??
Dave Ohrman
E-mail: fhunlimited@adelphia.net
28-1-2008
Carroceria Vert, Gerona, Spain Recently a T44 Roadster (44725) in the style of a T55 was for sale on my site. As I understand, this car has since sold. The body was built later than the car (but before 1967), in Spain by "Carroceria Vert". However, there seems to be no info on this "Carroceria Vert". Does anybody know anything??
Dave Ohrman
E-mail: ibocquarterley@homecall.co.uk
17-1-2008
Aravis Chassis
Can anyone tell me : Does The Aravis have mechnical specifications or characterisitics different from other 57 models ? It is of course the only two seater open 57 offered. But why were so few sold ? Who built the bodies ?
Were they lower than 57?s as the pictures would imply ?, Or was the Aravis closer to the Grand Raid, which had a longer steering column, which was fixed lower to the dashboard?
Thank you for any comments,
Guy Huet
E-mail: ghuet@huet.ch
12-12-2007
Bugatti in Darien, CT, USA, in 1972
I was wondering if you know anything about a Bugatti that I contemplated buying back in 1972 and now wish I had. I was very young and my parents were moving. Is there a registry with histories of cars?
I can tell you very little except that it looked like either a Type 35 or 51 in light blue. I do not remember if it ran or not but it appeared to be in totally original condition and in very nice shape. The car was for sale in a small used car shop where I bought a more conservative Volvo 122. The shop was in Darien, CT, USA. The area around Darien and including Darien were very wealthy so I assume the car was owned locally.
So, what I'm hoping is that there is a place where I can find a history of a car bought in CT around 1972 or so. If you can help, I would be very grateful.
Bob Espinosa
E-mail: bespinos@yahoo.com
8-12-2007
Unidentified Bugatti / race
I have a photograph of two cars racing: No. 58 P.Gaskill 1929 Bugatti. No. 66 J.F. Barker 1927 Frazer Nash.
The above information is written on the reverse of photo. Perhaps as a Bugatti enthusiast you might perhaps have some knowledge of the race, year or details on the car.
GASKELL, Peter J. A UK enthusiast born in 1928 who became bewitched with the Bugatti magic after seeing Peter Stubberfield competing at Shelsley Walsh. He joined the UK BOC in May 1954 when he was listed as owning a "Type 23/30". He formed the "Bugaires" team with Mike Hatton and David Vickers Jones using a type 37 and a 35A, mainly in hill-climbs. He ran at Prescott between 1955 and 1957 in the 37 with a best run of 53.57 seconds. He later moved-on to a more competitive Cooper-JAP "V"- twin with which he had some success but his large build did not help the power to weight ratio in a class dominated by Boshier-Jones. He appeared to enjoy all aspects of his life until his death in 2005. He left a wife Arlette and daughters Rebecca and Rosanna. (See obituary in "Bugantics" 68 / 2 page 6).
The above info was provided by Ivan Quarterely. It is very probable that this Gaskill is in fact the same Peter Gaskell, which would place the pictured event in the fifties.
The car is now in France owned by a keen Bugatti enthusiast details of which may be available through the French Club and regarding the Frazer Nash it would probably be useful to contact Mark Joseland (a Frazer Nash owner) at the Midland Automobile Club where the Shelsley hillclimb is situated.
The above info was provided by David Morys.
E-mail: sibley@paine28.fsnet.co.uk
27-11-2007
Bugatti - Invicta
This special was built in 1953 by Air Commander Scroggs, using a Bugatti chassis (of unknown type), with a army surplus 6 cylinder truck engine, plus an Invicta transmission and radiator. See the specifications
Does anybody have more information on this car?
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
3-11-2007
Maserati engined Bugatti: David Morys believes that there is a good side picture of the Maserati Bugatti (plus caption or brief text) on the hill competing and featured in the book on Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb written by Simon Taylor and published for their centenary year – the year before last I think.
From memory the car is a GP type either T35 or T37 with a Maserati rather than Bugatti radiator.
Original Question
I am looking for information about a Maserati engined Bugatti that was driven by Guido Barbieri in 1500cc Italian sports car racing in mid to late 1930s. The information is for a short bio about Barbieri for www.historicracing.com.
I can find no record of chassis number or type. Any ideas?
Richard Copeman, E-mail: rcopeman@dv3.net
5-9-2007
Does anyone have a general arrangement drawing of the transaxle of the T251 ?? A Columbo / Collotti design.
Question from John Barton, E-mail: jarbarton@hotmail.com
27-7-2007
Bugatti Air Filter
I am interested in mounting an airfilter on my Bugatti T57, but am not sure how to.
Can anybody who already did this conversion inform me as to what type of airfilter was used, how it was attached, and if changes to the carburettor are necessary?
Answer:
The K&N filter RU-1350 fits directly to the Stromberg carburettor, there are no futher conversions necessary. Simon Klopper
Send additional answers to E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
15-6-2007, update 24-6-07
Both Bugattis now identified! Brian Swann sent me this interesting picture of two Bugattis, it reads Paris 1937, Au temps des "Bug´s". Click the picture for an enlargement.
