Piasa Auction, Le sens d'un choix esthétique, November 20, 2023

• Rembrandt Bugatti (1884-1916), Femme nue assise se coiffant, 1906, Estimate €100,000 - €150,000: Sold for €266,964 inc. premium
• Rembrandt Bugatti (1884-1916), Lionne dévorant, circa 1904, Estimate €200,000 - €300,000: Sold for €232,738 inc. premium

Piasa Auction, Le sens d'un choix esthétique, November 20, 2023

In September, the museum bought a (replication) body of the famous T57S Corsica, which was originally designed by Eric Giles for his brother Godfrey and made by Corsica of England. Godfrey had a habit of giving all his cars names, this one was christened "la petite Sezanne". This body was on (shortened) chassis 57577, which apparently now will be fitted with a replica Atlantic body.

In the meantime it is a part of the bugatti exhibition at the Autovision museum in Altlussheim. The car is only partially built up / restored and not yet ready for driving.

The Museum in Altlussheim focuses on the Jean-Bugatti era only, and has some special original T57 Bugattis, and a range of (replica) Bugatti Type 57S and Type 59 cars, showing the original designs by Jean Bugatti together with draughtsman Joseph Walter.

Cars that are rarely seen, or simply do not exist anymore, like the T57G Le Mans, T57S Atlantic, the T57S Roadster Jean and the T57S Gangloff (made after an original drawing, which was never realised in the 1930's). This Corsica T57S is a nice addition to show these most elegant cars of the 2nd half of the 1930's.

Info on the museum and the Bugatti's on show.

Only 5 engines are currently planned, with 4 available for purchase.

These engines will not be completely finished assemblies, rather they will consist of all the major machined castings, to include the carburetor, cylinder barrel, a rebuildable magneto core, and a basic fastener set.

Buyers would have to finish internal components themselves, or acquire parts needed to finish over time.

It could also make a nice display, if left unfinished.

The cost for one of these casting sets (incomplete engine) is expected to be US$18,000, with the sets projected to be available late Spring of 2024.

If interested, contact Lance Baumberger at 72cycleengine@gmail.com

René Strub was a designer with Bugatti, he started working for Bugatti in 1950. He was involved in the automobile projects afterwards, especially the development of the T251 Grand Prix racer.

Well in his nineties, René was involved with retrieving the history of the post-war Bugatti factory, and automobile development there. In 2017 he was at a conference for automotive historians in Mulhouse, where he was invited by John Barton. At that time, I also met him. Above and right photographs of René with the Colombo designed "Turbo-frein" brake for the T251. Unfortunately, the brake proved unsuccessful (overheated), and was replaced with drum brakes for the race in 1956.

René Strub died during the first week of October aged 97.

Richard Bernhart and Arsène Munch met him earlier this year and recorded a 1 hour video with René telling them his Bugatti memories in Alsatian dialect. These memories have been summarized below, thanks to Richard Bernhart.

Memories of Mr. René Strub, designer at Bugatti in the 1950s

My first job in 1950 at Bugatti was to design a steering lever. It is a lever which is mounted on the spindle of the right front wheel and which controls the steering. This under the direction of Mr. Nuss my boss, a very capable man, a veteran who still worked with Ettore Bugatti, he was very friendly but disappeared later.

Comment: Adolphe Nuss was responsible for the designs of the Type 45/47 sixteen-cylinder engine, then he worked with Ettore on the railcar in 1931-32. Disappointed by the boss's lack of consideration, he left him in 1937 to return briefly in 1950, that's where René Strub knew him. Finally he obtained a position at the University of Strasbourg.

I also designed a new intake pipe for a new carburetor fitted to the 3.3 liter Type 57 engine with two overhead camshafts, an engine also fitted to the Type 101, which was not more than an improvement of the Type 57 with a more modern body.
This carburetor was mounted very low and it happened that it sucked in water at the same time as the gasoline and air when the car drove through a puddle, which obviously caused the engine to misfire or even stop.
It was a really fascinating job for me, as I loved it and like to remind myself of it. You should know that the old carburetor was mounted very low below, at the level of the crankcase to allow the assembly of a Roots compressor (Type 57 C) for competitions or for the 24 hours of Le Mans won in 1937 and 1939. To do this, I met several times with the modelers who were preparing the wooden model for the founders of the new intake pipe, work carried out at the factory.

I also worked on the brakes to improve them by increasing the diameter of the drums.
It must be said that the 57 was a great success which was built in numerous examples which were very successful despite its high price and which allowed a wide range of bodywork.
Subsequently, I also participated in replacing the drive of the camshafts, driven by a cascade of gears, with a quieter chain drive. I followed the tests and I had to add a system to prevent the chain from beating. I don't know if the new system has been adapted to the Type 101!

Comment: The new camshaft drive was ultimately not adopted on the Type 101.

