Under the sign of the horseshoe - special exhibition "Bugatti Unseen" at Autoworld Brussels

Name: Bugatti Typ 35 1928
Brand: Bugatti

This article was auto-translated. We apologize if some words are confusing or simply amusing. Would you like to help us improve?

Created on September 12, 2023

Text:

Wolfram Hamann

Photos:

Wolfram Hamann

Autoworld

Wolfram Hamann

Autoworld

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Impressive collection - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti Divo (2020) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti La Voiture Noire (2021) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

Bild von Partner Porsche AMAG Mai Foto-Galerie 2026

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti Centodieci (2020) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti T 37 A (1929) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti T 36 (1925) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti T 54 (1931) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti T 51 (1931) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Model showcase - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Model of a Bugatti high-speed vehicle for records. The 1937 project was not realized - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti T 35 B (1930) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugattti T 35 B (1930) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti T 49 (1930) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti T 57 C Spéciale Coupé (1938) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

The horseshoe is omnipresent - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti T 57 SC Corsica (1938) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti T 44 Coach (1928) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti T 43 (1929) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti EB 110 (1994) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti T 35 (1926) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Bugatti T 57 "James Brown Concept" (1952) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

Bugatti Divo (2020) – In der Ausstellung Bugatti Unseen in der Autoworld Brüssel

Bugatti La Voiture Noire (2021) – In der Ausstellung Bugatti Unseen in der Autoworld Brüssel

The speed is quite astonishing. This refers to the frequency of the exhibitions at Autoworld Brussels. As a result, the stock has to be constantly rearranged, which is certainly a challenge. The following is about the latest exhibition. It is a "pop-up" exhibition entitled "Bugatti Unseen", which is dedicated to rarities from the brand with the horseshoe radiator. And this even without the obligatory reference to any anniversary, which has become almost rare ...

With 15 exhibits, the presentation is comparatively small, but it has been given considerably more space. You don't have to be one of those contemporaries who greet each other with "vive la marque" to recognize the quality of the exhibits. Because at the latest when reading the text panels (as always in three languages), the visitor becomes curious about the Bugatti universe. So let's take a little tour.

On display are sports and racing cars from the famous brand from the years 1925 to 2022, with the focus on vehicles from the 1930s and the Type 35 and its derivatives, which can also be considered the heyday of the Bugatti company. The engines range from four to 16 cylinders.

Prototypes and rarities from the 1930s

Anyone expecting to see only cars in the French racing color blue will be pleasantly surprised. For example, a Type 35 B racing car in Swiss colors is on display. It has the last chassis of the type built and was delivered to a private driver in Switzerland.

Bugatti T 35 B (1930) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

Closely related to the Type 35 is the "only" four-cylinder Type 37 A, which was usually delivered with wire wheels. An unrestored example is shown next to a Type 36 from 1925. This is a prototype built for test purposes. The car has an eight-cylinder engine with a capacity of just 1.1 liters and a supercharger. The Type 35 B is also the basis for a Type 51 from 1931, which has never been restored and is one of the Bugattis most frequently used in races.

A luxury version of the Type 35 is the tastefully black and beige painted Type 49 from 1930. The "fake convertible" was once driven by Jean Bugatti himself.

Bugatti T 49 (1930) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

The legendary Type 35 also served as a model for the Type 52. This was a 1:2 scale children's car equipped with an electric motor, which the "patron" had originally designed for his four-year-old son Roland and which was later built in small series. The black Type 43 from 1929 on display was owned by the Belgian King Leopold III, who had it shortened in 1932 in order to take part in the popular ice races in Scandinavia.

The epoch-making Type 57 is represented by two examples. A green 57 C Special Coupé is on display, which was often loaned to works drivers, including racing driver Jean-Pierre Wimillle

Bugatti T 57 C Spéciale Coupé (1938) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

The attractively light and dark blue painted Type 57 SC (where "SC" means: lowered and with compressor) by coachbuilder Corsica is a unique specimen from the famous Schlumpf collection. The oldest car in the exhibition, a Type 44 Coach from 1928, is also a "false cabriolet" made by Belgian coachbuilder d'Ieteren.

Transition to modernity

The bridge between the "old" and the "new" Bugatti is bridged by the twelve-cylinder EB 110 from 1994 (once again packed in a toy box), which therefore dates from the "Italian period" of the reanimated Bugatti company.

Bugatti EB 110 (1994) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

Even if reports on vehicles from 2020 and 2021 do not correspond to the objectives of zwischengas.com, they should not go unmentioned here, because these current top-class automobiles are part of the company's history and are probably only very rarely seen as an ensemble. The Bugatti Divo (2020) was limited to 40 units. Even more exclusive was the Centodieci from the same year, of which only ten were built. These cars cost several million euros to buy and have engines with 16 cylinders.

A masterpiece all in black

However, the star of the trio of new Bugattis is undoubtedly the car that is simply called "la voiture noire" ("the black car") in reference to Jean Bugatti's lost black T 57 SC Atlantic.

Bugatti La Voiture Noire (2021) - In the Bugatti Unseen exhibition at Autoworld Brussels

The one-off is probably the most expensive new car ever built and was sold for 16 million euros. As always, after this special exhibition, you could browse the permanent collection of Autoworld for more Bugattis. You would make a find.

The special exhibition Bugatti Unseen runs from 08.09. to 05.11.2023 at Autoworld Brussels