This car looks like a California hot-rod, not a thirties Bugatti. Will the next edition of the British Bugatti Register strip it of its "Type 59 Replica" designation ?

PS : I've nothing against hot-rods ; as long as they don't pretend to be Bugattis.

Welcome to Bugattibuilder.com.

Interesting point of view; completely wrong, of course, but interesting. Please do share with the rest of us any further advise you may have for the B.O.C. Perhaps they will listen to you, all previous attempts to contact their planet have been ignored.

Johan Buchner

As a matter of fact, I agree with GCL-Wales. Too "hot roddish" to my likings. The car looks great, but does not look "Bugatti".

I am trying to see it as the builder intended it, and I do understand the choices the builder made:

11 august, 1939. Jean Bugatti just made some succesful runs with the Le Mans car, to campaign it in other races, like Brooklands and Indianapolis.

The USA is becoming a large market for Bugatti, and Jean decides to adapt the type 57S to USA standards. Much to his father's unliking, he decides that the steering wheel has to move, to get in line with common practice. The short chassis is fitted with a standard type 57 block, a standard radiator, and a very sportish body, which could be called "the American type 55". The piano wire wheels are fitted, as they give the car the desired look.

I think this is the idea behind the car.

Several things go, to my opinion, wrong here:

-the type 57S is built without making money on them. No use for moving in that direction, with the same parts.
-the radiator of the type 57 is quite expensive to make, actually the 57S radiator is much simpler.
-same goes for the wheels. Although a stunning work of art, they are utterly expensive. A car that is designed for a large market, needs cheap wheels.
-improving the type 55 in terms of elegance, is risky business. i doubt Jean would have been able to do that, nor anyone else.

Food for thought...

_________________
Vive la Marque !!

Too hot-roddish? Not Bugatti enough? Are you on drugs? I am really pissed with you Herman, first you delude me into thinking I can write, now you question my taste? The sheer unmitigated gall of it! And my Royale article SUCKS!! Thank you so much for that, you have now completely ruined my sanity as well.(sanity? Hah!!!)

You my little Dutch Sailor Boy will have to make amends, here's how :

Find a way to convince Evert Louwman to buy the entire Williamson Collection and bring it home to Raamsdonkerveer. The Dutch have overtaken the British as the prime movers in the Bugatti Universe (sorry Stuart) and the way the French are neglecting the Schlumf Collection is nothing short of an international scandal. So how do we convince Mr. Louwman to spend that kind of money? No really, I'm asking.

Think it about Herman, it is in your hands now. You've only got yourself to blame, you know; imagine allowing some-one like me to join Bugattibuilder.com. And I won't write the Royale article either, I have a good excuse - I am illiterate. And I hate Bugattis!

It just occurred to me, your sense of humour may not be as warped as mine, in which case this post is going to back-fire most spectacularly. Will still get me out of writing that bloody Royale thing, though.

So, have a nice day, and please give my regards to the Louwman family. Soon.

I'm in Hell.......
Johan

I have to agree with Johan in this matter (no, and I don't get the name wrong this time), this car is more Bugatti than many wannabe T43GS with a fake new body after throwing the original body away.

This creation has in fact it's pecularities, but it falls back on a tradition started in the 30's and very strong in the 50's and early 60's, where Bugatti owners did not have to be afraid of ruining the value of their car (they were worth nothing to start with) and made all kinds of modifications, changing engines from one car to the other, making hybrid T43 / T44's and many more strange contraptions, topped with a home - made body, some nice, some not. All these cars remained Bugattis, sometimes even after the engine was replaced by a Jaguar unit.

BC128 is a very individual Bugatti in that sense, it has the right engine, beautiful wheels, a nice radiator (no T57S, luckily) and a very individual, modern, almost Lotus 7 kind of body, which fits the car well.

So, everybody who says that this is not a Bugatti, but all those half-new cars with a replica Profilée or GS body are, are as insane as Johan says he is.

Mr. Kellogg made a car to his liking, as did Mr. Garric with a bit less money, both had the Bugatti spirit in mind, and not the future value of the car they were building.

_________________
www.BugattiPage.com
www.BugattiRevue.com
www.BugattiAircraft.com

Great, a discussion is triggered...