After the Geneva Motor Show in 1957, chassis 101503 was sold to the owner of the Rentz cheese factory (Ostheim) which manufactured processed cheeses, he was an unpleasant man, a big mouth... Too bad for the good cheeses that he transformed into diamonds.
As for the name Wurmser, he was an exceptional young mechanic who accompanied the racing cars on the circuits and who set up a garage in Molsheim, on the road which passes in front of the gate of the blacksmiths in the direction of the sub-prefecture with the Bugatti emblem which has still survived, I saw it later. All this reminds me of the good time I spent at Bugatti and which still enchants me. Moreover, all those who worked at Bugatti were contaminated by the Bugatti virus and this for life.

Mr. Rentz's 57 101, Ed. soon returned to the factory, because a not very knowledgeable mechanic had tightened the fan drive belt a little, but he had done it very badly. The pulley was mounted on its axis held by a part which could move but which was blocked by 2 parts equipped with 3 screws each which had to be loosened to be able to tighten the belt. To unlock these square-headed Bugatti screws you needed a special Bugatti key which he did not have. As a result, the square heads of these screws were completely damaged and could no longer perform their function. He may have tried it with the wrong wrench.

A 57 chassis left for Paris, the last one, for the second husband of Madame Bugatti (Ettore's second wife) who was the manufacturer of OCB cigarette paper and who had it bodied in Paris. I had the pleasure of seeing her later, a great meeting.

Chassis 101500 remained at the factory and was bodied on site with the help of the Gangloff coachbuilders in Colmar. It was painted a gray-green, an undercoat. It was often used by the director for his travels. The color was rather sad and I only saw it again later in white and found it not to be a success.
Moreover, most of the Type 101s were bodied by Gangloff of Colmar. Great work!

In 1953 an American, Mr Oliver, owned a 57S Atlantic, built in only three examples, with a red body made of magnesium alloy (Elektron) and riveted. The car is shipped from the USA in a double-walled “marine” crate with tarred cardboard between the two layers. The car is fixed by the hubs on wedges and the wheels on the inner wall. The car is impeccable, it involves carrying out a general overhaul of the engine as well as the fitting of a Roots compressor. The car is equipped with a Cotal electromagnetic gearbox and hydraulic brakes. This work completed, the car goes to Italy to the bodybuilder Boano to be modernized. Enlarged quarter windows and retouched doors, Bugatti blue paint with a tiny blue, white and red flag on the side. The car returns to Molsheim as does the American to collect his car and tour the Grand Prix in Europe. After that he brings the car back to Molsheim for a final check, then repatriates it by boat to the USA in its crate. Mr. Oliver was a skinny, wizened guy with a big hat and very nervous. When he drove his hands and feet shook (facts reported by the mechanics who took care of the car).

The 8-cylinder Type 57:

• A five-franc coin placed on its edge on the engine idling did not fall.
• Just turning the ignition key was enough to start the engine.

Comment:

• Lucien Wurmser used a cigarette placed vertically on the top of the engine to demonstrate this.
• All you had to do was turn the ignition key in the middle of the dashboard to turn on the ignition and then press it to activate turn on the starter and wake up the 8 cylinders (Jaeger switch)..

Jean Bugatti sometimes delivered unbodied cars to Paris, just equipped with a wooden bench, and this in 3 hours 47 minutes! The mechanic got off and took the train home.

An American soldier with a very nice Type 57 Stelvio 2-seater convertible brings his car to have the engine completely rebuilt for a million francs (old francs), the car stays for about a year while he collects the money. Finally he searches for his car and returns a week later with the car folded in half after encountering a concrete pillar. The bodywork is in a sad state and even the chassis was deformed.

I also remember an old missionary stationed in black Africa who came to have his old Bugatti Type 30 with a torpedo body and a three-liter engine serviced. It was the best car in the world, why don’t we make them anymore…

A Dutch couple with a Type 43 from 1930 with glasses and two windbreakers, the exhaust, a real chrome stovepipe. A dashboard with a multitude of dials, the majority of which were of no use because they were not connected. It made a lot of noise, but a nice noise and had a 24 Hours of Le Mans license plate on it. The woman shows up at the workshop every day (a little weird). This is one of the most beautiful Bugattis encountered in our workshops.

The 57 of the Belgian king Leopold, he also has a type 59 sport from 1934, goes through the workshop once a year for servicing. The driver is at the hotel for a week or more and comes by daily to monitor the progress of the work.

During and after the war it was difficult to find spare parts. American and English Bugatti owners fitted Ford V8 engines to be able to drive. At Bugatti we completely remade foundry models after the war as soon as the number of orders for parts justified the manufacture of a series, the price was accordingly!

René Strub (96 years old)
Saverne, August 2022
Comments collected by R. Bernhart

Text in French

Okay, you will think: Jaap, now you are going absolutely too far! A Delage on BugattiPage!

