Bugatti Type 46
Chassis Number : 46570
Original Engine Number : 310
Current Engine Number : 49 (ex 46146)

This is the car carrying the well-known Saoutchik body that first graced the Buccialli bought by George Roure in 1932, and like many I was delighted when this glamorous one-off was reunited with its original coachwork and then restored during the 1990s. However, with the arrival of Klein Saunier & Jansen Type 46 work a slightly darker picture has now emerged.

I was completely unaware of the fact that 46570 was delivered in April 1933 to the very same George Roure, quite possibly as a chassis only. Sometime during his ownership of these two cars, that beautiful body was removed from the Buccialli and placed onto the Bugatti. When M. Roure sold 46570 in 1939 it was carrying this body, quite probably the first coachwork worn by this chassis.

It stayed like this up to and including its sale to one Walter Weimer from Washington Pennsylvania in 1970. How this coachwork was removed from 46570 and placed back on the Buccialli remains shrouded in mystery, the authors mentioning the following two unsubstantiated rumours : 1) The Bugatti disappeared only to be found later sans body. 2) Weimer sold the body and received a blank check for the creation of a replica body which was never built. The eventual fate of the chassis remains unsure, it may have been sold to David Holzman or, God forbid, been disassembled. In any event, this Bugatti has not resurfaced. I would like to quote the final sentence of 46570s chapter verbatim :"Thus the price for creating one Buccialli has probably been the destruction of a Bugatti."

I would very much like to hear what the rest of the contributors make of this. As for myself, I suppose I cannot fault the owners of the Buccialli for wanting to reunite it with the body it carried originally, if rather briefly. I suppose a body-less T46 chassis can always be fitted with another example of the coachbuilder's art. On the other hand, surely no-one would dare destroy a Bugatti just to get hold of its body, would they?

I wish I had a scanner, there is a lovely photo of 46570, still wearing the Saoutchik body in the T46 book. The photo available on Wiki does not do it justice.


Kind Regards
Johan Buchner

Dear Johan:
The bodyless chassis of 46570 as well as the now untraced 57522 (T57S) were both offered for sale by Weimer anonimously in a 1970 "Pur Sang" issue by then editor, Jack du Gan. Neither sold, but both went back to Ray Jones in exchange for work, parts or promises. It either became the basis for the "Land Speed Record" project of the "Rare, Ltd" group, or it went to Europe. The frame number of 46570 is known (no. 420) so when it turns up, we'll know it.
CK

Thanks CK, now even more information is documented. If I remember correctly a small black & white photo of the land speed record project appeared in an old Classis & Sports Car.

Another fascinating, if rather sad, bit of info courtesy of the T46 work, only about 60 T46 survive, fewer still with their original coachwork intact. Of the 65 T50, roughly 20 survive. The survival rate for the Grand Sport T43, T55, & T57S/SC are much higher, and there are more Grand Prix Bugattis now than there were during the 1920s and 30s, I believe. Even the touring T44 & T49, to say nothing of the T57/57C, survive in large(ish) numbers.

According to the authors these large Bugattis had little to no resale value during the early post war years, causing most of them to be scrapped. Plus they used good quality metal to build these, and post WW II there was a steel shortage. Damn.

Regards
Johan

According to the authors these large Bugattis had little to no resale value during the early post war years, causing most of them to be scrapped. Plus they used good quality metal to build these, and post WW II there was a steel shortage. Damn.

Regards
Johan[/quote]
Given this apparent requirement for good quality metals is has always seemed madness to me that England sank dozens of u boats in operation "Deadlight".Just to the north west of Ireland.As to the noble T46,I fear that even your undoubted enthousiasm would pall should you ever have to work on one.From the "crossmember from hell" to the selfadjusting brakes that can lock up a wheel,Thes were not Ettore's best design.

Yes Lazarus, I am well aware that the Type 46 was not Ettore's finest work - that honour belongs to the Royale. The hierarchy of finest Bugattis goes something like this : The crowning glory is, as I mentioned, the Type 41, then Jean's Type 50/50T, then the Type 46, the T57S, Type 49, Type 59, Type 54 (specifically the Bachelier Roadster) and finally the glorious Type 18.

Strangely enough, some people who are quite comfortable calling themselves knowledgeable Bugatti enthusiasts (kindly note the spelling) really rate the lesser T35/37/43 & Type 51/55. And most of them are not only allowed to vote, but to operate a motor-vehicle - legally! I fear this is the end.

Johan

The Royale's claim to fame is that it has an even bigger "crossmember from hell "

Dammit! I really thought I'd won this verbal sparring match, but no! Your reply is concise, pithy, brief and utterly victorious.

Congratulations. I suppose.

Farewell cruel world.
Johan

Isn't this the wrong type of site to be talking about "members from hell"??

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

No.

I guess that Johan is one of the "Hells Angels" motorbikers

Indeed, only 60 T46 from 400 produced is a very low survival rate. But those postwar years were very hard for all the big and noble prewar cars. How many Bucciali have survived? One TAV 8, the TAV 12 with the 46570 body, and one TAV 16 "Double Huit" chassis. I remember the disheartening photographs of several Hispano Suiza H6 in French scrapyards in the 50´s. Not to mention the fate of many Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8 in the devastated postwar Italy. And all the German Horch and Maybach destroyed.

I think that only the cars in Great Britain were luckier. 727 Rolls Royce Phantom III were built, with a mechanical complexity bigger than the T46; but its survival rate is higher.

I prefer to see the positive side: Few T46 and T50 survived, but many T44, T49 and T57 managed it and are still alive with us.

They only made 13 Bucialli's !! the survival rate is extraordinarily good

I dont think that they made that many Buccialli chassis- maybe four or five. I think that the only one to find a buyer was the one we are talking about here

...And the "Double Huit" chassis had (and still has) a false non-running engine, filled with newspapers. But the Bucciali were so extremely rare cars that who could own one knew that owned one of the most exclusive and hardest to find cars of that time.

I think also one of the worst cars in the world as well! (Although I still love them).