Automotive

Ettore Bugatti's personal Type 57C and the Corgi Rolls Royce Pullman Silver Ghost to go to auction

Ettore Bugatti's personal Type 57C and the Corgi Rolls Royce Pullman Silver Ghost to go to auction
Two iconic automobiles will go under the hammer in June - a 1912 Rolls-Royce Double Pullman Limousine, and the personal 1938 Type 57C of the Ettore Bugatti
Two iconic automobiles will go under the hammer in June - a 1912 Rolls-Royce Double Pullman Limousine, and the personal 1938 Type 57C of the Ettore Bugatti
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Bugatti's Bugatti
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Bugatti's Bugatti
Ettore Bugatti's personal Type 57C
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Ettore Bugatti's personal Type 57C
This picture of one of the Corgi models comes from Chezbois - there are many more images of the model car on the site
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This picture of one of the Corgi models comes from Chezbois - there are many more images of the model car on the site
The Corgi Rolls Royce - 1912 Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine
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The Corgi Rolls Royce - 1912 Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine
The Bugati Type 57C will be auctioned by Bonhams during the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed
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The Bugati Type 57C will be auctioned by Bonhams during the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed
The Corgi Rolls Royce - 1912 Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine
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The Corgi Rolls Royce - 1912 Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine
The Corgi Rolls Royce - 1912 Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine
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The Corgi Rolls Royce - 1912 Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine
The Corgi Rolls Royce - 1912 Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine
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The Corgi Rolls Royce - 1912 Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine
The Bugatti Atlantic
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The Bugatti Atlantic
Grand Prix motor racing events became big business in the 1920's
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Grand Prix motor racing events became big business in the 1920's
Grand Prix motor racing events became big business in the 1920's
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Grand Prix motor racing events became big business in the 1920's
Bugatti became a household name in the World Grand Prix Championship
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Bugatti became a household name in the World Grand Prix Championship
Bugatti became a household name in the World Grand Prix Championship
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Bugatti became a household name in the World Grand Prix Championship
Ettore Bugatti in his youth
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Ettore Bugatti in his youth
Ettore Bugatti in his later years
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Ettore Bugatti in his later years
The Bugatti T53 in 1932 had four-wheel drive and won several important races before the project was shelved
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The Bugatti T53 in 1932 had four-wheel drive and won several important races before the project was shelved
Bugatti T57 Galibier
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Bugatti T57 Galibier
Bugatti T57S Gangloff Cabriolet
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Bugatti T57S Gangloff Cabriolet
Bugatti T57S Atalante
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Bugatti T57S Atalante
Bugatti knew that aerodynamics held secrets and his T32 was tried in the 1923 Lyon Grand Prix but the car handled poorly and development was abandoned - Ernest Friedrich took third place with the T32 in its only start
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Bugatti knew that aerodynamics held secrets and his T32 was tried in the 1923 Lyon Grand Prix but the car handled poorly and development was abandoned - Ernest Friedrich took third place with the T32 in its only start
The prototype of the Type 35 - the design would win more than a thousand races and make the car the most successful in motor racing history
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The prototype of the Type 35 - the design would win more than a thousand races and make the car the most successful in motor racing history
Jean Bugatti with a T41 Royale
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Jean Bugatti with a T41 Royale
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The carpark in the Bugatti headquarters at Molsheim prior to WWII
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The carpark in the Bugatti headquarters at Molsheim prior to WWII
The outrageous Bugatti Atlantic
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The outrageous Bugatti Atlantic
Bugatti won the inaugural Monte Carlo Grand Prix in 1929 with a one-two victory and six of the first seven cars home
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Bugatti won the inaugural Monte Carlo Grand Prix in 1929 with a one-two victory and six of the first seven cars home
Two iconic automobiles will go under the hammer in June - a 1912 Rolls-Royce Double Pullman Limousine, and the personal 1938 Type 57C of the Ettore Bugatti
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Two iconic automobiles will go under the hammer in June - a 1912 Rolls-Royce Double Pullman Limousine, and the personal 1938 Type 57C of the Ettore Bugatti
The Lake Maggiore Bugatti - after 75 years underwater
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The Lake Maggiore Bugatti - after 75 years underwater
A Bugatti dealer promotes Bugatti's triumph in providing the engine that set a speed record for trains.
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A Bugatti dealer promotes Bugatti's triumph in providing the engine that set a speed record for trains.
The Type 35 won just about every major race there was to win
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The Type 35 won just about every major race there was to win
View gallery - 30 images

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a very special event and it attracts an audience of some considerable influence. Hence the annual auction by Bonhams usually contains some special automobiles.