The car on the left was recognised by Kees Jansen, and is a T35, chassisnumber 4392. In 1927 this had the license number 6902 U 1, but in 1929 it received the number 6054 RB 6 (on the picture). First owner was Christiaan Dauvergne, Paris, sold on 21-06-1928 to Sylvain Barrierre, le Vezinet. The car does not exist anymore;
The car on the right has now also been identified by the BIG (Bugatti Identification Group) of which Kees Jansen is the founder / chairman. It is a highly modified T40, chassis number 40171 with a narrow radiator, probably in order to make it look like a real GP. It can be seen from the starter handle that this is too high for a real GP. The car was registered on June 30, 1937 (unknown owner) after being bought from Gaston Languille in Maisse (Seine et Oise) who had it for only two days (so probably a merchant).
In case this new answer for the car on the right gives you new inspiration, please mail comments to: Brianswann01@aol.com
3-5-2007 / 25-3-2004
Help restore the (almost) dead! We all saw how this 1939 Bugatti T57 Convertible Coupé ended up after a fiery incident, see also the news section. the owner is convinced that it will be possible to bring this car back to life (The body will have to be rebuilt, in fact), but various is needed:
Are there any drawings for the original body by Van Vooren, Paris?
Does anybody know if there is an Archive of Van Vooren (Paris) plans, drawings and other information? Apart from the overall plans for the body, we would need drawings for various details.
One of the details that is needed is the window frames, and winding mechanism. these were of aluminium and the same mechanism was used for different manufacturers. are these still available??
details of the car:
1939 Bugatti T57 Convertible Coupé
S/N 57287
body by Van Vooren, Paris
the car was since the early 50's the property of the family. We need all information that could help us with the restauration!
Hansheinrich Leuthold and Grover Berryman (the sad owner, with new hopes) E-mail: berryman@rockisland.com, hhl@gmx.ch
26-3-2007
Bugatti's Yacht We are interested in knowing any information of the private yacht which Ettore Bugatti had had built for himself in 1938. The photo of the boat is from a couple of years ago.
We are the current owners of this boat now, but we do not know anything about the original design and interior which Bugatti had foreseen for it. It might be very interesting to receive any information which you might have on that yacht in your archive such as photos and construction plans. Furthermore, I also do not know the original name of the boat.
Info: The Hull of the boat was finished to Bugatti's design by 1939 - 1940, and was shipped to England at the beginning of the war. After the war the ship went back, but was not finished by Bugatti, who had a lot of innovative ideas for all the sailing-equipment on board. The hull was finished in a regular fashion, and finally ended up in the caribean, where it is today
Bjorn Arp
E-mail: arpbjorn@hotmail.com
26-3-2007
Tiny Hindle's Bugattis in South Africa
I am beginning to research the three Bugattis owned by my late uncle 'Tiny' Hindle in South Africa until the very early 60s.
I have photographs of him and his daughter with three cars, a type 37, a type 51A blown 2.3 litre and a type 59 (which I believe was the Lord Howe car.)
I would like to meet the cars as they have long gone from our family, Tiny died in 1960.
I have some information from CAR, the motoring journal of South Africa of February 1961 and some information from Bugatti by HG Conway relating to the cars but I don't know where they are now.
Can anybody help?
Andrew Middleton, E-mail: nottledim@btinternet.com
27-2-2007
Hellé Nice's cars
luckily Miranda Seymour's book gives answers to some questions which puzzled me since years, but some others still remain. Especially about the unsupercharged Bugatti she owned. No chassis number is known, only the registration which was 2066RD9. The car is described as T35, and the narrow radiator and no supercharger hole in the bonnet could led to this conclusion. This car she first used for the 1930 Bugatti Grand Prix, which was open for unblown Bugattis only, so she could not use her T35C #4863 there.
So far so good, but this same car she entered for the voiturette race at the 1931 Circuit du Dauphiné (Grenoble). Some of the wellknown race statistics say it was a T37A. A picture of her at Grenoble clearly shows the registration 2066RD9. So could it be that the "unsupercharged T35" was in fact a T37? But all other entries for 2066RD9 had been in the GP class, also at events whith a parallel voiturette race. A T37 would explain the narrow radiator, but to make it more difficult, 2066RD9 was fitted with T35 alloy wheels, which as I understand could not that easily fitted to a wirewheeled T37 or T35A.
The car is reported to have been sold to Charles Brackenbury at an unknown date, but I believe this is wrong, because Brackenbury from 1934/35 onwards raced a T35C which is said having been the Hellé Nice car.
Is there any chance to research the type or even the chassis number on basis of the registration? From where did the car come, and where did it go to? It seems that after 1931 she didn't use it anymore.
Michael Müller
E-mail: michael@axos.nl
27-2-2007
Belgian Bugatti Royale Pictures taker from 1993 needed! Around September 1993 , the Mulhouse Museum decided to organize a self-promotion and proposed to various journalists, a contact with the Royale on a small closed road in the South of Alsace (Sundgau) ; the participants were driven, as passengers and then supposed to report in their respective magazines.
