History Bugattis at the Schlumpf collection - lots of photos.

It's in FRANCE! And every time I look at your project I think of Bugatti coachwork. Study the Bugatti hoods & louvers, you car deserves one.

 

Thanks for sharing....I have always found it amusing in an ironic way that a lot of Harry Miller's engine design experience came from tearing down early Peugeot DOHC Indy 500 race engines and improving upon them and then a decade later, the Bugatti family purchased Miller 91s to tear then down to try and improve their Bugatti engine designs...It's funny how design sometimes comes full-circle; in this case from France to the US and back to France again.
I think the Packard Cable Special Miller sitting in the Smithsonian was owned by the Bugatti folks until Griffith Borgeson bought it and had it shipped back here in the 50's.

 

A great thread, I love the whole Bugatti thing; the cars ,the story ,the history , the family, etc. Not too often you hear about an Italian family building world class cars in France, along with aero engines and engines for locomotives . Then the son becomes maybe the best auto designer of his era , only to be killed in a freak testing accident. The whole thing is like a Hollywood script! Great post. WALDO

 

Awesome stuff.....thank you for posting...

 

THANK YOU for posting!

 

There is a great book called the Schlumpf Obsession.Probably out of print and rarely seen in English.They controlled the whole town.If you quit,you couldn't ride their buses!They took a lot of $$$ FROM THE goverment and then bought more cars.They would rebuild the motor.Run it and then tear it down again, clean it and then put it together again.When the goverment found out what was going on,they had to flee the country.It is my understanding that some are going to be on display in California and in October,Bugatti will be the featured at the Louisville Concours in October.

 

Wow! Like someone else stated, this is internet porn for gearheads. While in France for the 24hrs of LeMans, I so wanted to find time to go to this museum. These are the most pictures I have ever seen. Thank you so much for sharing.
Years ago, the Cleveland Art Museum, did a special exhibit, on a select number of Bugatti cars and also the families art and furniture. Stunning and breathtaking, barely do them justice. The workmanship and craftsmanship are second to none. And they go fast!!
Quick story from Plain Dealer, many years ago. Seems some newspaper magnates son, started collecting and dismantling every Bugatti, he could get his dad to write the check for. Long story short, they wound up getting sold and shipped cross country on OPEN rail cars to be sent overseas, I think to this museum. ?? Awesome thread!!
JT
p.s. can't help but include a few Bugatti shots from this years Amelia Island show.

 

An interesting note, many of the cars in the collection were purchased in the '70s from a man named John Shakespeare in (I think) Illinois, who had a huge collection. The cars were loaded on rail cars and sent to the east coast to be placed on ships. I think Road & Track had an article about the sale back when it occurred.

 

Oops, seems they did not upload.

 

Yes, you are correct. Read that article a long time ago. Thanks Google!
http://www.bugattirevue.com/revue28/shakesp.htm

 

Cool cars,, thanks for posting, I won't sleep for a week.

 

wow..... thanks

 

I always wanted to know what happened to their collection when the french government took it over.The book about their collection is great reading.I got one when they first came out. Those brothers were something else. Thanks for the update.

 

I read a book from the libary few years all about this collection. (The Schulmpf Obsession) Then some time later I found a copy at a book sale. Great book. great story. great collection. Thanks for posting. I will have to go and get the book out and have another read.

 

Tell that to any Alsatian and you'll be hung drawn and quartered as many of them were butchered by invading German troops over the centuries. They do NOT speak German - they speak 'Alsacienne' which is a germanic patois. Take it from a linguist who was married to an Alsatian gal and who spent a lot of time there.

Now back to regular programming: I doubt Ryan would delete this as O/T - how could he when so much was cribbed by Ettore from Harry Miller?

Thanks James D for a wonderful insight into this master collection.

 

The Schlumph brothers made their fortune in the fabric business, and the Greman army was really into uniforms.

 

Those reversed quarter-elliptics are something of a Bugatti trademark. They appeared on all the "conventional" Bugattis, at least as far back as the T13. They contributed to the Bugatti reputation for good handling because they imparted benign roll-steer into a curve. This meant forgiving handling at a time when many cars could be quite tricky.

 

Great thread and incredible photos.
Thank you.

 

The machine work and engine turning in Bugatti engine compartments is always outstanding:



Great pics, thanks for posting. BTW, saw that Matra V12 race at Watkins Glen. I'll never forget the scream of that motor.

Rick

 

JamesD...what a great way to get my day going. Great post. Thanks! Slim

 

Nothing OT about this post...thank you!!

 

Take a closer look at those wheels. That's the most beautiful wheel ever made. Period.

 

The firewall and dash was engine turned, but that finish on the crankcase and cam box is hand struck. This was done for good looks as well as sealing the sonetines porous aluminun casting. It took a long time to lay out the pattern and cut it with a special tool.

 

Some of those were radial-laced. They supported the weight of the car but took no torque loads. The rims were somehow splined to the brake drums to enable drive and braking.

 

Yes, Those Type-59 wheels have teeth on the rims and brake backing plate that take all the torque loads, spokes were special and unlike any other wire wheel spoke.

 

Ditto on that --

On my first trip to the Glen (USGP 1972) I awoke to the sound of that car ripping past our campsite outside the main straight during an early morning practice session - epic!

A howling like the hounds of hell -- one of my favorite examples of exhaust pipe music ever. I just wish I could have heard a BRM V-16 run in anger - now that must have been something!

moT

 

My grandmother's family was from that area when it was part of Germany, and she was German in every way, even made her own sauerkraut weekly and stank up the place.
But she insisted that her family name be pronounced as though it were French, not wanting people to think she was German, LOL.

 

WOW!!

What a post! Thank you for sharing the pics.

Bugatti's are automotive art at it's finest.

Wish I had known about the Schlumpf museum when I was over there.
Makes the Mercedes in Stuttgart pale by comparison.

 

Such a nice car and they gotta "donk" it up with those wheels. If someone showed up here with those wheels on his 32 he'd be run off.
Seriously though, great pictures and thanks for sharing, pure car art at it's finest, I'd love to visit that place..........if it wasn't in France.

 

Anybody have better pics of how they attached the springs to the axle housing?