Weird Wednesday: 1954/1938 Bugatti T57 Coupe by Brown

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November 6-8 Interclassics held their first ever exhibition in Brussels and of course I was there. Oh yes, let me first introduce myself to you! I am your new reporter Rosemarijn Atalante Veenenbos… note my second given name. I am the editor-in-chief, founder and owner of Crankhandleblog. My mission was to report on the weirdest car at the Interclassics Brussels Show. My first impression of the exhibition was… Porsche, Ferrari, Porsche, Ferrari, Porsche, Porsche… and so on! Obviously Porsches are high in demand now as well as high in supply! But also the Lamborghini Espada seems quite popular with at least five cars on show!

I had gone to Brussels with the mission of finding the weirdest car of this event, and I succeeded when I found this 1938 Bugatti T57 Coupe by Brown! Actually the Brown Bug is from 1954, but the chassis is from 1938. The body is an unique creation by James (Jacques) Brown, a crazy (come on, you have to be a bit crazy to come up with such a design…) French/British artist, who designed this aerofoil-like and very special aerodynamic coachwork on an original T57 chassis.

In the early fifties Mr. Brown had discovered polyester and used it to create this weird space Bug! An artist with a great fantasy for the outer world of space, I suppose… I think the T57 Brown looks like the space shuttle of a very friendly and fun alien! ; ) The space shuttle Bug has its advantages… The polyester is obviously very light, so a body with reduced weight, which should give this car the speed of a spaceship! Mr. Brown deserves respect for his creation, don’t you agree? Many years later this car was discovered and restored to its original Brown state. A Bugatti like no other! All these Bugatti delights were part of special exhibition, featuring the Bugatti marque with many different models on show. And including that monstrous Bugatti Royale engine! By far the largest 8 cylinder in-line automobile engine in the word, I bet (or?)!

I also found the cutest car of the Interclassics show! A 1955 Moretti 1200 Spyder. This four cylinder blue pearl is only one of two in existence, so exclusivity at its finest, presented by LMB! Their Bentley 3-litre tourer is also a delight to look at… and to own of course! I also spotted two Chapron-bodied Delahayes, which I really love to see and must be high in demand at the moment with the upcoming Pebble Beach Concours that will feature both Delahaye and Henri Chapron! In a nutshell, I loved all that special Bugatti exhibition, but elsewhere I would have liked to see a bit more diversity… (a message for Essen next spring perhaps?) Hope you enjoyed my first report here!

(Photos & text Rosemarijn Atalante Veenenbos - Crankhandleblog)

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