Informed by the organizers , I was there on the second day. Late in the afternoon, after the press, I could benefit from this opportunity and, while I was passenger in the front open compartment, a photographer in a Belgian black Saab 900 Cabrio made (plenty of ?) pictures, where I probably appear. I could never get any good contact and I could not see or order those pictures : can anybody help me ?
Above. one of the Bugatti paintings I did at that time (1988 actually). I participated in the Bugattistes exhibition in Molsheim in 1986, organized by Paul Kestler.
Philippe Lalague, E-mail: PLALAGUE@meru.faurecia.com
21-11-2006
Sleeping Beauties - Answers
Most of the sleeping Beauties have been sold in auction. One, the famous type 57 from the cover of the books was restored half/half leaving one half of the car unrestored, the other restored (I think by lecoq) it was shown on display at the retro in Paris.
One of the cars, a typ 46 millot guiet has been aquired at this auction by Gert von Raffay and after restauration shown in various events.
Last said, that several bugattis went to a French collector near Lyon. As I have the article in brain, It said that the owner would keep the alfa coupe, one ferrari and the Bugatti T57SC Atalante for himself......
Answer by Michael Hortig
Original question:
Who knows where, after closure of the museum in Sarlat, the "Sleeping Beauties" have gone??
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
24-8-2006
Schlumpf cars 1. Who knows anything about the 'T40 Hunt Break' (chassis 40485), which has been purchased by Fritz Schlumpf as part of the Shakespeare Bugatti collection in 1964. The Hunt Break is a kind of pickup truck. I'm quite sure, the unrestored car has been returned to Arlette Schlumpf (widow of Fritz) in a group of 62 cars, including 17 Bugattis in 1999.
What's it's history ? Coachbuilder ? Previous bodies ? Previous owners ?"
2. Who knows anything about the 62 unrestored cars that have been returned to Arlette Schlumpf (widow of Fritz Schlumpf) in 1999? This lot contained 17 Bugattis, including ten T57 and has been brought to Switzerland in 1999. The newspaper www.dna.fr has an interview with Arlette Schlumpf in it's archive, but I cannot download it because their pay-by-phone system works from france only.
Does anyone have more photos or a list ? Does anyone have the interview ? What happened to the cars since 1999 ?"
Mike Westwood
E-mail: mbwestwood@hotmail.com
30-8-2006
Transporter
Does anybody know how the Bugattis T251 were transported to the Grand Prix in Reims in 1956 ? (Truck? or trailer towed by which car ?)
Raf Boone.
E-mail: raf.boone@skynet.be
24-8-2006
I try to identify all bugattis, that Fritz Schlumpf collected. In the reserve of the Schlumpf Museum there are at least three T57 about which nobody seems to have any information. Photo 1 (above, click for enlargement) shows the interior of a blue T57 Ventoux from 1936. Photos 2 and 3 show T57 chassis without body. Does anybody know anything about these bugattis ? Chassis numbers ? History ? More photos ? Thank you very much! Photo 2 and 3 don't come any bigger!
Mike Westwood
E-mail: mbwestwood@hotmail.com
22-8-2006
Update on the Bugattis that were sold to Fritz Schlumpf by american bugatti collector John Shakespeare With help from Frederick Nakos and Jonas Sandell (thanks again!) i found out a lot more about the "Shakespeare Schlumpf Bugatti sale". And I would like to share the information I found. The first photos shows a quite detailed list of the 30 cars that Fritz Schlumpf bought from Shakespeare. The second photo is one of many of the railway transport from Ohio to New Orleans in 1964. Further Information can be found in the following publications:
-- Book "Automobile Quarterly" 34/3 (great article with lots of infos and photos)
-- Mag "Motor Trend" 09/64 (2 page article with some photos)
-- Mag "Southern Railway Ties" 05/64 (see http://southern.railfan.net/ties/1964/64-5/bug.html )
-- Book "The Schlumpf Obsession" (a few photos)
-- Book "Die Automobile der Gebrüder Schlumpf" (one photo)
-- Mag "Cars and Parts" 03/1978
I'm missing the Cars and Parts 03/1978 and would be happy if somebody could send me a scan.
If anyone wants scans from the other publications or if anyone knows more publications, please let me know.
Original Question:
Does anyone have a list of the cars (and chassis numbers) that were sold to Fritz Schlumpf by american bugatti collector John Shakespeare in 1963. It is said that Schlumpf bought 30 bugattis from Shakespeare including the Royal Park Ward.
Mike Westwood
E-mail: mbwestwood@hotmail.com
24-7-2006 / 25-3-2006
Info requested for new book on the T46, by Authors Bohuslav Klein and Roland Saunier, both from Czech republic. To get an impression, see above the cover page (click for an enlargement), and below two photo pages.
