Editor: Jaap Horst
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The 2019 Festival promised to be something really special, with of course the rally itself, but combined with this the 110 years Bugatti (yes, the real experts know that 110 years of Bugatti will start only in 2020...) where the participants in the rally would also have access to the special exhibit organized by Bugatti SAS, mainly for their clients of the Veyron and Chiron. Combined with this, several exhibitions in town of Bugatti art, and additionally an exhibition of Trippel "Schwimwagen". Strictly speaking, these Trippel cars have nothing to do with Bugatti, but they were produced in the Bugatti factory during the years of the 2nd World War. I know that several Bugattistes do not visit the Festival anymore, mainly because of the large number of replica's present. And in fact, it is true, when you see a GP Bugatti at the Festival, chances that it is an original is less than 25%. However, there is a huge number of very original Bugattis present, mostly all touring Type 44's, 46's, 49's and 57's. On the other hand, there are replica's present of unique replica's, which many people would not object to, like some of the T57s's and of course the Royale. My son Tomás and I arrived on the Friday afternoon in Molsheim, and passed by the bookstore "Pourquoi pas un livre" to deliver some books. After this, we went to the first exhibition of Bugatti art, and then off to the cemetery in Dorlisheim for the gathering there. As all the photographs would be a bit much for one page only, I organised all info of the weekend over several pages, you can use the following navigation list to go to a specific event, or just browse through it page by page, at the bottom of each page you'll find a link to redirect you to the next page. Have fun!
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Some artwork in the window of the bookstore. Also a very familiar book on show.
Esders Roadster replica ready to deliver the flowers at the side of the family graves.
Ceremony of putting the flowers on the tombstone of Ettore, first time that Bugatti president
Stephan Winkelmann is actually present.
Above: the tombstones with flowers, most of them on Ettore's stone.
Below: several views of the impressive Royale.
Below: a selection of the Bugattis present at the cemetery and nearby parking lot.
At the friday evening dinner; EB-style desert, and special Festival wine.
From there, the Bugattis went directly onto the grounds of the old factory, zig-zagging inbetween all buildings, some of which dating back to Ettore's days. All streets here were full of people, probably the employee's of the factory (now SAFRAN, former Messier - Hispano - Bugatti) and their families. In the end, photo's were taken of each Bugatti, one with the Hardtmuhle in the background, and the other with the Villa in the background.
After the factory, onto the street and finally the rally started! We rode with Robert Braunschweig in his very original Stelvio. Quite a capable machine, especially in the mountains where we would drive in the afternoon.
During the lunch break, there was finally a chance to photograph all Bugattis present.
The Sunday started off rather badly, with rain pouring over the Bugattis as well as the visitors....
Many of the same cars that were present during the Saturday rally were there, but also several that did not take part in the rally.
So in the end; was it worth my (or your) while?
I must say yes to this, I did not count, but I must have seen over the weekend more than 100 classic Bugattis, enjoyed riding in one, and the sound and smell of others. And I've seen a number of rather special Bugattis also!
So at the end, and before all Bugattis had been shown to the public, my son Tomás and I got into our own "La Voiture Noire" and headed back home again. Full of impressions, and of course a lot of food.... See you again next year!
List of all Bugattis
For those of you who want to know the chassis numbers of the Bugattis, Christian Anicet put them all together. This is for the entire weekend. The cars present at Bugatti SAS or the Type 64 present at the public presentation on Sunday are not in this list. They are the following:
Continue with the "110 years Bugatti" 2019 at Bugatti SAS.
The Saturday morning started on the grounds of the Bugatti SAS company
One doesn't see a T55 or a T59 very often!
For some Bugattis, it's easy to recognise that they are made by the wrong "Pur Sang", as can be seen by the Magneto cover. Or is it in this case a distributor?
Replica yes, but a beautiful car!
One Veyron only was taking place at the Rally.
Some "en route" photographs, Braunschweig's Stelvio at the distillery we visited, and where Alsatian Whisky was made (and sold!). Final photo is of Andrea Capra's Galibier, outside the restaurant where we had dinner Saturday evening.
Outside at the public presentation of the cars at the Parc de Jésuites, there are always several booths with for example merchandise, books, miniatures. Eric Favre was presenting the book on the Bugatti AutoRail he is working on (to appear spring 2020), another booth was with art by Alice Locoge (also in the special art exhibition).
A display of the Collection Schlumpf, Cité de l'Automobile of Mulhouse: The Type 64 Coach, design by Jean Bugatti. Impressive car!
In the afternoon, the EBA - umbrella which I had bought in the morning (and used for 5 minutes only), was not needed any longer. A special trick between them and the Guy above? However, the weather luckily cleared more and more, and all Bugattis could be enjoyed to the fullest!
The presentation of the Bugattis to the public started with traditionally dressed Alsatian men and women, several of them on horseback.
And, maybe you do not like the modern Bugattis, but their build quality (and speed) is impressive. I think that I am not lying if I state that never before so many modern Bugattis (EB110's, Veyrons, Chirons) have been together. And at that, also all of the special models, including the Divo, Centodieci and La Voiture Noire. The only ones missing at the display were perhaps the EB112, and the modern Galibier prototype. Having played with Lego Technic myself several decades ago, seeing the scale 1:1 Lego Chiron was one of the most impressive sights. And; all Veyron's can boast of having 8 litres and 16 cylindres, that is no match for the 2,304 motors with which the Lego Chiron is equipped!
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