Editor: Jaap Horst
The 2025 edition of Retromobile was again very busy as ever, even if I was there on the Friday, not the weekend. Though the number of Bugattis was not as high as it was last year, there was something special to be seen: a total of 6 (six!) types 59!
Apart from all the automobiles, parts and other items to be seen there were a lot of friends and other peoples to meet some of whom I tend to meet each year, just walking somewhere along the stands at Retromobile. Andrea Capra from Switzerland is one of them, Lionel Decrey, Daniel Lapp, Yves Peeters. Then there were a range of fellow Dutch-men (and -lady), Patrick, Jeroen, Philippe, Jaap, Kees-Jan, Laura, Hans, Donald, Olav and more.
And of course those who have a stand at Retromobile, like Julien Dubrulle, Baptiste Nicolosi, Tim Dutton, Benjamin Freudenthal, Pierre-Henri Raphanel, Charles Knill-Jones, Mikhail Bashmashnikov and more. Also, I arranged to meet with Jean-Pascal Viault, who wanted to talk about his project for a book on the Bugatti Baby. At the French Bugatti Club stand on the Friday-evening there was just a prize-giving (and champagne-drinking) when I passed, thus met many more people over there, for example Americans Tom Clifford and Paul Simms.
For me personally there was a very special find, and one that probably all others have missed. This was a propeller, a black propeller of more than 100 years old. It was of the firm Lumière, a propeller firm established during WW1 by Belgian Louis de Monge whom we all know as the aeronautic engineer who was hired by Ettore Bugatti to design the 100P airplane for him.
After WW1 the demand for propellers declined drastically (these were replaced very often, sometimes after each flight), the Lumière firm continued a while as a furniture factory, but finally went bankrupt.
I'm communicating with the seller in France to probably go and collect it. Taking it with me in the Train back home wasn't really an option....
Finally, there was also a special Retromobile news: There will be a USA edition of Retromobile, though the location (probably New York) and dates are not exactly known yet.
Quick links to a specific section:
Also at the CBF stand this nice Type 40 Grand Sport.
The Artcurial auction stand was big, but not accessible without buying their 100 euro catalog. I didn't feel like doing that this time, thus I made some large-distance photographs. And below that some official photographs from the website.
Julien Dubrulle proudly at the wheel of his latest project, the very original and extensively raced (both in England and Australia!) 1922 Type 13, chassis 1399, engine 2109. The last picture shows this car in some of these races. It was raced by: Bertram "Bunny" Marshall (uk), Lt. Peter Du Cane R.N. (uk), A V Turner (au), Hope Bartlett (au), Bill Thompson (au).
A rather big surprise, a Bugatti Ambulance (converted during WW2) on T46 chassis, including a trailer with T35 wheels and axle! These were shown by the Musée National de l'Automobile, collection Schlumpf.
First of the six type 59's I saw, this one with chassis no. 8. at Phoenix Green Garage (including an old photo with a Type 35).
The 2nd Type 59, this one with a T50S engine, at Charles Knill-Jones's Tula engineering. Look at the rear engine mount in the last picture. Probably more than 15 years ago I bought two of these aluminium engine mounts, supposedly they would be for the Bugatti airplane. Well, now I know where they belong!
And Three. This one a very original 3-liter T59/50B, the "Cork car", the body seems to be a replica though.
Note the air-scoop to lead air to the carburettor under the compressor.
And three more, quite nice original ones, though I still feel that "LPG 211" should have retained it's wings and darker blue colour.
Nice early Type 57 Stelvio, on the stand of PreWarCar / Fineautomobiles
On the same stand this type 40 Grand Sport, a car which has been in the Netherlands for a long time, but did not appear in public for decades.
Interesting and nice looking T57S Le Mans at Ivan Dutton's stand. It was ran at Le Mans by first owner Raymond d' Estrez de Saugé, who unfortunately did not finish. The body was lost, and was newly made as a copy op that Le Mans car.
Type 37 with some interesting period Dutch racing history.
A very good Type 55 with van Vooren body (55217) at Gallery Aaldering, where I did not see important Bugatti's before!
Lukas Hüni always has a couple of very original Bugattis on his stand. This one a Type 57C with aluminium Atalante bodywork. Including some period photographs.
The other car possibly even more special: Elizabeth Junek (Eliska Junkova) her Type 35C. the original car, according to Hüni.
Nice, though not totally original, Type 35A Course Imitation.
And then, just when you're about to go home and scan some of the paths which you had missed before, you spot this Brescia!
And the moderns? Yes, there were 3 EB110GT (a white one at the Artcurial auction), this red one was owned by the Emir of Kuwait, and was just totally restored. Restored? How? The car is virtually new!
And this blue "EB110GT" I mised. It was hidden in the entrance of a restaurant behind the Riva stand. Thanks Artur Kulescha for sending it to me! Johann Petit informed me that this car in fact is not a GT. It is a Dauer Supersport, with GT rims and without its rear spoiler.
Two more images of the Dauer.