Click on the picture above to see a sample of a description page, with info on details of each individual car. Click on this line for additional information
Please send your information to bohuslav.klein@ksd.cz and ro.saunier@tiscali.cz
Thanks in advance, Bohuslav Klein and Roland Saunier
29-6-2006
Recently I have received two period photos which were taken in Portugal! (above)
Does anybody know details of these cars (chassis, engine etc)?
Please send your answers to dr.hauk@chello.at
Thanks in advance, Helge Hauk
23-6-2006
Help identifying cars and drivers. Update 2: In an idle moment I enlarged and enhanced the picture of Bugattis #5 and #10 at Mannin Moar in 1933. In earlier correspondence these were identified as: #5 the T 51 of Tim Fotheringham and #10 the T 35C of T.A.S.O. Mathieson (Christophe Chanterault quoting www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/1933.html#mannin)
A close look at the picture raises serious doubts about the identifications as far as Bugatti type is concerned.
#5 is a T 35B, or C - the supercharger blow-off hole position makes this clear. There is no second, central, petrol filler. The wheels are T 35 detachable rim. This car is somewhat modified; with side exhaust (as T59) and twin oil coolers with outside plumbing. The radiator may well be T 51 type as it appears to be of parallel section. The front axle is not standard, having an apparent H-section becoming circular at the outer extremities.
The other car, #10, has the narrow radiator of an early T 35, or T37. Surely all blown T 35 had the wider type? Is the identification from a reliable source?
May I suggest that #5 is probably T 35B chas. 4896. See Eaglesfield (The Bugatti Book 1954) - History: Started life as No. 4 team car in 1926. Sold to Sir M. Campbell same year. Won 200 mile race, 1927. Later owned by T. S. Fotheringham, Ralph Vickers, --- , Dunfee. Was originally a 1 1/2-litre, but was fitted with 100 mm. crank by Fotheringham. Modifications: Lightweight petrol tank and lightweight rad. and special rad. cowl. [remember this was written in 1954 so these particular mods after 1933 perhaps?] For T. S. Fotheringham by R. R. Jackson -- Water jacketing, smaller valves, special H axle and radius rods at front. Rear end converted to half elliptics.
In particular the non-standard H axle seems conclusive, and the extensive mods by Jackson for Fotheringham suggest that there may have been more not noted by Eaglesfield.
Someone in BOC must know...
Paul N.
Update: The car number #10 it's a Bugatti Type 35C of T.A.S.O. Mathieson and the car number #5 it's a Bugatti Type 51 of Tim Fotheringham, more on this page :
http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/1933.html#mannin Christophe Chanterault, 7-1-2005
I believe it's the Mannin Moar race at Douglas, Isle of Man in 1933 but don't know the identity of the two cars/drivers featured. Any ideas?
Simon Lewis
E-mail: simon.lewisbooks@virgin.net
www.simonlewis.com
30-12-2004 / 19-6-2006
Update 2 Answers to the Question (more questions on Bugattis in Argentina)
Update The first 2 pictures is Cesar Milone at Gavea in 1935:
Gávea is situated in the city of Rio de Janeiro in BRASIL, NOT in Argentina !
In the second picture, you can see "CAES do PORTO", in portuguese, the language spoken in BRASIL.
My father Robert Zurmely was "mécanicien" in the Bugatti factory in Molsheim: http://paginas.terra.com.br/lazer/py4zbz/bugatti/robert.htm
Roland Zurmely
Update The first 2 pictures is Cesar Milone at Gavea in 1935. He crashed and the car caught fire. The ex Forrest Greene car.
3rd picture is also Milone, this time in Rafaela with Vittorio Coppoli as co driver
Answer provided by Estanislao M. Iacona, San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina Mr. Iacona is in the process of writing a book on Bugattis in Argentina. If you have any unpublished material about this subject, please contact him! E-mail: eiacona@fibertel.com.ar
Original question:
Above 4 pictures of Bugatti's in Argentina. Do you have any ideas as to the history of these cars, the event(s), drivers or otherwise?
Below another one from Cuba. Same questions! (Click any picture for an enlargement)
The photographs were provided by Terry McGrath.
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
21-4-2006 / update 28-4-2006 / 19-6-2006
My father Louis Giron was heavily involved with Bugatti, having worked at Molsheim as an apprentice he spent his life working primarily with Bugatti. He was a gifted engineer and tuner. I am trying to find any information on his Bugatti related work and his Bugatti ownership. I think he owned GU 7 the Corsican bodied Type 57 3.3 supercharged two-seater that now resides in the USA. He also owned various type 35's and others including a type 59 at one point. He worked for J. Lemon Burton in the 1930's and Rodney Clark in the 1940's. Any help would be appreciated.
Regards Philippe Giron (based in the Lymington, Hampshire UK)
E-mail: philippe@nfob.co.uk
25-3-2006
I would very much appreciate if somebody could tell me what happened to the 1935 Paris Salon car (with a superb Gangloff body) that was later on that year driven by Veyron and Wurmser in the Paris-Nice Rally.
