1925 Bugatti Brescia type 23 original body by Comptons Chassis… - Collectors' Motor Cars, Motorcycles, Motor Boats, Number Plates and Automobilia - Bonhams & Goodman (No longer trading)

Lot No.

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Description:

1925 Bugatti Brescia type 23 original body by Comptons Chassis no. 2493 engine no. 901 'Bugattis encapsulate concepts of engineering which, once seen, change your ideas radically and definitively. Drive them, and you realise that each car is form and engineering in equilibrium, and a work of Art.' William Stobbs, Les Grandes Routithres. Born in 1881 in Milan, Ettore Bugatti was part of an extraordinary family of designers and artists; the patriarch Carlo Bugatti a furniture designer and manufacturer. By the age of 19 young Ettore had created his first gold-medal winning design. This design was sold to Baron de Dietrich from Alsace. Ettore then joined the Baron in the manufacture of a series of motorcars called de Dietrich-Bugattis. He became Chief Engineer of Deutz at the age of 25 following the design of the Hermes with Emil Mathis; but aspiring to build his own cars, he designed a 1400cc car for the 1910 Paris Automobile show which soon afterwards went into production and by 1912 three models were produced, all showing the sensibility of their gifted designer. Before World War I he created the type 13, the first car to bear the name Bugatti, after World War I Bugatti entered the type 13 in the Voiturette race at Le Mans and won, then taking the first four places at the Voiturette race in Italy at Brescia, thus giving the name to the model. Subsequently Bugatti embarked on the production of competition touring cars which became winners of innumerable races in the 1920's, by 1926 the type 13 had been developed into the superb type 23, the wonderfully original condition of this Brescia Bugatti can be attributed to its relatively sheltered life. While most Brescias delivered to Australia saw duty as racing cars and therefore suffered the usual associated mechanical depredations, 2493 was delivered new to London where it received its elegant tourer body from the well known coach builders, Comptons. It was first registered Yo 4627 in London on 4 June 1926. Its survival, unmolested, can be attributed to it being sparingly used with the odometer reading 45,000 miles when it arrived in Australia, the name of the first owner is not known, but by December 1931 it was in the hands of Archibald Colquhoun, a student at Christ church, Oxford. By July 1933 it was with garagist mark Jones of Oxford who stored the car, unused, from 1954 until 1968 when he sold it to vintage car collector Adrian Liddell. In Liddell's hands it remained little used prior to being sold to the enthusiastic Sultan Karim of Singapore in 1981. Karim took the car with him to Canada from where he sold it to David Pearse of Queensland in 1994. It has been with the vendor since 2005 during which period it has provided many miles of enjoyable fast vintage touring, the writer has a fifty year history of driving Brescias and can confirm after driving this car that it is true to breed and a delight in every way, the long chassis cars (type 23) make wonderful touring cars well able to cope with modern traffic and 2493 is a surprisingly rapid example; our grand Prix Bugatti has to be well wound up to pass it on the open road. 2493 represents a rare opportunity to buy a handsome and practical Brescia Bugatti with all matching numbers which is fitted with original coachwork and upholstery. Its four seats are family friendly and provide space for luggage, the car is eligible for a smorgasbord of international rallies where it will be greeted with great enthusiasm in view of its well patinated originality. It comes with full weather equipment, a full and a half tonneau and an assortment of spares. Reliability is assured as the engine has been rebuilt with a new crankshaft and connecting rods, the gear box has all new gears and the back axle a new Crown wheel and pinion.

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Category:

Motor Vehicles: Motor Cars