But, I have an absolutely good reason for that (more than the Bugattis in the background of the pictures), sometimes, you read pieces of Bugatti history somewhere else. At least, I never knew this, which comes from the auction description of the Delage shown above:

The Delage #51821, flanked for the occasion by the number 21, and attributed to the duo Louis Gérard – Georges Monneret, will race the 1939 Le Mans 24 hours in the lead for almost 20 hours, before being delayed in the pits for a capricious valve spring.

The Bugatti Type 57 Tank of Jean-Pierre Wimille and Pierre Veyron take the opportunity to take victory and enter the annals.

However, Delage could have lodged a protest and won, since the Bugatti, which was overheating, had had its lower fairing dismantled in the last hours of the race, which the regulations strictly prohibited.

Now, had only Lewis Hamilton raced with Delage... The story would have been different.

I'm not sure if any of my readers ever heard about this? If not, here's now a small addition to Bugatti history. And of course in racing (and also in other fields, like taxes) Bugatti was known to "bend the rules" a little bit to his own advantage. If any protesting by Delage would have helped, we will never know. And Bugatti, though (according to the Delageist at least) may not be the Moral winner of Le Mans 1939, Bugatti continues to be the official winner.

Some more info on the Delage:
1939 - Delage D6 3 Litres Le Mans
Chassis no 51821
Sacred monster of the history of motor racing and French sporting heritage
History known and documented since day one, in the same family since 1979
Historical file and dedicated literature rarely seen on a pre-war racing automobile

Go to the auction (November 26)

The modern Bugatti seems to do everything to build (or destroy?) their brand, and to make money, I guess. And, despite the picture above looking like some automobile shapes, they are in fact just a couple of shoes....

In September 2021 I wrote about what was then the latest thing, a "Bugatti" razor made by Gilette. At that time I asked the question:

How far can you go as an automobile manufacturer to get some additional cash? And maybe a bit of publicity?

Bugatti markets a whole lot of stuff; clothing, furniture, impressive yachts, perfumes, HiFi speakers and the Bugatti Billiard (pool table actually)...

The Bugatti press release about these shoes, made by Adidas:

Bugatti and adidas have come together to create a stunning, limited edition football boot: the adidas X Crazyfast Bugatti. Produced in a limited run of just 99 pairs, the new boots are engineered for speed and lightness, finished with a number of bespoke Bugatti design flourishes.

Built around the X Crazyfast laced boot, the exclusive new collection draws upon the characteristics that have come to define Bugatti; not only engineered for speed but created with a ‘Form Follows Performance’ design philosophy for the ultimate in ability. And, as with every Bugatti, they will remain rare and sought after by devoted collectors for years to come.

Where the heart of the Chiron is its incomparable W16 engine, the focal point of the X Crazyfast boot is adidas’s innovative Speedframe sole plate technology, creating the lightest possible structure while also providing a rigid plate for rapid acceleration. The Aerocage innovation – an engineered lining designed to provide ideal support and stability by hugging the mid-foot, and Aeropacity Speedskin – a single layer breathable monomesh – help to provide both speed and stability. The carbon fiber inlay in the boot’s tooling replicates the carbon fiber used on the car.

The structure of X Crazyfast’s semi-transparent mono-mesh material on the mid-foot cage has been adapted from the original design to incorporate a recognizable flash of Bugatti Blue. Inspired by the color of early Bugatti Grand Prix cars, it’s an instantaneous identifier for any devotee of the brand, transcending a century of motorsport success and incomparable performance.

Adorned on the side of the boot are two phrases that have shaped the values of both companies “Impossible is Nothing” for adidas’ relentless pursuit of performance and “Create the Incomparable” to represent the Bugatti commitment to produce hyper sports cars that consistently set the benchmark. The timeless insignia of Ettore Bugatti repeats across the rear three-quarter of the boot in a subtle nod to the ingenious founder, whose vision continues to inspire the world’s greatest hyper sports cars even today.

The X Crazyfast Bugatti collection boots come delivered in a unique box featuring an exterior design inspired by weaves of carbon fiber – the lightweight, extremely strong material that Bugatti hyper sports cars are mostly constructed from.

To ensure that adidas and Bugatti enthusiasts globally have equal opportunity to acquire one of the 99 pairs of the collection, the boots will be auctioned through the adidas Collect Web 3 platform. The auction will run from 8th-11th November and afterwards all winners receive an exclusive digital shoebox which can be redeemed, from November 13th onwards, via adidas Collect for the complementary physical pair and digital twin. Although conducted using cryptocurrency, users have a direct on-ramp from traditional currency in the auction using MoonPay.

As you know, Ettore Bugatti came from a very artistic family. Occasionally, I present some work by his father Carlo and brother Rembrandt on these pages. (And even less often by his daughter Lidia)

In the images a Pair of knife rests depicting some kind of imaginative insects, from approximately 1907 (no further info of provenance).
These are made of precious metal, presumably silver, and measure 3 x 10 x 3.5 cm

If you're interested, the estimate is £3,000 - 5,000
Update, 9-11-2023 SOLD FOR £4,064

Go to the auction (October 31)