Top 10: The French car
Welcome to another edition of the French capital sins Over the next three days, we will focus on three luxury sports cars made in France from years 50, 60 and 70 which spelled doom for their first leaders up, via chronological order, let's take a moment to remember the legendary Bugatti and explore last disastrous model of the hallowed mark.
Ettore Bugatti, 1881-1947 was something of a character born and raised in Milan in a family of artists, he had a remarkable flair for all things mechanical but never had any formal training in his mid 20s it was used by several car manufacturers Deutz, de Dietrich, Peugeot to design automobiles he made enough money to build its own factory in Molsheim, Alsace was then part of the German Empire in 1910 Bugattis will soon not sought after light particularly well and eminently raceable border moved in 1919 and Bugatti, who had spent the war in Paris, became a french automaker Bugattis were a great success in races throughout the 20s and booming business.
Jean Bugatti posing with one of his most significant creations, type 41 Edsers convertibles.
Ettore son John, born in 1909, demonstrated a similar innate sense for machinery, as well as a truly modern taste bodied cars, which allowed him to create some of the best company cars this frontal personal inclination ettore late 19th century style Jean Bugatti was basically put on the ground of the factory in Molsheim He knew backwards and forwards the whole operation of the smelter at upholstery service, and spoke fluent Alsatian with workers.
The Bugatti railcars were used on French railways 1934-1958 top speed was 195 kph over 115 mph.
Ettore and Jean Bugatti were ingenious men, who have found innovative solutions to adversity When Bugatti took a bath with the Type 41 Royale chassis only six were made, sold and no three purchased by royalty, they found a way to use surplus engines 12 massive 7 liter SOHC eight car lines were used to propel the highly successful Bugatti 88 cars built, which kept busy Paris Ettore.
John remained in Alsace for developing type iconic 57 1934-1939, another great success John has tried to modernize the frame, he managed to impose hydraulic brakes type 57 in 1938, but it was overturned by Ettore on several fronts, particularly the front axle live.
1939 Bugatti Type 64 prototype gullwing doors have proven fragile, they were later changed.
The company was not doing too well, but the cars, which were all built in Molsheim and Paris, Bugatti kept afloat, but the cars did not make enough money and racing became too expensive Ettore sought to diversify brand products, development plans and filing patents for the manufacture of motor boats, planes and many non-automotive devices midwife cars, the type 64 was to be the new supercar for 1940 He sported a 4 4 liter DOHC straight eight, a light duralinox windows and doors Gullwing Alas, fate decided to hit Bugatti with two consecutive hits in 1939.
The Bugatti factory in Molsheim, just before the war.
On August 11, 1939, Jean Bugatti crashed the race car Type 57C which had just won Le Mans, swerving to avoid a cyclist while intoxicated on roads near Molsheim The death of his son and heir severely affected Ettore Bugatti, but bigger events soon took France and Germany were at war three weeks later, Molsheim was a bit on the line of geographical forehead Ettore moved all he could to Bordeaux, to be forced to sell the factory to the Germans half price while the Germans moved back and put Hans Trippel in charge of the factory, who concoct torpedoes and amphibious raids and looting vehicles left virtually nothing of the factory in Molsheim in 1945, Ettore Bugatti, being an Italian citizen, was treated as a suspect by the French authorities after 1944, he fights to get his name, says the state recover its factory in ruins and fi finally won the trial Unfortunately, he had a stroke and died while waiting in August 1947, never having regained consciousness.
In a prospective kind Motor Show in Paris in 1947, with 73 Pourtout coachwork was presented on another 1 5 liter 4-cylinder Bugatti could have been a new beginning interesting, but the brain behind it have passed, the project was abandoned problem was that the bottom line of Bugatti was scarcely sane the plant had to be rebuilt, new machine tools have been done, the new work had to be recruited and trained, etc. Executive Director Bugatti Pierre Marco was frankly says in interviews that the Bugatti cars had to wait until the time was right for the moment, Bugatti has made room for their pre-war cars and type 57s, and many other outsourcing tasks.
1932 Bugatti Type 50 with a new body Saoutchik 1952.
Bugattis were sorely missed by many wealthy Americans, British and Swiss fans so missed that some even had their old cars for body re-adjust to the post-war fashion perhaps this explains the order in 1949 six new Type 57 chassis the order was quickly countermanded and removed parts Bugatti felt they needed a new model, not the type of pre-war 57 new Bugatti began to take shape in 1950, although rumor be a smaller car, perhaps in the range of 2 liters.
For unknown reasons the likely lack of time, money and talent, it was decided to update the old type 57 rather than launching a brand new car A first type of prototype 101 101500 chassis was made and oddly called by Louis Lepoix as a large four-door saloon car has been extensively tested by different managers and engineers Bugatti until 1951. The automotive press were elated Bugatti was back.
The large lounge was preceded by a coupe-type spuriously labeled 101, it was actually a pre-war chassis with the body of the new car and engine type 101 upgrade This was done in haste as a question of opportunity, so the style could be finalized in October 1951, Bugatti returned to Paris Auto Show with the type 101, including 101 fake and a real coupe type 101 convertible 101501.
automotive journalists started muting enthusiasm new style of pontoon 50, executed by habit coachbuilder Gangloff, makes for a rather dowdy-looking car Bugatti Unfortunately, the one who wrote the shape of the new car did not have the sensitivity artistic Bugatti clan nor the strange audacity Lepoix.
Type 101 3 25 liters DOHC straight eight produces a 150 or 190 hp hp respectable as the type 101C with a compressor with a power from the rear wheels through an electromagnetic gearbox 4 speed Cotal All Bugatti precious design elements were still there even those who probably should have been thrown away as solid front axle and never forget that eight straight were beyond ved He passed all these days, don cha know.
The chassis itself has been lowered slightly from a type 57, but still weighed over 1500 kg of body not included traditional aluminum steel body wood frame, always the name of the game early 50s in France, could add a good metric ton this.
The clientele was not exactly answer Bugatti had set their sights on making about 50 frames in 1951-1952, but only six have been set 101502 chassis was sold and went to Carrossier Guillore, who adapted an old design to fit the Delahaye long chassis, which it the only kind of good looks 101.
Top 1st 1951 Convertible Paris Motor Show; Second bottom in 1952 the cleanest bonnet line, larger grille, upper lights even carpet.
Two Gangloff convertibles were the second 101503 had a redesigned nose, making it a little less ugly, which was later moved to the first convertible and even cut, the type 101 was sold for up to 3 8 million francs in 1952, an astronomical price a Packard 400 would be similar in terms of weight and power, but durability- and reasonable prices, the American car had the edge Talbot-Lago T26 has a Ferrari or a Bentley could offer more for less money a Jaguar XK120 could run rings around the type 101 for less than a third of the price Bugatti managed to sell the valid cars except the living room and had left two frames in stock in 1953 four sales in two years, the type has projected 101 sedan ever made.
Chassis 101504 was finally bought by René Bolloré, the new husband of the young widow of Ettore Bugatti, he was strong in a particular shape, an aerodynamic model party, phallic symbol An illustration of how difficult it was take a 30s-style chassis with a body style of the 50s, the 101C was executed by Antem in 1954 by then type 101 was not on anyone's radar and Bugatti had retreated to under -traitance work again But the story has not quite finished.
Roland Bugatti 1922-1977, far left, looks like Maurice Trintignant is in the Bugatti 251 early in 1956.
Roland Bugatti, the youngest son of Ettore and a director of the company Bugatti, wanted to return to racing Thus, a type of couple 251 Formula One cars were made in order to test for the season 1956 he had a right-eight 2 5 liters DOHC developed by none other than Gioacchino Colombo, mounted transversely in front of the rear wheels of the car F1 was a disaster also plagued by problems of handling and engine, and only managed to complete 18 laps before retiring to the 1956 french grand Prix, the only race.
Bugatti focused on the production of aircraft parts after 1956 and despite a whisper sometimes, as these projects Michelotti penned between 1955 and 1958 for a 4 cyl putative 252, the brand had died in 1961, much of the Bugatti estate was divided several family cars, including three 41 Royal and several prototypes, went off to various collectors, including the infamous Schlumpf brothers.
A type 101C 101506 chassis was still in the factory, untouched It ended in the hands of Virgil Exner who has shortened by 46cm and 18 bodied by Ghia in 1965. He was an unworthy end of Molsheim Bugattis, but not worse than what had been Bugatti Molsheim factory was absorbed by Hispano-Suiza in 1964 and continues to make aircraft landing gear today as part of Safran.
Cars like the Ferrari 212 Inter Vignale or below Pegaso Z-102 made by ENASA type 101 look like a dinosaur.
The launch of the type 101 calendar was terrible In 1951 France it was relatively easy to obtain a second hand like a big car Delahaye 135 or Talbot-Lago for a relatively low price big impaired French cars quickly because few people could afford the associated costs of operation, so there was a glut of recent production of second-hand cars after 1950 sank like a stone for Talbot Delage, Delahaye, Salmson, and shortly after, Hotchkiss Not to mention competitors foreigners such as Ferrari or Pegaso, whose chassis was much sharper Molsheim s.
The type 101 and cut his bulging back fat face two other deadly sins, a Panhard Dyna Z and Hotchkiss Gregoire.
Bugatti entered the fray five years too early or five years too late had Molsheim launched a truly new car, say, 1955, the only competition was Facel-Vega Similarly, type 101 could have a good model transition if it had been launched in 1946-1947 bodied Bugatti was more inspired a loyal following around the world before the war, he was allowed to evaporate when Bugatti went incommunicado for five years and introduced a car 15 years.
Every six frames over the cut are taken into account it is still a Bugatti, after all.
Maybe Ettore plans to aim at a smaller 4-cyl should have been listened What is certainly true that the type 101 was a mortal sin to update pride barely a 15-year design because Ettore wanted in this way was beyond heavy complacent frame was too expensive, too outdated and too big, too, what it should be, a Bugatti should be beautiful and elegant something that the type of plant 101 was certainly not.
See you tomorrow for the second part of this series, we wander in the 60's and a visit to the beautiful Facel-Vega.
Great writeup, thank you Maybe it's just me, but there has never been a successful reincarnation of a dead brand, which is a shame The Stutz models reinterpreted the door 4 and convertible Avantis with Chevrolet or Ford equipment running, one of those, most are simply the kit car and did not have the cache of the original We look at the past with nostalgia for inspiration, but just end up making a poor copy of the original rather than a new design using the existing style indexes.
And great job, Bugatti Tatra is one of those classic Marqués 30s I had supposed did not return after the war It's all new material for me.
Bugatti society without Bugatti involved seems to have been a serious effort disaster to put eight directly into a transverse engine application tells us all we need to know.
Every day, I check Curbside Classic and I learn something Thank Tatra 87 I see an analogy here as Paul Ettore Edsel Henry Confirming the truth, established in early automotive history, the cars are machines, but they also become an expression of style and personal identity for a car truly successful, it must meet both.
A very sad story but it just goes to show that everything has its time in the sun and you have a vision, inspiration and some other qualities to get there, and stay there Bugatti had lost all that they should never even have tried after the war.
All very true, Paul should have done that Hispano-Suiza made at the time to 1949-1950, they built a prototype of a tensile V8 limousine before, not least, tested and changed his mind.
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