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bugatti t57

T57, Jollys, Gandini at Cartier Style, Goodwood

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Ferrari’s Jolly

Photos and intro by Jonathan Sharp, captions by Gary Axon

You never know what to expect when you enter the show field for the Cartier Style et Luxe Concours, held annually as part of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. This year on the library lawn near to the stable block visitors were greeted by, amongst many a fine automobile, the sight of a 1977 Volkswagen Polo, probably the best condition 1977 Polo you are ever likely to see but a Polo never the less. Why? Well if you have a class to celebrate the work of Marcello Gandini, and you want to show Gandini designs other than those for Lamborghini (which were of course also on display) then why not a Polo! with a Citroen BX and a Fiat X1/9 to boot. Another sight that I am sure you are unlikely to see on the lawn at Pebble Beach is a Renault Tractor displayed across the way from a Bugatti Type 57!, or a Meyers Manx Beach Buggy near the Felber Ferrari Beach car displayed close to a 40/50 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. Only Goodwood would do that.

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Bugatti Type 57 G Tank: What Lies Beneath

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Above, a picture of the Bugatti T57 G Tank, just before the start of the 1937 24 hr. of Le Mans with J.P. Wimille. The use of Elektron alloy in the body would not be discovered for another 76 years. Photo courtesy Bugatti Trust

By Alan Yankolonis

In addition to winning two French Sports Car Grand Prix and setting land speed records in 1936 which stood for 29 years, the Simeone Foundation’s Bugatti T57 G Tank was the first Bugatti to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Initially the car was built for the 1936 French Sports Car Grand Prix that was established and later to set speed records in 1936. Of three, perhaps four built, this is the only Bugatti Tank known to survive.*

In 2013, Audi was introducing the new limited-edition Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, and Audi USA approached Dr. Fredrick Simeone to obtain color samples from the 1936 Bugatti T57G, and to discuss the possibility of displaying that car at the Quail Lodge during the 2013 Pebble Beach Concourse in Monterey, California. The idea was to paint the show car in the same color scheme as the 1937 Le Mans winner. Their request to Dr. Simeone was to conduct color matching tests on the Le Mans winner and explore the opportunity to have the museum car displayed side by side with the new Vitesse at the Quail Lodge. After much discussion an agreement was made to copy the color of the Le Mans winner, and make arrangements to have the museum car transported to California for display alongside the Vitesse.

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A Lifetime of Cars of a Lifetime

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By Brandes Elitch
From the archives October 14, 2014

Steve Snyder, a fixture in the American Lancia Club for decades, reprinted the club publication originally published in 1977 as “the Aurelia Issue.” Steve asked if I could deliver a copy locally, which took me to the residence of Mr. G., a long time Lancia owner who kindly invited me inside his home. When I asked about some Bugatti pictures on the wall, he related the history of his life with cars, and has agreed to share it with our readers, as follows. [Read more…] about A Lifetime of Cars of a Lifetime

L’Affaire Bugatti

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By Peter Darnall

Imagine yourself a passenger in a Type 57SC Bugatti Atalante. The view through the windshield is stunning: a long tapering hood framed by delicately arched fenders. The snug interior of the coupe cabin fills with the incredible sound of the 8-cylinder Bugatti engine at peak revs as the siren-like scream of the supercharger adds its surreal note. The tree-lined scenery flashes by faster and still faster. The sensory overload is intoxicating.

Such was my introduction to the inner sanctum of the Bugatti mystique. [Read more…] about L’Affaire Bugatti

The Last of the French Bugattis Reviewed

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Bugatti Type 57 – The Last of the French Bugattis
A Veloce classic, reprinted after several years absence!
By Barrie Price
25×20.7cm • 240 pages Over 300 B&W photos
ISBN: 978-1-845848-71-2
£ 45 UK, $75.00 USA
Veloce Publishing, October 2015
Telephone – +44 (0)1305 260068
Facsimile – +44 (0)1305 250479
E-mail – info@veloce.co.uk

Order Here

Review by Pete Vack
All B&W photos from the book

Last week we reviewed Barrie Price’s book, The Big Bugattis, Type 46 & 50, newly re-published by Veloce Publishing in the UK (no relation).