This year there are two stand-outs going under the hammer already: the first is the 1912 Rolls-Royce Double Pullman Limousine (estimated GBP 2,000,000/US$3,147,000) which was reproduced in the popular Corgi Classics series of widely circulated die-cast toy cars, the second being the personal 1938 Type 57C of the Le Patron, Ettore Bugatti.

Firstly, let's try to put the name Ettore Bugatti in perspective in the automotive world.

Ettore Bugatti in his youth
Ettore Bugatti in his youth

Ettore Bugatti produced engines that set world speed records for planes, boats, trains and cars, built the most successful racing car in history and the most expensive car in history. When the Molsheim factory on the border of Germany and France was destroyed during WWII, there is no doubt an era in automotive craftsmanship came to a close.

The Bugatti name has now been restored to its former glory by Volkswagen with a new series of cars of the very highest caliber, but one has to look at history a little to fully understand how successful Bugatti seemed to be at everything he touched.

The Type 35 won just about every major race there was to win
The Type 35 won just about every major race there was to win

The success of Bugatti's racing cars, the Type 35 in particular, was no doubt the company's most effective promotional tool.

The World Championship of motor racing is now commonly agreed to be Formula One, and motor racing history is generally ignored prior to WWII, but the name Bugatti was just as well recognized during the twenties and thirties in Europe as Red Bull, McLaren or Ferrari are today.

Bugatti won the inaugural Monte Carlo Grand Prix in 1929 with a one-two victory and six of the first seven cars home
Bugatti won the inaugural Monte Carlo Grand Prix in 1929 with a one-two victory and six of the first seven cars home

Indeed, a little known fact is that there was a World Grand Prix Championship run for three years from 1925 to 1927. Motor racing was becoming incredibly popular with the masses, and the very same Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) that now sanctions Formula One grouped together the French, Belgian, and Italian Grand Prix events plus the Indianapolis 500, and awarded points and a world title. For the latter two years, the British Grand Prix was added. Bugatti featured in all three championships, taking the official world championship in 1926, winning three of the five events.

Bugatti became a household name in the World Grand Prix Championship
Bugatti became a household name in the World Grand Prix Championship

Grand Prix motor racing events became big business in this time. They drew massive newspaper coverage and massive crowds, and the winners got a lot of publicity. Soon Grand Prix events sprang up on the streets of large towns across Europe - Rome had one, and even neighboring Tripoli held a Grand Prix.

This is the period when Bugatti became a household name worth keeping. In the years 1924 and 1925 alone, the Type 35 won 351 races. The T35 won the famed Targa Florio race five years running, from 1925 through 1929.

Grand Prix motor racing events became big business in the 1920's
Grand Prix motor racing events became big business in the 1920's

Look through the three seasons of the world championship (1925-1926-1927) and you'll see the list of "other Grand Prix" events at the bottom of each page, which reflects the number of races which were considered Grand Prix but were not part of the championship - you will see this list of events grow from 17 events in 1925 to 31 events in 1927.

You'll also notice that by 1927, Bugatti was winning over 75 percent of all major races.

This is the time-frame in which it has been estimated that the Type 35 won more than a thousand races around the world - from Australia to Argentina, Bugatti was a household name.

Bugatti's cars became so famous that royalty, movie stars and captains of industry sought them - partly to associate with the very best, and partly because they were the only people who could afford them.

Jean Bugatti with a T41 Royale
Jean Bugatti with a T41 Royale

Bugatti was no stranger to high society. He was from a well-known aristocratic family with a history in the fine arts, so he essentially "interviewed" these people to ensure his cars were going to a good home. His eccentricity is legendary and he had no trouble turning away potential clients with a high profile, having famously refused to sell a limousine to King Zog of Albania due to the King's poor table manners.

The Lake Maggiore Bugatti - after 75 years underwater
The Lake Maggiore Bugatti - after 75 years underwater

The quality of Bugatti's cars from this era really has to be inspected to be understood. One of the finest illustrations of just how well Bugattis were made, is this wonderful tale of finding a Bugatti at the bottom of a lake, 75 years after it went in.