E-mail: ledoyen75@yahoo.fr
3-1-2006
I am about to embark on an ambitious project to remanufacture Type 57 grilles, shutters and grille shells. Before I invest this money in tooling I need to know if I am duplicating the efforts that someone else has already done.
Please let me know if you are aware of such a person or product in existance.
Terry Cook, USA
E-mail: DecoRides@aol.com
3-1-2006
I have to rewire my type 37 as the existing cables are brittle. The cables are braided and all are the same beige/light brown colour. Does anybody know what the original colours were?
replacement cables are available from www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk in various colour combinations.
Robert van Zyl.
E-mail: robert@van-zyl.net
18-10-2005
Can anybody help me to trace this T57 Stelvio (late series): Chassis- and engine number unknown, built probably in 1939 .
The second owner, a very charming old lady, told me, that the first owner - as far as she remembers - has been King Michail of Bulgaria.
She sold the car from Austria to Sweden at the early 60ies, the car then was part of the famous Soederstroem-collection and is said to have been sold then to USA.
The original colour has been a kind of petroleum-blue ( please see the colour foto made in the 50ies), please also note the rear side-windows in the soft-top! I was told, that the car participated also at the German International Rally (1962 ?) in Oyenhausen.
Can anybody tell me the numbers of the car or any further history, does it still exist, does anybody have photos of the car?
Thank you in advance for your help, best regards from Vienna, HELGE HAUK
E-mail: dr.hauk@chello.at
29-8-2005
I have seen the three terminal Bosch coils wired in different ways and was wondering what was the correct wiring scheme.
Is there anyone that can help with this?
John Stewart, E-mail: john.e.stewart@VALLEY.NET
3-8-2005
Bugatti EB110 register Johann Petit is busy, together with a few others, to make complete the register of the EB110, he needs: " specifications of existing EB110s, with VIN and pics if possible".
E-mail: jpetit@bordeaux.inra.fr
29-5-2005
Bugatti coachwork on FIAT
On Page 8 of "Les 57 Sport", part 2 by Pierre-Yves Laugier, there is a reprint of the Bugatti Coachwork designs factory list (Dessins de Carroseries). Looking closely at this list (pages 4 and 5 only, dating from 1932 to 1939), it seems that most of these designs have been actually made, most on T57 or T57s chassis, but also on T50T (even a fourgon or truck) and T64 chassis.
One item struck me however, it is design number 1058, dated 11-1-33, called a coupé de Ville. The chassis type however is stated clearly FIAT.
It seems that this is the only Bugatti body design for a non-Bugatti chassis. Does anybody have more info on this design? And of course, was it ever made? Do any drawings or photographs exist, and what type of FIAT chassis was it intended for??
For comparison, design 1052, of 11-5-32 was a Coupé de Ville for T41!
Any comments, please email: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com 7-5-2005
T52 the first electric children´s car? I received a mail from Charles Roeder, who asks for he inspiration behind the T52. It is generally assumed that the Citroën´s Childs car may have inspired it, but the real question is if the T52 was actually the first one to be electrically driven. If that is so, then Bugatti stood at the start of a long line of electric child´s cars, until today!
Can anybody clarify this matter?
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com 7-5-2005
The Brescia, The Images Publishing Group has the follwing request:
IMAGES is publishing later this year a unique book on the Bugatti Brescia by Bob King, which will contain a global listing of Brescia owners and information about their cars. IMAGES would still very much like to hear from anyone who owns a Brescia with whom it has not been in contact.
Already, superb material has been received, including unique photography (often very historical and archival) which demonstrates an affection for their cars that only Brescia owners can understand. All original material will be returned.
Contributors would be welcome to contact us via our general email address (books@images.com.au ) and we will then forward submission instructions.
2-2-2005
Radiator help
Update: Most readers refer to Blaak, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands as the best location for radiator work. See: www.blaak.com
Original question: I have a 1929 T44 Bugatti with a badly leaking radiator.
I am interested in how others have dealt with this, possible repair measures.
My guess is that ultimately a recore will be needed, so I wonder how to find someone competent to do this. I'm in New York.
E-mail contact through: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
2-2-2005
Gaston Grümmer Update February 2, 2005
There are at least two Gaston Grummer bodied Bugattis in Southern California in addition to Mike Cleary's Type 38.
Type 23, Chassis 2862, is an opera coupe owned by and currently on display at the Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar. The ABC register states that this car was purchased new at the Paris Show by the Gianini family and kept by them until after the Second War. I have seen the car and it looks to be in fine restored condition.
A Type 46, Chassis 46405, coupe with fabric top and false landau irons is owned by the Adams family of San Diego, who also have several other Bugattis. The chassis has been restored to show condition and the body is currently off the chassis awaiting restoration.
David M. Woodhouse
Gaston Grümmer´s son sent me a range of questions: I notice that you have pictures of my fathers work on Bugatti
Does anybody have a record of all the chassis he made the body for?
Do you know if any of these cars still exist?
