There have been many articles about the day John Shakespeare loaded up 30 Bugattis to have them shipped to the Fritz Schlumpf in 1964. But none like our exclusive story below, told by David Gulick, who took the now famous photos. We asked artist Paul Chenard to create a painting commemorating the sale and we’ll send free poster to anyone who subscribes to VeloceToday.
John Shakespeare, prior to removing the prancing elephant hood ornament on the 1933 Royale. It was packed up for shipping along with the Breguet chronometer, also from the Royale.
By Pete Vack, with the help of David Gulick, Sandy Leith and Tom Clifford
Gulick and John Shakespeare
As photographer David Gulick scurried around trying to take photos of each and every Bugatti that was being loaded onto the railcars, he still managed to catch several telling portraits of this enigmatic collector. We asked Gulick about Shakespeare. “I only had conversations with him twice, at a hillclimb and then at Hoffman. He was a pleasant, ‘down to earth’ kind of person who never flaunted his family background & wealth.”
Gulick remember that Shakespeare also loved Ferraris. “Some members of our SCCA Southern Illinois Region had a certain social status & knew the County Road Commissioner and succeeded in having a little-used hilly road closed for the day. John brought a beautiful little Ferrari over to the hill climb and completely awed all the members as well as winning a blue ribbon. I also remember seeing him run at Lawrenceville, where the SCCA held races on the old WW2 airfield.” Shakespeare had also competed with a Ferrari as far back as 1954, when he drove a Ferrari 375 MM, S/N 0376 at Nassau.
Shakespeare at Nassau 1954 in Ferrari s/n 0376. Courtesy Terry O’Neil
Shakespeare was born wealthy; his father was a noted inventor who patented the level winding fishing reel (which keeps the line from getting tangled up). Young John studied at Harvard and was interested in a variety of sports, including the growing sports car movement. He was active in the American Bugatti Club from about 1956 when he purchased Sam Scher’s T55 Bugatti, then the Park Ward Royale for about $8000. This was followed by a buying spree of a number of other Bugattis, many of which he simply drove home to Illinois from wherever they were found. By 1964 he had accumulated the famous thirty and was ready to move on to other hobbies.
The Bob Shaw List
As Shakespeare arranged for the sale of his cars, a local Bugatti expert by the name of Bob Shaw recorded the details of each Bugatti involved in the sale. We asked American Bugatti Club “Registrar” (and now President of the Vintage Sports Car Club of America) Sandy Leith about Shaw. “Bob Shaw, who is still around but very elderly, once owned a T38 (chassis 38292) which he heavily modified (reducing the wheelbase by 29 inches) and made into a very smart little roadster. He sold it to Schlumpf and it was this relationship which encouraged Shakespeare and Conway to go through Shaw to facilitate the bulk sale.”
In 2007 article for Pur Sang, Editor Tom Clifford quoted Shaw about the collection. “From time to time Mr. Shakespeare becomes inspired and works in earnest disassembling one of the cars with the intention of putting it right again. However, he seems to lose interest and enthusiasm once the car is apart, blaming it on his busy business schedule. As a result, practically every car in the collection is in some state of disassembly. He also had a mechanic, Mr. Hannah, who was very skillful, and he did most of the work.”
A somewhat abridged list of the cars as Shaw noted them is at the end of this article, thanks to Tom Clifford and the American Bugatti Club.
Though the Schlumpfs prevailed in the purchase, there were others who could have bought the Shakespeare hoard. Wrote Clifford in Pur Sang, “Shakespeare revealed that he had an extremely attractive offer for several of the cars from Harrah and another friend. They of course wanted the Royale, and the ones Shakespeare would want to keep if he did not sell everything.”
