The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
By Pete Vack
It took fifty seven years for Jose Fernandez to see his dream come true. But unlike most of us who share similar dreams, he had the staying power, tenacity and the money to see it through. The result is this devastatingly beautiful rebirth of one of Giovanni Michelotti’s greatest Ferraris.
By far the biggest recreation ever attempted was the Esders Bugatti Royale. The original convertible had been rebodied and was, at the time, in the Harrah collection. The Schlumpf brothers wanted one exactly like the Royale built for the famed couturier Esders, so they secretly constructed another Royale from scratch. It is still in the Cité de l'Automobile Museum. Photo from the book, “The Schlumpf Obsession”, Doubleday, 1978, photographer unknown.
By Brandes Elitch
About thirty years ago, I attended a “Grand Classic,” the judged show that is a regular fixture on the Classic Car Club of America events calendar. I remember seeing a Cord 810 coupe parked under a tree, a little ways from the show. Even from a distance, it was a spectacular car, and I walked over to see it. As I was admiring it, a thought occurred to me like a thunderbolt: Cord never made an 810 coupe!