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The Bugatti Type 101 - a rare fusion of past and future

Name: Bugatti 101 1951
Brand: Bugatti

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Created on August 23, 2015

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Bonhams

Courtesy Bonhams

RM Auction Darin Schnabel

Bromberger BROmedia

Archiv

Bonhams

Courtesy Bonhams

RM Auction Darin Schnabel

Bromberger BROmedia

Archiv

Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - the radiator was much more integrated into the pontoon body than on other Type 101s

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - front view

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - cockpit set far back, tribute to the long inline eight-cylinder engine

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - no other Type 101 looked even remotely similar to this Antem Coupé

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - rear view

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - two-seater interior

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - the gearshift is done cotally on the right side of the steering wheel with the small lever

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - Speedometer up to 200 km/h

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - the two-tone interior was newly manufactured during the restoration

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - angular in-line eight-cylinder engine

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - the Type 101C has a supercharger

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - stamped number in the frame

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - chassis and engine bear the number 101.504

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - Chassis badge

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - Bugatti sign on the radiator grille

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - side air intakes

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - Ventilation openings in the windows

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - racing-style ventilation openings in the side windows

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - the trademark of the Antem coachbuilder

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - wire wheels and Bugatti badge

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - of course the car was also shown at Pebble Beach

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem (1954) - probably taken in Belgium

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem (1954) - monochrome, black, probably taken in Belgium

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Bugatti 101 C Coupé Antem (1951) - on the occasion of the Barclay exhibition

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Bugatti 101 C Coupé Antem (1951) - Front section on the occasion of an exhibition

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Bugatti 101 C (1953) - With emergency bodywork as a test car

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Bugatti 101 (1951) - the prototype as a four-door sedan

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Bugatti 101 C Gangloff (1952) - exhibited at the 1952 Geneva Motor Show

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Bugatti 101 C Gangloff (1952) - elegant convertible, exhibited in Geneva in 1952

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Bugatti 101 C Gangloff (1952) - elegantly tapered rear end on the Gangloff convertible, seen in Geneva 1952

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Bugatti 101 C Gangloff (1952) - the large Bugatti radiator had to be integrated into the pontoon shape, seen at the 1952 Geneva Motor Show

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Bugatti 101 C Gangloff (1952) - the closed convertible at the 1952 Geneva Motor Show

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Bugatti 101 C Gangloff (1952) - View of the interior, at the 1952 Geneva Motor Show

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Bugatti 101 C (1952) - View of the engine compartment at the 1952 Geneva Motor Show

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Bugatti 101 C Gangloff (1952) - taken in 1952

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Bugatti 101 Gangloff (1952) - Convertible by Gangloff in Paris

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Bugatti 101 Gangloff (1952) - Steering wheel and dashboard of the Gangloff convertible

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Bugatti 101 Gangloff (1952) - Steering wheel and dashboard of the Gangloff version

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Bugatti 101 Gangloff (1952) - a second Gangloff convertible, shown in Paris in 1952

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Bugatti 101 Gangloff (1952) - the second Gangloff convertible in Paris

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Bugatti 101 (1952) - Gangloff Coupé in Paris in 1952

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Bugatti 101 (1952) - rigid front axle of type 101

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Bugatti 101 (1952) - spoked wheels and whitewall tires

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Bugatti 101 Gangloff (1953) - convertible, now in dark dress

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Bugatti 101 Gangloff (1952) - the second Gangloff convertible from Colmar

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Bugatti 101 Ghia (1965) - convertible based on a design by Virgil Exner

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Bugatti Type 101 Coupé (1950) - offered at the RM Auction in Monterey on August 19 and 20, 2011

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Bugatti Type 101 (1950) - at the Chantilly Arts & Elégance 2014

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Bugatti Typ 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - weit nach hinten versetztes Cockpit, Tribut an den langbauenden Reihenachtzylinder

Bugatti Typ 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - kein anderer Typ 101 sah auch nur annähernd diesem Antem-Coupé ähnlich

Bugatti Typ 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - Heckansicht

Bugatti Typ 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - zweisitziges Interieur

Bugatti Typ 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - geschaltet wird cotal-üblich rechts am Lenkrad mit dem kleinen Hebelchen

Bugatti Typ 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - Tacho bis 200 km/h

Summary

Only a handful of Bugatti Type 101s were built in the 1950s, so they are highly sought after today, even though they were already considered technically obsolete at the time. No two Type 101s are the same, but the Antem coupé is particularly different from the other cars because of its lines. This report looks back on the history of the Type 101 and shows the Antem Coupé in many photos, the other cars in historical photos and in the original sales brochure.

This article contains the following chapters

Improvements in detail
Premiere at the 1951 Paris Motor Show
Just over a handful of examples
Overview of the Bugatti Type 101 chassis
The coupé by Antem
Further information

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The Bugatti company did not fare well after the Second World War. The company had barely got over the tragic accidental death of Jean Bugatti, Ettore's talented son, in 1939 when the company founder Ettore himself passed away in 1947. Due to a lack of alternatives, it was decided in September 1949 to produce a further small series of 16 examples of the pre-war 57/57C model, but no more than three vehicles were produced. Compared to the new designs of the competition, the Bugatti models looked rather old-fashioned. So Roland Bugatti, Ettore's younger son, and Pierre Marco, who managed the factory, decided to relaunch the brand with a new model. And so the Type 101 was born.

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