_________________
Vive la Marque !!

Yesss.... but what about the Louwman thingy? Have you asked him yet? As for the discussion, Jaap agrees with me, I win, you both lose. You're so right, discussions are fun! Needs a T57S radiator though, mounted slightly further back, and there's just a touch too much space between the back of the seats and the body; otherwise, a damn fine looking hot-rod - I mean Bugatti.

Perhaps somebody else would care to venture an opinion, but be warned, I can be a little opinionated. Oh, you've noticed.............

I am Yours
Johan Buchner esq.

Well, don't mind Mr. Louwman, I'll just buy a lottery ticket (Jackpot of over 25 million, garanteed to fall next week), and buy the collection myself. Luckily the Atlantic will not be in the auction, if it were, 25 million would certainly not be enough. Or maybe I'll buy all the Bugattis from the Malmerspach collection from Jaap Braam Ruben, restore them only mechanically, and drive around in those probably 95% original cars!

_________________
www.BugattiPage.com
www.BugattiRevue.com
www.BugattiAircraft.com

You are right; did you see what Jaap (Braam Ruben that is) is buying lately? It seems that he buys all he can that is auctioned, sometimes after the auction also when the reserve's not met.

_________________
www.BugattiPage.com
www.BugattiRevue.com
www.BugattiAircraft.com

The UK Bugatti Owners Club refers to this car as a Bugatti type 59 Replica - WRONG. (English dictionaries define a replica as an EXACT copy or reproduction).

The current owner probably likes to think of it as a Bugatti - WRONG.

The car can only be described as a Bugatti-based or Bugatti-inspired SPECIAL.

How about we refer to the car in future as the KELLOG SPECIAL in the same way that the single-seater built by Bert Raven was known in the UK as the RAVEN SPECIAL.

What!? No Atlantic? I thought the entire collection was being auctioned. Who bought the Atlantic? In the interest of furthering discussion, allow me to make the following rather provocative statement : The De Rothschild Atlantic is the most beautiful Bugatti ever. Followed by the Louwman Coupe Profilee and the Bachelier T54 (also owned by Evert Louwman - you see why the COMPLETE Williamson Collection should go to him?)

The Coupe Napoleon has, of course, the title of Most Overrated Bugatti ever. Followed by the Lauren Atlantic.

Let the shouting begin.......... a little mild no? How about : Cry Havoc! And let Slip the Dogs of War! Yes, much better.

Johan the Agitator.

PS. Hail Jaap Braam Ruben! Does he have a web-site with full inventory?

PPS. To GCL-Wales; both the English Dictionary and the B.O.C. are wrong, nor is it either their place, or their privilege to call this car anything. Or yours, for that matter. It will be known by the name chosen for it by the guy who funded this project. His money, his car, his prerogative.

Again I disagree: The type 54 is a great car, but compared to the type 55 (again) it looks wrong. You can really see the fiddling and the problems they had to fit such a large engine into a type 55 looking body, which unfortunately made the bonnet (hood) quite large compared to the rest of the car.

Of course I would not care if I owned one of them...

About the Royale:

Overrated? For some people it is, probably. However, I think it is great to see it outside the museum so much. The car is meant to drive, not to stand still. (and if we believe the anekdotes, it is not meant to brake or stop either, cars have to GO...)
I would not mind having the Royale as my wedding car. But what makes this humble man more than the prince of Denmark? He had to do with a replica...

Braam Ruben:

http://www.fineautomobiles.nl (from the links page)

_________________
Vive la Marque !!

I would have thought the only people LEGALLY entitled to name cars "Bugatti" have been Ettore Bugatti and his successors in title, Artioli and Volkswagen.

Probably so, yes.

However, there is a VW Beetle with Ruska bodywork for sale in Holland, and the owner claims the papers say "Bugatti". Amazing, isn't it?

_________________
Vive la Marque !!

You are so right about the T55 roadster, it truly is a masterpiece. But it is exactly that monster engine, and it's subsequent effect on the proportions of the body and, especially, the wing-line that leaves me aching like a school-boy with his first porn-mag. The T55 is an elegant, perfectly proportioned masterpiece, no doubt about that, but the Bachelier roadster carries with it the T54's killer reputation. It is this implied danger that I find so appealing.

Thanks for the Braam Ruben web-address; I spent a long time neglecting my job drooling over that unrestored 8C2900B Touring Coupe built for, I think, the King of Romania. (already post-abdication when he took delivery) Did you know there are those who believe that the neither the T57 or the T57S were nearly as good as the 8C2.9? Slags.

Johan