Do you have you have any other informations we can put together with our archives?
Sofar I have only succeeded in locating one Gaston Grümmer bodied Bugatti, a 1926 T38 Roadster, the yellow one. The photograph at the top is a landaulet made for the singer Josephine Baker. This picture I found somewhere on the Internet, probably on Ebay. JJH
The yellow car belongs to Michael Cleary. Michael came to see me in Paris in order to get the original pictures.
The story of his restauration is fantastic, the engine had disappeared and was removed when he bought the car, but years after he bought it, he saw an advertisment for the sale of a Bugatti engine, he bought it and when he worked on it later, he discovered it was the original engine of the chassis!
Then he managed to find me in Paris to have the exact shape of the original fenders.
Philippe Grümmer
E-mail: philippe.grummer@wanadoo.fr
19-1-2005
Bugattis in collection in India
I heard that in the Indian collection of Pranlal Bhogilal, which consists of some 100 cars, there should be 6 Bugattis. This was mailed to me by somebody in India. However, I cannot relocate this person.
Does anybody have more information on the Bugattis in this collection?
For some info on the collection see: www.bsmotoring.com
Jaap Horst
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
19-1-2005
Who is the owner of 37.355? Ihave an old invoice and some other papers for 37.355. Who is hte current owner of this car?
Rick Scholtens
E-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
19-1-2005
Can anyone please tell me where I can obtain one set of 57S French jaeger instrument dial face reproductions or front view pictures suitable for reproducing? Thank you.
David B. Miltner
E-mail: fpmiltner@earthlink.net
22-12-2004
I am painting my T-57 Ventoux in the original black and ivory colour combination. I wonder if anyone has painted his Bugatti in any IVORY combination and is willing to share with me the IVORY colour reference he has chosen. Thank you very much in advance
Gabriel Pestana
E-mail: gpestana@incipresa.comm
22-12-2004
Does anyone have any information about an Australian Lady Racing Driver called Miss Marie Jenkins of Melbourne? She raced a Type 13 Brescia in 1925/6 with great effect. She raced at the Maroubra track and advertised her car for sale in 1926. What happened to her and the car ? Any details of her racing would be appreciated.
Regards Geoff Booth
E-mail: booth12@supanet.com
4-10-2004
I will like to know if you have information (chassis numbers etc...) on the Bugattis in the Collection Mas du Clos of Pierre Bardinon. I have all what is necessary to know about his Ferraris but not about his Bugattis. All what I know it is that he has T35 B, T51, T55 (more info already known), T57 and T43.
Thanks in Advance
Christophe Chanterault
E-mail: scuderiacc@aol.com
22-6-2004
Unknown T43 / T55? Update, 4-12-2004
Some further information on what might be this car, from Guy Huet.
Jack Lemon Burton sold 43154 in the early thirties to Tan Kwan Tong, in Puket, Siam (Thailand) He paid £ 186 and traded another car in as well.
It was immatriculated 2708 RB 6, which was probably a French number. Does anybody have additional info on 43154?
Does anybody have more info on this car?
Type, chassisnumber, history, anything is welcome.
Terry McGrath
Please mail your comments to:
mcgrath1@bigpond.net.au
13-6-2004
Accidental Ventoux The following question came from Kees Jansen. He wants more information about the car in the picture. The picture was sent by J.L.Chauvin from Pessac en Gironde, and was made by his uncle, Andre Chauvin from Saintes. It is a Ventoux with a clearly visible license: 8785JH3, delivered end 1935 or beginning 1936 in the Loire-Inferieure. The location of the accident presumably was Charente-Maritime. Chauvin asks if the car still exists, and if current pictures of the same car are available (questions were asked in the newspaper that published the picture in 1978).
Please mail your comments to: KeesJ@rdgg.nl
18-5-2004
Update!
I was told (by someone who really knows) that the documents etc. of the Ora study center are still in possession of Mrs. Renata Kettmeier.
2-5-2004 In the time Romano Artioli was making the EB110, there was a Bugatti study center at Ora, Italy, which was run by Romano´s wife Renata Kettmeier. The center has closed, but where did it´s collection go? Please answer not only to Dick Ploeg, who brought this question to me, but also to myself!
E-mail Dick Ploeg: D.Ploeg@hdibv.nl, and my own: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
28-1-2001
King-Bugatti parts??
On behalf of a well known institution that is rebuilding a King-Bugatti WW1, U16 airplane-engine (at least for display), I am looking for parts to complete this engine. Mainly the Crankcase, but also other parts are needed.
On behalf of the Bugatti Aircraft Association, I am also interested in the whereabouts of any complete engines (apart from the known ones, 2 on display in the USA, 1 and a half in Mulhouse). Anybody who has parts, or knows of parts or complete engines, please mail your comments to: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
12-4-2004
Another unidentified Bugatti
I have had this postcard a long time and do not know what, where or when..
Can anybody help please?
