The official Bugatti discussion thread!

Hi everyone,

I started this thread only for the purpose of discussing Bugattis, since I have found that many people are asking me and others loads of questions about this old proud French Marque!
I sence there is a need for a place for all things Bugatti at Ferrarichat.com so let this be the beginning and let's see how it goes!
If anyone feels they have questions about Bugattis or the history or the persons behind this Marque, or if anyone just want to post their pictures of Bugattis, please feel free to do it here, and I for one will do my best to help everyone with their questions as good as I can!
In other words, let this be the official Bugatti thread!
Old or new things Bugatti, just post it here!!!

Vive La Marque

Carsten

 

It's an excellent idea Carsten, I think that I will take share there

Best regards

 

Welcome Christophe, and thanks for joining in!
I sure hope I can count on your help if I get problems with answering questions

Your friend

Carsten

 

Excellent idea - I am a new but avid 'Pur Sang' fan and will enjoy learning.

A couple of websites:

http://www.bugatti-trust.co.uk/ the semi official

http://www.bugattipage.com/ a pretty nice overview by Jaap Horst

 

That Enzo drawing is amazing.

Sorry.

 

Welcome Russ,
Please feel free to ask!
I think one will never know everything there is to know about the mysteries and facts regarding this mythical legend, but I will gladly help with the knowledge I have built up through the years!

Best

Carsten

 

Hi Marc,

Hey....That's okay, thanks a lot

Best

Carsten

 

At one time I had one of the largest Bugatti miniature collections in the world. I sold it Jacques Vaucher of L'Art et L'Automobile, about 10 years ago. I also did a number of one to three off scratch built 1/43rd Bugattis that no one else had done at that time. Alain Bouissou still does the best 1/43rd models in the world; all Bugattis, but they were $350 some 15 years ago, and now command around $3500!!

http://www.bouissoumodels.com/


By the way, does anyone know for certain how many 1938 T57G/4.5 and/or T57G/4.0 LeMans cars (that actually never raced) were built? Was it 1, 2 or 3??? I have seen photos of the 4.5 liter with and without a spare tyre on the rear deck, but do not know if it is the same car...

A good T57 Bugatti link:
http://www.ritzsite.net/Bugatti_T57/01_T57.htm

 

@Stuart,
In 1936 there were three cars built of the 3.3 litre Type 57S "Tank" Strictly known as the Type 57G and they all ran unsupercharged! Only three cars were built!
Benoist and Wimille won the Le Mans 24hours in 1937 in one of these cars at a record distance!

Two cars Type 57S45 were built for the French 1937 ACF Grand Prix, and used a 4.5 litre Type 50 B engine! Only these two cars of that Type were build to my knowledge, but were only completed, untested, and in the last minute, and arrived by road from Molsheim to the ACF Grand prix! These cars had their spare wheel mounted visible in the tail!! The cars did not complete any races as they were withdrawn from the 1937 ACF Grand Prix and were not seen again in this form! These cars are not known as Type 57G but strictly "57S45" although they are build on type 59 chassis frames!

PS. I have edited this post a couple of times, since it seems that the history of these tank bodied cars are a bit complex!


Best

Carsten

 

@stuart,

Here are pictures of the three different types of tank cars from the late thirties!

Picture 1Three pictures actually) 1936-37 Type 57S Tank also known as Type 57G (Le Mans 24 hours Winner in 1937, three cars were build)

Picture 2: 1937 Type 57S45 Tank (Two cars made for the 1937 ACF GP but were withdrawn)

Picture 3: 1939 Type 57C Tank ( Le Mans winner in 1939, only one car made, and also sadly Jean Bugatti met his death in August 1939 while testing this exact car for the La Baule GP)
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Okay for people who looooove the EB110 (such as myself) here is an EB110 Register

http://yo.spc.free.fr/Bugatti_EB110_register.htm

 

Great link, thanks a lot for sharing!

 

Great idea having this thread. I still aspire to a T35. One turned up to spectate at the Sporting Car Clubs vintage hill climb. One of the other drivers called it a rich mans Amilcar. Stunning...

 

I was speaking about the T57S45 (picture 2)....I wasn't sure if 1, 2 or 3 were made....and was one of these originally the T57S40?