And one even more modern one, a Veyron. I don't have more info.
Also at Ariztegui many parts. Even a seemingly complete Type 57 (3rd series) chassis.
Two Bugatti Vise's and part of a T51 engine at Julien Dubrulle.
Quite a few interesting items at Baptiste Nicolosi's "Arts and Cars", all were in the Osenat auction on Friday 7. The first ones are of a Bürk timestamp-clock from the Bugatti factory.
A baby T59 which Charles Knill-Jones of Tula engineering made, together with his son, during a lot of Saturdays!
A pair of Eureka pedal driven baby Bugattis. These will be auctioned by Aguttes on March 20.
One of various Baby Bugatti replica's. The girl inside is rather pleased, and the photo of the boy working on his car is very nice!
Bugatti Baby replica for sale at Ariztegui
Children's Type 55: STAR 55 Roadster "Junior" by AROLA - DE LA CHAPELLE, Faithful 1⁄2 scale replica of the Type 55 fitted with a SACHS two-stroke engine - Type SAXONETTE 50cmc and a
Fiberglass-reinforced polyester bodywork
Type 35B miniature in approximately 1:3 scale at Profil24-Models. It seems to be made of resin, not metal.
I've shown these Velasor models before on these pages, but this is a very nice shot!
1:8 scale Bugatti T57SC Atlantic kit by IXO.
Mikhail Bashmashnikov showed me his work on the stand of the French Bugatti club, I must admit that I had missed it before. A 1:43 scale workbench, with legs, drawers and vise's. The drawers actually open, the vise's do not work, though Mikhail told me that it might be possible to make them work.
A tin of "Cardines" is a fun piece of work, also nice to see artwork really being made at Retro. There was also a rather young boy making a painting of a F1 car (no photo).
Of the Facel Vega there were various at Retromobile. I always found that an interesting brand!
The Lumière propeller as described in the introduction. Built by Belgian Louis de Monge, who would go on to become the designer of the Bugatti 100P Race plane. I'm about to start on the 3rd edition of my book on that airplane.
Sometimes there are "normal" cars at Retromobile. Like these two Citroën's, both of them I owned at some time. Other cars I owned I never saw at Retro though, like the Daimler Conquest Century Saloon or a Princess 2200 HLS....
Also this nice penny-farthing, probably an American Rudge from the 1800's. Beside that myself with my latest acquisition, a relatively new highwheeler or "Grand Bi" made by the Swedish company Standard Highwheels.
Bugatti automobiles
At the Club Bugatti France stand the Bugatti Type 55 with Pritchard & Demollin body, which he recently completed. Great work, and a very nice little Bugatti!
All of these were brought together for the presentation of the book on the Bugatti Type 59, which costs only 1595 euro (in the simplest version), and 15,959 in the Marc Newson designed aluminium slipcase. And they come even more expensive.. In case you're interested, go to: thetype59book.com
Of course, it is quite remarkable that these 3 Type 59's were brought together for the occasion, but still. This price for a book? In my (humble) opinion, a book is about sharing one's knowledge on a specific subject with others. Of course one is allowed to make some money from it, but this way very interesting information is kept away from Enthusiasts.
I wonder if they will all be sold, the likewise expensive book, also by Kruta and others, on the subject of the racing EB110's of several years ago is not sold out yet...Special Bugatti items and parts
Bugatti Type 57 engine, the same was also for sale at Ariztegui last year. Probably not cheap...
The second one is a very heavy, brass attachment eye, probably from the sailboat project? The eye revolves freely relative to the base.
Lastly, a pair of workbench legs. Interestingly, the Bugatti logo is sometimes in one direction, sometimes in the other. Also visible are screw-heads, the logo's were probably not part of the wooden master, but screwed on.Bugatti Baby's and children's cars
Without a doubt the best of the Baby replica's are made by Pierre-Henri Raphanel and his team, who makes only the short version. I spoke quite a while with him, and he emphasized how all parts were made the same way as originally. Prices are in the same range as original ones even.
Personally I do not care for the ones made of brass (8 to be made) and copper (only one made), materials which are harder to work on than the original's aluminium.
Also on offer are the "radiator" shells, which in this case have a half-size Bugatti badge. The later Bugatti Baby's all had the Bugatti badge just in front of the "radiator", however on original drawings there was a small badge on the radiator itself.
Note also the pair of replica Ettore-designed garden chairs.Bugatti art and miniatures
Type 57G by an unknown artist, and a "Arbre à Papillons" with the Bugatti type body screws.
Besides it a fantasy, Atlantic inspired, stone sculpture.Non-Bugatti cars and other interesting items
From the Retromobile Affiche: the remake of the "DS 19 Ballons" of 1959, visualising it's hydropneumatic suspension. Also a very interesting drawing of the DS, in one of it's first versions. Still a pity that the Citroën engineers could not make that flat-six engine to work, which was destined to be placed in the DS.Chassis numbers
For those of you who want to know the chassis numbers of the Bugattis, Christian Anicet put them all together (with some additions by me), they are the following:
