Latest articles:
The Cholmondeley Bugattis
Ard op de Weegh: The fate of the sleeping beauties
My encounter with Ralph Lauren
The eight masterpieces of Corsica
Compassion or crime?
From Aerolithe to EXK 6
First ride in a vintage Bugatti

 

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Ard op de Weegh: The fate of the sleeping beauties

By Herman Brouwer

Most Bugattistes know the story about the "Sleeping Beauties". Those magnificient cars, Bugattis, Lancias, a Ferrari, and many more, stored in some old sheds and even outside, owned by an excentric old man, who leaves the cars to rot and decay, and refuses to let others enjoy them.

This is the impression that the book by Mr. Hesselman likes to give you. This book is from the beginning of the 80s. Now, more then 20 years later would these cars still be there? What is their fate? Judging from the photos, not much is probably left of them. But still, those fantastic machines? And the owner, Michel Dovaz? Is he still alive? And would he be approachable?
 
These were the questions that Ard op de Weegh had, when he started investigating the fate of the "Sleeping Beauties". After years of research, his achievements are remarkable. He teamed up with a researcher, that was trying to achieve the same goals. Also, his son proved a great companion in achieving that ultimate goal: Tracing the cars, and writing a book about them: "Het lot van de slapende schoonheden / the fate of the sleeping beauties". A cooperation of three remarkable men, that reveil the truth about the Sleeping Beauties.

My encounter with Ralph Lauren

By Doug DeMuro

This week, my girlfriend, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, came to Colorado to visit. I wanted to show her the most beautiful parts of my state so in order to do that I took her to, among other places, the small town of Ouray, a beautiful southwestern Colorado town that refers to itself as the "Switzerland of America." .... On the drive to Telluride from Ouray I told my girlfriend jokingly, 'be on the lookout for Veyrons and McLaren F1s - Ralph has them all registered here!' .... Not only did I see a Bugatti Veyron, I spoke to the owner. Not only did I speak to the owner, but the owner was Ralph Lauren.

The eight masterpieces of Corsica

By Johan Buchner

Usually cars look best when clothed by coachbuilders of the same nationality. For the T57S that means Gangloff. The only problem is that all five bodies created by Gangloff are ravishingly beautiful, making it impossible to write anything but paeans of praise. .... By concentrating on the eight T57S bodies built by Corsica, I am hoping to achieve two things; firstly I hope to instill in you my enormous admiration for the flair of the coachbuilder, and, secondly, to celebrate the art of coach building itself. And to spice matters up to a nicety, two of the bodies are, well, crap. Two monstrosities, one of which, thank God, is no more, which came about as a direct result of the willful eccentricities of the original owners, serve as counterpoint to the beauty of the rest....

Compassion or crime?

By Ard op de Weegh / Kay Hottendorf / Arnoud op de Weegh

Suppose in the late forty’s, when no-one has any interest in old fast cars, you have a passion for fast cars of class out of the thirty’s and forty’s and you can buy these cars for little money. You are just twenty years of age and you like to drive these cars very fast in the environment. Obviously after a while the car breaks mechanically down and than you park the car in the neighbourhood of your house and you buy for a bargain another fancy care and the history repeats. .... Your collection has meanwhile very famous and expensive brands: 9 Bugattis, 2 Cords and the marks Lotus, Alfa Romeo, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Lincoln Continental, Ferrari, Jowett, Jaguar and other distinctive marks. .... In 1986 the German Photographer has the guts to publish a book about the collection with a German text-writer. But they have learned their lessons, because they call you Pierre and they write more friendly. But evil has been done and half the world knows who you are. .... In fact a very sad story: A story about people who think it’s acceptable to judge other people and to condemn their way of acting. A story about an unique collection in which the owner realizes a plan from long time ago to establish a museum, but after less than one and a half year has to close it, because he can’t handle the accusations and the hurting anymore. A story in which one human being thinks he has the right to tell the other what is wrong and right.

From Aerolithe to EXK 6

By Johan Buchner

A celebration of beauty is the purpose. The enduring precise exact beauty of five cars that have delighted the eyes of so many and celebrated all the senses of so few, deeply, deeply fortunate men. .... I am of the opinion that the Aerolithe was essentially a styling concept, a search for a new look for what was to prove to be the last Grand Sport Bugatti. .... Dr Bernard Simon is of the opinion that there was two Aerolithes and that their coachwork, suitably adapted, was used to clothe the first two Atlantics. In the process he dismisses as insignificant the quite extraordinary existence of the fourth Atlantic (57543) and further compound matters by accurately differentiating it from the Holtzschuch Atlantic (57473). Dr Simon devotes an entire chapter, titled “The Metamorphosis of the Competition Coupe Aerolithe to the Coupe Aero and to the Atlantic” to try and prove that the two cars, whose separate identities are argued in a preceding chapter titled “The Type 57S Competition Coupe, Nos. 57.331 and 57.103S”served as providers of the coachwork that ended up on chassis 57374 and 57453. .... To summarize: Born in 1936, 57374 has been loved and cherished by all her owners and exists today as one of two exceptionally original Atlantics, but 57374 has been repainted in her original livery, while 57591 has to suffer the indignity of Ralph black. .... Of the five cars built only two remain in original condition and they may very well soon be joined by 57473. The Aerolithe 57533 and the second Atlantic 57453 are not known to have survived. But many replicas have been created and if imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery then these replicas serve only to celebrate the originals.


First ride in a vintage Bugatti

By Martijn Visser

This years summer holiday (2007) was planned around the yearly Bugatti gathering in Molsheim. The French city in the Elzas where the Bugatti myth started. Jan, one of my Bugatti friends lives a part of the year in a French city not far from Molsheim. He owns a vintage Bugatti and invited me and my mother for a tour in his car. .... When the car is started the air is filled with a mechanical noise. The type 43 is equipped with a crankshaft supported by ball bearings. Some owners have changed to new constructed crankshafts supported by plain bearings. The car we are sitting in is 100% original and has the same engine components as when it left the factory in 1929. .... When we make a turn to the right to head for the mountains the engine noise seems to disappear. When Jan pushes the accelerator down again the noise is back and we go uphill like a rocket. The pulling force of the car is unbelievable. .... When we make a turn to the right to head for the mountains the engine noise seems to disappear. When Jan pushes the accelerator down again the noise is back and we go uphill like a rocket. The pulling force of the car is unbelievable. .... Well.. I can assure you that driving a thoroughbred Bugatti is another kind of experience.... Makes an A ford look like a toy car.... Real men drive Bugattis !!!!!!

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