Bugatti type 57 with Bucciali bodywork?

Herman · **Posted:** Mon Sep 14, 2009 9:23 pm

In this blog:

http://www.autoblog.nl/archive/2009/08/ ... cciali-tav

it is mentioned that there once was a Bugatti type 57 with Bucciali bodywork, once transported to the USA.

Does anyone know more about this?

hortig78rpm · **Joined:** Thu Jun 19, 2008 12:12 pm **Posts:** 247

hermann !

this body was originally designed for the buccialli. later, when not satisfied by the car, the owner transformed the body to a bugatti T46 # 46570, where it did`nt really look fine. in the late 6o`s the
buccialli -chassis was discovered and later on, the new owners hat been able to re-unit the original body
to it, where it really looks dramatic.
I`ve seen the car, when it was on display in the schlumpf museum. one of the most outstanding cars in the world

regards
mike

LANOS · **Joined:** Thu Jan 15, 2009 5:56 pm **Posts:** 102

Hello Herman,

I have found an incredibly accurate forum where you can read the answer to your question; some of the contributors to that forum look like to know a bit on classic cars

Just have a look at:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1315

Herman · **Posted:** Tue Sep 15, 2009 6:39 pm

Wow! Where did you find that forum? It is fantastic!

:)

Thanks for having a better memory than I have...

copperkettle · **Joined:** Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:23 pm **Posts:** 127

Dear Mike:

While a worthy "reconstitution" project, I have it on good authority that the chassis frame underneath the 1932 Paris Salon Bucciali TAV 12 is an early American White truck chassis. (One of the principal restorers told this to me.)

Regrettably, much of my comments about the Saoutchik coachwork being repossessed in the 2003 American Bugatti Register on the subject of 46570 are off the mark. These comments came from a previous owner of 46570 and the American Register went to press before Christian Huet's superb book on the Bucciali came out with a far more credible explanation!

One of my favorite subjects, nonetheless! I expect we'll discover 46570 before too long...

Cheers,

Sandy

hortig78rpm · **Joined:** Thu Jun 19, 2008 12:12 pm **Posts:** 247

hello

the story of the buccialli TAV 12 was subject of a two part article in " the automobile" nov.,dec. 2oo4.
Ill tell you the highlights of it`s story in short: originally bought by a. Mr. M.Roure of monaco and delivered
personally by P.A. Buccialli ( on it`s own wheel), he was`nt satisfied with the voisin V-12 and wanted it to be changed for a continental straight eight. before this could happen, a Conte de Rivaud de la Raffiniere, a banker from paris saw the car and persuaded mr. Roure to sell it to him, because a new one would have taken a half year for deliverx. he also was not satisfied with the engine and with numerous repairs and after
two years he seperated with it. the chassis went back to the bucciallis and the saoutchik body was fitted on the T46 chassis. later, the count commisioned ernest friderich ( garage in Nice) to convert the engine to S- specification.It seems that an american soldier bought the bugatti in the 5o`s, and passed it on, 2o years later to a dealer, from whom it went to Ray Jones. During that time, Jones seemed to have deeply dug into the TAV 12 project, for he had bought the original engine , transmission and many other parts from Serge Pozzolli, who, in company with Christian Huet found a heap of spares with the Buccialli family. he and his partners did much work on the body, which must have been transfered from the bugatti during this time ( mid 7o`s) and chassis ( by Bruce Kelly !!!), but they lost interest ( or money) due to the more pressing bugatti affairs. the project went to Lee Gohlike, who in company of Tom perkins, Zweimüller from Austria, Bruce Faulken ans Clarence Johnson finished the projekt.
If the chassis comes from a truck I cannot really verify, but due to the complicatet front wheel drive section, steering, fitting in the voisin V12 and even fitting the body it seems to me, that this is not really possible. maybe the restorers used parts of a truck chassis to complete an incomplete new one.
although I like bugattis all my life, the saoutchik body fitts the buccialli much better than the T46.

regards
mike

J.J.Horst · **Posted:** Fri Sep 25, 2009 8:40 am

Does anybody have a picture of this Saoutchik body on the T46??

It would really be nice to make a comparison with the Buccialli!

Greg Morgan · **Joined:** Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:10 am **Posts:** 334

I can definately say that the Bucciali did not have a truck chassis.
What it did have was a very clean looking box section design that is quite unique for its time.
Christian Huets book on the Bucciali is probably the best classic car book I have ever read and the conclusion I draw from it is that they were far more about trying to sell the concept of front wheel drive to a manufacturer than they were in trying to sell cars. The striking coachwork was just to try and attract attention to their idea of TAV.
Later in Bucciali's life he tried to fight the Ford Motor Company for patent infringment - a case he should have won but didn't. If he had he would have died a very rich man.
The book is a masterpiece and I would recommend it to all of you.

Bugatti type 57 with Bucciali bodywork?

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