Like the T46 & 50, this is a must have, and even better, as it focuses on one make and has significantly more pages and more photos. Plus, the T57 is generally regarded as the ultimate example of the line, and so it is well worth an in-depth look at the model. [Read more…] about The Last of the French Bugattis Reviewed

A Lifetime of Cars of a Lifetime Part 2: Lancia to Maserati

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Mr. G's Lancia Aurelia B20 coupe. Since the T57 was also a coupe, he decided he wanted an open car.


By Brandes Elitch

In the previous column we related how our hero discovered a Bugatti while in military service in France and brought it home to Florida. He towed it to California to begin restoration at the same time he was a graduate student at Stanford University. He then acquired a Lancia Aurelia Spider and joined Hayden Shepley’s American Lancia Club as member number 7. We pick up the story in 1970 after he has graduated, married and is living in Carmel Valley, California. By now he has traded the Spider for an Aurelia Gran Turismo coupe, better suited to commuting to his job in Monterey. One day he saw an ad in the Monterey Herald newspaper for a 1954 Maserati 2 liter spider (S/N 2101). He had always coveted a Maserati, but already had the Bugatti and Lancia in the garage. A friend advised him that he really needed to have an open car because the other two were coupes. When he asked his wife for her opinion she replied, “The main vices in your character are the ones in the garage. Go ahead and buy what you really want!” It should be obvious to any car enthusiast that when this happens it is proof you married the right person. [Read more…] about A Lifetime of Cars of a Lifetime Part 2: Lancia to Maserati

A Lifetime of Cars of a Lifetime: Bugatti T57

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The Bugatti T57 in 1955 beside the Meuse river in Verdun, France.


By Brandes Elitch

“I was fortunate enough to live in a time when, if you were willing to tinker with your car, there was a lot of neat stuff to be had. But you were on your own though.”

Recently, Steve Snyder, a fixture in the American Lancia Club for decades, reprinted the club publication originally published in 1977 as “the Aurelia Issue.” (https://velocetoday.com/lanciana-and-friends/) This year, he added more recent material, which brought it to 94 pages. This would be a must-have for any Lancisti. Steve has a few copies for sale; you can contact him at jsteve34@att.net. Steve asked me to deliver a copy locally, which took me to the residence of Mr. G., who kindly invited me inside his home. When I asked about some pictures on the wall, he related the history of his life with cars, and has agreed to share it with our readers, as follows: [Read more…] about A Lifetime of Cars of a Lifetime: Bugatti T57

T57S Bugatti Atlantic Reappears at Pebble Beach

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Madam Holtzschuch poses with the T57S in its first iteration at the Juan de Pins Concours on Cap d'Antibes in 1937. Credit: Pierre-Yves Laugier Collection.

By Michael T. Lynch

Much of the breathless reportage in the business and popular press of the recent sale of a Type 57SC Bugatti Atlantic focused on its price and the supposed fact that there were only two — some said three — Atlantics built.

There were actually four cars.  [Read more…] about T57S Bugatti Atlantic Reappears at Pebble Beach

Sweet Adelaide

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Overtaking was allowed, the Argentinean Pur Sang 35B recreation comes up on Antony Simpson’s Bugatti Type 57

Lobethal Grand Carnival,
South Australia, 11 & 12 October 2008

Photos and Story by Vince Johnson

Sixty years after the last races were held there in 1948, the town of Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills once again heard the sounds of racing engines as 87 vintage cars and 35 bikes lined up for the Lobethal Grand Carnival.
[Read more…] about Sweet Adelaide

Six from RM’s Monterey Auction

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VeloceToday selects six favorite cars, three French, three Italian, consigned to the RM Auction, which will be held at the Portola Hotel and Spa on August 15th and 16th 2008. Italics ours, text from the RM catalog.

1956 Ferrari 250GT Tour de France 0563GT Lot 442

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The Tour de Force would have to be the Tour de France. One of the earlier, perhaps more attractive TdFs, this consignment has got to be at the top of our auction dreamlist.
[Read more…] about Six from RM’s Monterey Auction

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