Bugatti's Bugatti

Bugatti's cars were hand-crafted like no others in automotive history. The level of detailed craftsmanship is astonishing. This car was Bugatti's personal car and the provenance indicates it is believed to have been given to Bugatti by his employees on his birthday.

Despite the claim not being verified, it is almost impossible that the vehicle was not produced with the prior knowledge that it was going to the boss, and one can easily imagine that every employee who touched the vehicle would have done their very best work in creating a personal car for the man who had given everyone so very much to be proud of. Bugatti could not have achieved its extraordinary success without fierce pride in its work, and this car would have been a labor of love for those who created it.

There are several indications in the provenance that this is a special car, but none more so than the tale of its being hidden by the people at the factory during German occupation.

The task of driving the vehicle to its hide-out was given to Robert Benoist, who was driving for the official Bugatti's factory race team at the time, and hence the equivalent of Jenson Button or Sebastien Vettel. The works driver narrowly avoided capture whilst driving this car to its final hideaway.

Another indication there is something special about this car is that it was returned to the care of the factory until 1959 and driven by the Managing Director amongst others. It was during this time that it was fitted with "numerous extra fittings including the three-spoke steering wheel, special Lockheed hydraulic brakes and distinctive radio set."

With three owners since the factory, the Bugatti has rarely been shown - its last big outing was a quarter century ago at the 1985 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Ettore Bugatti's personal Type 57C
Ettore Bugatti's personal Type 57C

The car is expected to sell for more than GBP1,000,000 - approx US$1,570,000.

"The Corgi" Rolls-Royce

This 1912 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Double Pullman Silver Ghost Limousine, is one of the most recognizable classic cars in the world, thanks to being chosen as a model for the Corgi Classics series of die-cast model cars.

This picture of one of the Corgi models comes from Chezbois - there are many more images of the model car on the site
This picture of one of the Corgi models comes from Chezbois - there are many more images of the model car on the site

This was a time when custom coachbuilders flourished - craftsmen of extraordinary skill made one-off automobile bodies for the the rich. The Pullman Limousine style is named after American Railway Car manufacturer George Pullman's luxurious and extravagant railway cars, so the intention from the beginning was to create a grand opulent vehicle.

This car turns 100 years old this year, and was built on the Silver Ghost chassis, which had been proclaimed by the highly influential Autocar magazine as "the best car in the world" just five years prior.

The Corgi Rolls Royce - 1912 Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine
The Corgi Rolls Royce - 1912 Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine

The 1912 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Double Pullman Limousine's coachwork was constructed by Barker & Co. of South Audley St., London and delivered new to John M. Stephens in South Croydon.

Stephens had previously purchased the first-ever Silver Ghost, and he was the first of a string of prominent collectors to own the car. Since WWII, the car has been part of several of the world's finest automobile collections, including those of John C. Sword, Denis de Ferranti, Richard Solove and John M. O'Quinn.

The car that Sports Car Market magazine once described as "a masterpiece of elephantine Edwardian elegance" is expected to fetch in excess of GBP2,000,000 when it goes under the hammer.

The Corgi Rolls Royce - 1912 Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine
The Corgi Rolls Royce - 1912 Silver Ghost Pullman Limousine

Gizmag's editor-in-chief Noel McKeegan will be making his third visit to the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year, so we'll be there to report on how these remarkable vehicles have fared.

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4 comments
4 comments
Rt1583
It\'s a shame that modern cars cannot be made as beautiful as they once were. Even into the 70\'s, just about every major (and some minor) manufacturers produced wonderful cars with a style and character all their own. Back then, there was never any doubt what type of vehicle a person was driving. Today they just take a platform and make a new body to fit. Cadillac makes a car which hides its Corvette heritage so poorly it is laughable and Chrysler makes a car which is perfect for those who cannot afford to purchase the latest generation of Rolls Royce or Bentley (and these cars are now made from just slightly different cookie cutters).
Fred Conwell
Lob off the back end of that Bugatti 57C and tell me what you have - early VW sedans.
Dennis Caelian
The Rolls, omg yes.
Thw Bugatti should be classified as a mistake.
Cowfy Kaufman
form had better follow function with the veyron in all its incarnations.there used to be a saying that if it looks right it will work right.if that holds true with the veyron,she shouldn\'t even get off the line.what an ugly abortion and insult to the tradition of ettore\'s artistic vision.so that warthog goes fast.big deal.