According to Leith, Dr. Peter Williamson had the opportunity of buying all the Bugatti’s for the same amount that Schlumpf paid, but felt Schlumpf would try to low-ball Shakespeare, so made a low-ball, “take it or leave it” offer which was not even considered. Ray Jones, ever the opportunist, called up Shakespeare and asked about his parts collection, which amounted to a vast amount of spares. For a nominal sum, Ray was able to buy all the spares and loaded up a trailer to the extent that the trailer axle sagged in the middle, requiring unloading much of the hardware and two trips with the trailer.”
The Mysterious Demise of John Shakespeare
After the sale of his Bugattis, apparently Shakespeare lost his interest in cars. On May 8th, 1975, his body was found in the basement of his Centralia, Illinois home, his hands were in handcuffs, his ankles tied with an electrical cord. Cause of death was a single .22 caliber bullet fired into his brain. Robbery was ruled out and there was no apparent motive. Shakespeare was 69 years old.
“I was saddened to hear of his death much later after the news came out,” said Gulick. The news of Shakespeare’s death made as many headlines as the sale of the Bugatti collection. And to this day, the mystery remains unsolved. There is an interesting thread on the Shakespeare murder mystery if anyone wants to read more….
We present the last in the series of the David Gulick photos. All photos copyright David Gulick and must not be copied or used without permission of the photographer.
A Type 55 being slowly pulled up onto the railcar.
John with his collection loaded on the railcars and ready to head to New Orleans, then on to Le Havre, France.
Subscribe to VeloceToday and recieve this free Paul Chenard art poster. Click poster for details.
From any angle, the cars were impressive. Note the plastic wrapped steering wheel on the top left car. This was the only bit of protection given the cars for shipping.
The Type 13 being winched up a ramp. This 1914 model was an open boattail with mahogany side panels.
Various spare wheels. There were numerous piles of spare parts scattered around between the cars.
Photographer David Gulick with cameras at the Indy 500 in the mid-1960s.
The thirty Bugattis as noted by Bob Shaw, 1963
Type 55 55237 (Ex Dr. Scher) The car is black and blue. Bought in June 1956.
Type 55 55215 (Ex Milton Roth) In good condition. 2-tone gray with black fenders and black leather interior. Engine is partly disassembled. Bought in 1960.
Type 57 Cab 57543(Ex Bob Estes) Painted medium gray with cloth interior. Bought in 1958.
Type 41 Royale 41131 (Ex Capt. Foster) Park Ward Limousine bought from J. L.Burton in 1956. Body in good condition, black leather driver’s compartment and cloth passenger compartment.
Type 13 765 (Ex Peter Hampton) The hood and fenders are dark green, and the body is dark wood with a brass radiator, lights and fittings. The engine is disassembled for checking. It has light-green wire wheels and body striping.
Type 57SC Galibier 57728 The body appears sound, but the paint is very badly cracked. Black-leather door panels and it has seats covers. The engine and supercharger seem in good condition.
Type 40 La Fiacre 40689 The car is in Florida, but the body is just as it was purchased.
Type 57S Atlante 57481 (Ex Milton Roth) The body is in black with a tan leather interior. The car is in very good condition. The car was bought in 1960.
Type 57 57764 The “Geneva Salon” car with Gangloff body. Painted black with beige leather seats. Intake manifold appears to be TlOl with two Weber carburetors .
Type 57 (Atalante coupe.) 57618 The car appears to have been in a head-on collision, and the frame is bent. It has a very attractive coupe body in good condition. The front fenders and hood are missing.
Type 46 Saloon 46523 The four-door Million Guiet pillarless sedan body is off the car. Interior and upholstery must be replaced. Engine is being rebuilt. It has alloy wheels.
Type 55 55203 A black-and-yellow coupe with a fabric top and red interior in poor condition. The engine appears to be original. The car is very attractive.
Type 57 Coupe Ventoux 57377 The body is quite sound and finished in black and maroon. The leather interior has been painted red. The engine has been modified.
Type 44 441322 A four-door tourer in good shape with front cycle fenders. Original upholstery and engine.
