Can one not trace back through prefectures in france, depending if there is any paperwork with the car... maybe fotos will turn up if there is anyone now who remembers
Quite an exciting adventure.

jap !!!

great answer, and somethind I dont understand are the answers of johann and surprisingly john, whom I really admired for his past /present bugatti-works.
why should somebody, who has a chassis plate not need a replacement chassis??
maybe the original is gone ( just in that case), or only in parts ( how many farmers cut old chassis in parts to use them as farm -carts and so on...), or it is so damaged , that a rebuilt is not possible.....

instead of offering help to someone, who tries to save an original and "lost" car, naming him crook or fool, or even speculate about the truth of the question, when
no more details are available.
dear friends, thats not the way to treat somebody , sorry about that

kind regards
mike

How sorry I am to have started this topic….

I agree totally that there is much too much focus on the bad guys recreating valuable cars and that this man is unfoundedly “slaughtered” from the beginning in this topic for doing something he is not at all planning to do…
Bad guys are a fact in our society but please remember they are a minority.

This man is totally honest in stating from the earliest beginning that he needs to replace the chassis, obviously he has his reasons for this – which we do not know. So I can only suppose he will be honest about too that when he has finished restoring the car.

Even if he decides not to keep whatever remains of the chassis and throws the remains in a skip for recycling into beercans: It is his decision – because he is the owner. As long as he stays honest as to what is original or replaced or recreated it is fine with me.

I only hope that he will recreate an original as possible car. For example with a body that was on originally (or even one that was on the car later in history if he prefers), but I would prefer him not putting on a body that has never been installed before- even if it is correct for a T44 Bugatti. But even then – it is his choice if he prefers and stays honest about it.

I sincerely hope we can now focus on what we can do to help him find the history of (the remains of) his car and even maybe even help him find a suitable replacement chassis (original or reproduction) or whatever else he needs.

And if the “battle” about originality must continue, please start another topic on the definition of originality – so I can skip reading that topic.
To me only honesty and preserving as much as possible - in the spirit of the original – counts.

Oh please. If the chassis is not salvageable then the Bugatti is not salvageable ; attaching an original chassis plate to a replica chassis is well, what exactly? It is not 44660, that's for sure. Chassis gone ; car gone.

As to those yet again decrying my apparent rudeness to Jamie Simmons - go fly a kite. I've had enough of this forum, and by implication, all of us, being used to legitimise the illegitimate.

This thread will produce nothing of worth.

, and by implication, all of us,

My sincerest congratulations to Mr. Jamie Simmons on fulfilling his dream of owning a Bugatti.