THE BUGATTI POST

The Bugatti Post. To read the full post and see additional images, please click on the link 'more'.

It was at the dawn of automobile engineering, in and old paint-factory in rural France where Ettore Bugatti gave shape to the most authentic, renowned and legendary motorcars of all time. Near the location of the factory in Mollsheim, there is a residence where Volkswagen builds the modern-day Bugatti Veyron, which will always have to walk in the shadows of his predecessors, no-matter how great the engineering achievements.

First, let's talk about Ettore Bugatti (1881, Italy - 1947, France).

Ettore Bugatti was born in a family of artisans in Milan, attended the Art College of Brera. After leaving the College at age 17, he started working for a bicycle shop, than he worked for several car companies. In his early days he build motorized tricycles and raced them. Eventually he started building and racing his own motorcars with financial support of landgrave Gulinelli. It is said that his good friend Emil Mathis started the company Hermes around the same time. 

It isn't very well known that besides the engineering of automobiles, he engineered trains, boats and even airplanes. Besides that..a nice trivial fact: he invented the 'light-metal' rims.

Bugatti Type 35 

The T35, as displayed on the photo's is in original state and has race history! The Type 35 was made in several different versions (Type 35, 35B, 35C, 35T). There where approx. 200 - 300  Type 35 variations produced, from around 1924 up until 1931! Therefore, you could say it is pretty rare. It was designed as a two-seater Grand Prix car with 8-cilinder inline, 1991cc-2262cc, 90HP engine. Four forward gears, one reverse, fitted with a wet, multi-plate clutch. The gear-lever was mounted on the outside.The drum-breaks where operated by steel cables connected to the steering wheel, to top it of it was fitted with the light-weight rims.  The scattered paint is just stunning! And look at the strange curvature of the mirror, the rugged interior and the spartan way it was equipped (well, it might have been luxurious in those days).   

From around 1890 until 1930 was a remarkable era in automobile engineering and engineering in general, in which Bugatti played a beautiful, elegant role.

Credits: All the pictures were taken by my brother and me, visiting a gathering of the Bugatti Club, while visiting my parents for the weekend. (Except for the B&W-photograph, starring a T35, found via Google, credits: unknown).