It seems to be a T30 (or late Brescia), with obviously the race number 12
Please mail your comments to: Brianswann01@aol.com
4-4-2004
Picture of 57601
Bernhard Simon saw this picture of 57601, the Corsica Coupé, after it's crash but before the burning down. It is on my CD, but I do not know where I got it from. Anybody who has the original picture, or a better scan, please react. Also other pictures of the same car are very welcome!
E-mail: Bernhardsimon@aol.com
10-4-2004
Smuggler´s Bugatti In postwar Germany not too many original cars were left. Before the war this Bugatti (Probably T23) was caught while smuggling cigarettes, a fairly popular past-time in those days. For this purpose a light strong car was quite usefull. This car was sold new in Wuppertal and had a first registration in 1928/29 in Straelen, Nord Rhein Westfalen. The German licence plate reads IY-69921 ("Landkreis Geldern"), no information is being kept there any more. A research in the non-digitised older archives of the national 'Kraftfahrt Bundesamt' has been started but it will take some time before hand-picked results will come out of that. Or not. Anybody (in Germany or elewhere) who remembers the car or has seen or heard recently of the IY-69921? Please write to Info@PreWarCar.com (photo courtesy Hubert Kranz Oldtimer)
(Question taken from www.PreWarCar.com)
E-mail: Info@PreWarCar.com
10-3-2004
1922 T-13
I am currently trying to research the history of a Bugatti T13 that currently resides in South Africa. The car is a 1922 T-13, British reg'n KU-3064, chassis number 1780. The car is said to have had some racing history but I have yet to find any evidence.
Can anybody help Wayne Kennerley?
E-mail: Wayne.Kennerley@uk.taylorwoodrow.com
19-1-2004
Bugatti T50 drawings
Can anyone locate chassis drawings for the T50 Le Mans race car, an example of which is currently in the ownership of Miles Coverdale, Long Island, New York.
Drawings must exist, because a French modeller currently offers a scale model of his car.
Any assistance would be much appreciated.
e-mail: Mike@bugatti.fsnet.co.uk
12-1-2004
Bugatti T52 drawings
I receive a lot of questions from people planning to build a Bugatti Children´s car. As I still find the T52 the nicest design, I recommend them to buy -- eh build one.
However, there don´t seem to be drawings around, to build a T52 from. Has anybody ever made these drawings himself, or located them anywhere, and is he willing to lend this to others who are at the point of starting such a project? Thanks in advance,
Jaap Horst
e-mail: J.J.Horst@BugattiPage.com
12-1-2004
Bertrand y Serra
-a search for information-
In the period 1920 - 1939 the Bugatti factory in Molsheim, France delivered some 45 cars to their agents Bertrand y Serra (ByS) in Barcelona. There are indications that the Bugatti race driving brothers Pierre and Fernando (Ferdinand?) de Vizcaya were directors of ByS and that ByS was, perhaps, the Bugatti agents for the whole of Spain.
Confirmation of this and further information about this company is sought. Did ByS have other activities; did they represent other automobile manufacturers; are they still in business; what was their address; who were their clients; which coachbuilders did they work with; are there records of ByS advertising and exhibition activities; etc.,etc.
Owning one of the cars delivered new to ByS, a 1925 Type 23 Bugatti, I would be delighted to receive information of any sort about Bertrand y Serra.
Durante el período 1920-1939 la compañía "Bugatti Automobiles" de Molsheim (Francia) suministró unos 45 automóviles a su agente "Bertrand y Serra" (ByS) de Barcelona. Existen indicios de que los hermanos Pierre y Fernando (¿Ferdinand?) de Vizcaya, pilotos de competición de Bugatti, dirigían la empresa ByS; y de que ByS era, tal vez, el agente exclusivo de Bugatti para toda España.
Se desea confirmación sobre lo hasta ahora expuesto y mayor información relativa a la compañía ByS:
¿Tenía ByS otras actividades?
¿Representaron a otros fabricantes de automóviles?
¿Están aún en el negocio de la automoción?
¿Cual era su dirección?
¿Quiénes fueron sus clientes?
¿Con qué carroceros trabajaron?
¿Existen documentos o datos relativos a la publicidad de ByS y sus actividades de exposición?
Siendo propietario de uno de los vehículos que fue entregado nuevo a ByS, un Bugatti tipo 23 de 1925, me resultaría muy grato recibir información de cualquier tipo relativa a Bertrand y Serra.
Por favor, para enviar información pueden dirigirse por escrito; o bien mediante fax; o por correo electrónico, a:
Please write, fax or e-mail to:
Kjeld C. Jessen
Zilverstraat 47
B-2900 Schoten
Belgium
Fax No.: ++32 3 685 0737
e-mail: jessen@wol.be
4-1-2004
Bugattis in Poland
I am looking for all chassis numbers and sale dates of all Bugattis, who were sold to Poland in the 20's and 30's.
Can you help me.
Thanks in advance
Andrzej Jakubaszek
Warszawa
Poland
e-mail: anjakub@yahoo.com
16-12-2003
Bugattis in Slowakia
Miroslav Mráz is looking for traces of two Bugattis that have been in Slowakia:
Bugatti T40, chassis 40501
The car was exported in the 70´s from Bratislava to Austria and Germany. The Roadster - body had been built in Bratislava.