Type 40 Roadster 40902 The blue-and-red body has a unique fixed window mounted in an aluminum frame. The door panels and dash are covered in aluminum, and the seats are black imitation leather.
Type 57 Cab 57417 The Saoutchik body is dark blue and in very good condition. The interior is excellent with gray leather and blue trim. The top is tan. The car was driven from California to Illinois.
Type 49 Cab 44918 The body is yellow with some dents. The seats and upholstery must be replaced. The engine compartment is original, and the car has alloy wheels. The top is missing, but the bows are intact.
Type 35 GP 4807 The body is blue and in good shape. The interior must be replaced. The engine compartment appears very original, and the motor has dual side draft Solex carburetors.
Bebe Peugeot The body is in sound condition. The interior is beyond repair. There is no dashboard or lights. The engine appears all original.
T46 Roadster 46287 The car has been rebodied with bits and pieces, possibly from a 1938 Buick. The upholstery and interior are worthless. The engine appears to be relatively untouched. It has alloy wheels.
Type 57 Ventoux 57297 The body was recently painted blue and is in good condition. The interior is recent red imitation leather. The engine appears original.
Type 46 Roadster 46125 The Letourneur & Marchand body has recently been painted a greenish gray. The original upholstery is dark green leather. The top is in poor condition. The engine and wiring are original. It has wire wheels.
Type 57 Convertible 57507 The body is black, and the interior is tan leather. The engine is very original and is fitted with a Cotal gearbox.
Type 40 hunt break 40485 The body is painted blue and is quite sound. The wooden body panels are in excellent shape. The upholstery is some type of hardboard. The engine compartment is very original, and the car has a Cotal gearbox.
Type 57C Galibier 57789 The body is very sound, and the interior is the original maroon leather. The engine compartment seems original. (Ex Dr. Mauguiere)
TSO Convertible 50160 The streamlined Michelin body with its oval radiator is very sound and has sliding glass windows. The seats and door panels are_beige leather in fair condition. The top is light tan. The engine compartment is original, and it has a Cotal gearbox.
Type 56 The majority of the wooden super structure and metal were replaced in Shakespeare’s shop. The upholstery is new, and the top will be replaced.
Type 57 57535 The body is gray and in solid condition. The interior is green leather with a green cloth headlining. The car looks very original.
Type 57SC 57561 The Ghia body is dark green, and the interior is green cloth and leather. The engine compartment appears original, and it has a Cotal gearbox. (Bought from Robert Baer, Switzerland, in 1960).
TSO 50130 This Le Mans replica has no body other than a scuttle and hood. There is no top or upholstery. The engine and supercharger seem to be complete.
As you can see from his picture, John Shakespeare was not known for sartorial elegance. When he approached Luigi Chinetti’s Ferrari stand at the New York Auto Show in 1954, Chinetti remarked that he looked like a “beggar”. Luigi’s wife Marion was not so quick to dismiss him and ended up selling Shakespeare the Ferrari 375 MM seen in the image above. Part of the deal was that Shakespeare would ride with Chinetti when the latter drove the car in the 1954 Carrera Panamericana. Before the race, the Governor of Illinois called Chinetti convinced he was going to kill his friend, Shakespeare. Chinetti convinced him otherwise and the border-to border run was as uneventful as a Carrera could be.
Luigi Chinetti, Jr. and I are presently working on a Chinetti family book that will be available in 2017. John Shakespeare is just one of many slightly off-kilter characters who crossed the Chinetti’s paths. We have some good stories about many of them.
When I was 13 my father took me to a neighboring town (Centralia), he had heard someone there had a very rare car. We pulled up to a modest home and found a Bugotti Royal sitting in the driveway. As we stood there admiring it, Mr Shakespeare came out to talk with us. As I remember he was not a very impressive person. Was proud that he owned the car, but not so proud of the car. To my 13 year old mind I was not excited to see a car that would just sit in someone’s driveway. By mid teens we had moved to Wisconsin and I wished so much that I could see that car again.