BOOK ENDS

One man’s dedication to the marque led him to buy the Centodieci – but it’s far from his only Bugatti…

YOU CAN’T CELEBRATE 110 years of Bugatti without reference to where it all began And in this case, the story goes back even further The Type 1 tricycle of 1899 was Ettore’s first design but it was made by Prinetti & Stucchi, an Italian maker of sewing machines, bicycles and motorised vehicles, so it came before Bugatti was a marque Perhaps the term ‘running on fumes’ originated here, as the Type 1 has no carburettors but relies for ignition on petrol fumes, which are expedited by the exhaust as it heats the fuel tank! Its engine features four separate cylinders and the 17-year-old Ettore won a 90km race on this example in 1899, beating Gianni Agnelli among others He enjoyed much success with this, but the Type 2 that followed would be a four-wheeler

The supercharged Type 35B needs little introduction, being one of the most successful and perfectly formed Grand Prix cars of all time, one of such engineering elegance that any part of it is worthy of a place in an art gallery In fact, this one featured in Norman Foster’s Bilbao exhibition ‘Motion Autos, Art, Architecture’ in 2022. It also won the 1929 French Grand Prix, driven by William Grover-Williams

The Type 59 was the last Bugatti Grand Prix car and is another engineering masterpiece Its 3.3-litrestraight-eightenginegaveanimpressive 250bhp and its signature, lightweight ‘piano wire’ wheels were a clever way of managing corneringloadswithlittleweight.RenéDreyfus won the 1934 Belgian GP in this perfectly preserved example, but Robert Benoist, JeanPierre Wimille and King Leopold of Belgium all piloted it at some point; the paintwork dates from King Leopold’s time

These pre-war Bugattis define the marque and each exhibits Ettore’s obsession with excellence And with these cars in the back catalogue, it’s easy to understand why there has beenmorethanoneattemptatacomeback The owner of the vehicles here found his passion in a slightly unconventional way He bought a Chiron and was so stunned by the car that

Clockwise, from top right

Ex-King Leopold Type 59; the owner with Bugatti-designed 1899 Prinetti & Stucchi Type 1 tricycle; Centodieci; ex-GroverWilliams Type 35B; EB110 he wanted to know more about the marque

His hunger to understand Bugatti in turn led to a deep fascination, to a degree that he bought the best available example of each model It has become a family affair, with his six daughters equally enthusiastic

‘History and people matter,’ he says ‘Ettore’s father was a furniture designer, his brother Rembrandt was a sculptor The artistic influence and legacy are clear to see There are many fine automotive designs but Bugatti’s design ethos persists under the skin perhaps more than with any other car maker It was true in the 1930s and it’s true today’

The owner appreciates art, is a sportsman and a keen motorist and racer He strongly believes that a passion for cars, whenever it emerges, ‘has a connection to a childhood experience’ Oneofhisgreatestmotivationsis to involve young people in old cars because, having heard, smelt and experienced them, they will become their future custodians

He even has a Bugatti pasta machine When Ettore Bugatti’s chef reported that his pasta maker had broken, Bugatti took matters into his own hands He had a pasta machine designed and attached a Type 46 steering to operate the compressor Voilà, pasta in many shapes made reliably with a Bugatti Every home should have one