Bugatti T43, chassis 43257 (Number has been verified)
Can anyone Inform me of the current whereabouts or later history of these cars?
Phone: 00421 33 558 09 58
E-mail: bxl@tt.sknet.sk
10-11-2003
Bugattis T35B-4925 photo´s Above the picture of T35B, chassis 4925, at Monterey this year. Once again thanks to Helge Hauk for helping me research the proper Polish racing colors. The design met with unanimous approval.
As it turns out, the car was registered to Automobiles E. Bugatti on 21st July, 1928 with the French registration 7924 J4. It was most likely raced by the factory until it was sold to Krakow, Poland on March 26th, 1929. If any of you discover photographs of the car, those would be greatly appreciated! I am told that the San Sebastian GP on July 25th, 1926 (Benoist) and the European GP at Monza (Williams) on September 9th, 1928 are some of the more important races in which the car may have run.
Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Michael Gans
Parkstrasse 33
D-61476 Kronberg
Germany
+49 171 7575955 mob
+49 6173 605833 fax
E-mail: mgans@supreme-foodservice.com
10-11-2003
T44 Pictures 3nd update Just one of the unknown T44's has been identified: The blue roadster of Mister Ferrand: It's 441139, normally on display in the Le Mans museum.
I think, it would be nice to concentrate our efforts on the red-black cabriolet of Patrick Haudayer, the dark GS with registration number VN 1223 and the other dark GS with the registration 44MP12, seen in Montlhéry 1977.
Benny Graf Saner has had quite a few offerings as a follow up to this advert, and received photos or info on the (amongst others) the following cars: 44311, 44319, 44379, 44713, 44733, 44857, 44873, 44926, 44942, 441085, 441100, 441127, 441150 and 441342: info on some cars came from several persons. Thanks to you all for your help!
Benny is now looking for, (apart from more pictures, see the list below), some specific information: The licence plate 5804 HL 93 could have been with Bugatti Type 44 (44506). Is this a french or an english registration? Actually, Andrea Capra and myself are looking for informations concerning 44506.
The red Bugatti shown in the pictures was first a coach, now a roadster. Must have been somewhere near Bordeaux where it was for sale five years ago. The car probably later went to Paris.
It has since been identified as 44333, also the current owner is known, with it probably more history as well.
I'm looking for photos of the following T44 cars:44309 44311 44319 44477 44480 44499 44511 44609 44623 44696 44733 44741 44765 44857 44873 44915 44926 44930 44942 44946 44972 441021 441036 441068 441127 441137 441150 441277 441326 441333 441352 441353Who can help?
Thanks a lot in advance and ... vive la Marque!
Benny Graf-Saner
E-mail: bennygrafsaner@freesurf.ch
24-9-2003, updated 6-10-2003
Bugatti Brescia Body Drawings
My father has his 65th birthday this May.
His greatest wish/ desire are construction plans/ design drawings for an aluminium car body for his Bugatti Brescia T23 (wheelbase 2,5 m). Is there any chance to get original plans and could you help me to suprise my father with this?
Tanja Zarges
So If anybody can help Tanja surprise her father, please mail her!
Email: surfin@netcologne.de
3-5-2003
Question about Bugatti Oil
I received this question from Norman Cowell:
I have been trying to find out about oil that was sold in 2 liter can's with the Bugatti label on them. I saw a picture some where that showed a bunch in and old garage picture. Do you know of this oil and where I can get some information on it?
So who can help Norman finding out what was in the cans?
Email: NORMCOWELL@aol.com
28-4-2003
Help Identify this T44 (or T40?) Benny Graf-Saner is looking into the history of the car pictured here. According to a mail he recieved from Mister Nicolas Guhring (EBA member, owner of the picture), this Bugatti is not a Type 40, but 44713. The magazine "Automobilia", N° 62, page 39 has published this information.
Comment by Dick Ploeg: This is clearly a (cheaply?) rebodied Bugatti and it does seem to include (recycled?) body components of other cars. One item I can positively identify are the bonnet (hood) side grilles, which come from a Salmson S4 DA (1937/1938) or a late model S4 D.
One other observation: If indeed it is a type 44, then it appears to have its chassis shortened?
Can you please help Benny with any additional info?
Email: bennygrafsaner@freesurf.ch
28-4-2003
T55 reg no EPF4 chassis no 55220
Can you help me find a type 55 reg no EPF4 chassis no 55220 i worked on this car as a young boy with a mr george boyle [sports cars ltd] in england i contacted bugatti owners club they give me some history the last wherabouts the car was sold to somebody in the USA i had some pictures but have lost them in moving house any help will be cratefull yours
Steve Fenwick, Chesire, England
Email: Stevefenwick45@aol.com
12-1-2003
Vive La Marque !!
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Source: https://www.bugattipage.com/bqueeste.htm
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