 

In September ‘79, when I was living in N.Y., on a walk across town I had a look in at Chinetti’s showroom to see what they had on the floor. There were two cars, one a 250 PF II and the other an earlier Vignali bodied machine. The salesman was Jacques Vaucher - to cut a long story short I ended up with the PF II. I’m still in touch with Jacques who is the most charming of men.

Here’s a shot of a T 51 I was lucky enough to drive a few years ago.
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http://www.khanmodelcars.nl/miscellaneous.htm

I wish Bugatti had produced the EB 218:

http://www.khanmodelcars.nl/images/manufacturers/miscellaneous/images/Ban_Seng_Bugatti_EB218.jpg


or the Chiron:

http://www.khanmodelcars.nl/images/manufacturers/miscellaneous/images/ABC_Chiron_V18.3.jpg

 

I have heard Bugatti called French and Italian. So was Bugatti italian and then moved to France? Or was it French then moved to Italy then back again?? Were they produced in France, but headquarters in Italy?? Maybe Vice Versa? Mr. Kalikow just purchased a veyron, so maybe if I see him in the summer--I can ask him more about the car.

 

1:hey Carsten, you promised to post the one and only: Atlantic Register
including vin#, history , anecdotes and pics of all 3 Atlantic.

2: I'd love to see a pic of a RED EB100 anyone ?
3: what is Romano Artioli doing now? and how does he like the Veyron?

 

Hello James,
The answer to your question is not as simple as it may seem. The nationality of the cars depends on the time in history and just what you consider a Bugatti to be. I will try to give you the "Cliff Notes" history of Bugatti. The very earliest Bugattis were designed and built near Strasburg in Germany. In 1910 the factory was set up and production began in Molsheim, Germany. Following the end of the first war to end all wars the Alsace (both Strasburg and Molsheim are in Alsace) region of Germany was returned to the French. They had lost it in the Franco-Prussian war (1870-1871). It was the Treaty of Versailles following WWI that decreed the region be returnd to France. So most of Bugatti's fame and success is from the cars built in France between WWI and WWII. The last few cars dribbled from the factory in the early 1950s. Most will agree that the real Bugattis are French. The brand and logo were revived in Italy and the 110s were built there. These cars and those that followed had nothing to do with the original company. The latest "Bugattis" are VWs built in Molsheim. Are they French or German? I'll not venture an opinion as my intrest in Bugattis ends with the last "real" ones built in the early 50's.
Ron Hetherington
PS the 16 valve Brescia #1035 is almost finished!!!!!!!!
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I believe the Bugatti family was primarilly Italian, but the vast majority of cars were produced in the Alsace, which was both German and French at different times in history. In the late 1980s, a factory was built in Italy, and the 110s and prototypes have been built there. That factory closed circa 1998, and is still unoccupied! The Veyron is built in Alsace, and, in essence, Bugatti is now a VW brand, as is Maybach, and to some extent, Lamborghini.

 

It's a miniature, but here is a link to a photo of a red EB110..

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://picnic.ciao.com/fr/6293493.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ciao.fr/opinion_images_view.php/OpinionId/850244&h=300&w=400&sz=16&tbnid=NMf03qHZRJwmXM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=120&hl=en&start=58&prev=/images%3Fq%3DBugatti%2BEB110%26start%3D40%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN

 

Very nice article in the January Classic Cars magazine from the UK on the creation of a Bugatti that was imagined but never built. Using a drawing from Gangloff intended for a type 57 but never constructed, Bernard Marreyt used the remains of a 57 Stelvio to create the car that had previously only existed in an artist's imagination.
It's quite a good article and personally, I find the Gangloff 57 quite stunning. They write of the recontruction with period technology and my favorite part was the driving impression.
If you can still find the Jan issue, it is a fascinating article. It may be available on line at their website.
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Not Maybach

 

Very good answer! As for the man himself, I believe Ettore Bugatti never took out French citizenship, even though all his children were French. He always remained Italian.

 

Another pics of the Bugatti Type 57 G. The pic 1, it's Pierre Veyron on the track of Montlhéry. The pic 2, it's Pierre Veyron and "Williams" Grover at the Grand Prix de l'A.C.F 1936 on the Montlhéry circuit. The pic 3, it's Jean-Pierre Wimille and Robert Benoist car at Le Mans 1937.
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