Went to an exhibition of 1930s cars a few days ago. So many gorgeous, if impractical, vehicles.

This baby was my favorite:

Make mine Italian-they put form and function together like no one else.

Wail, I agree with the form part. (Speaking as a guy who had a Lancia 30 years ago that used to regularly break my heart, and my bank account.... But.... whatta looker!)

As a young lad, I read a few stories about Mr Bugatti. He insisted that a rag should never be used on one of his creations. Camel hair brushes only. A Bugatti owner complained that his car was hard to start. Mr Bugatti told the owner that if he could afford a Bugatti, then he should be able to afford a heated garage in which to store it.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I want that Bugatti. It's my birth year.
I like that straight eight too. I had one in an
old Buick. It would pass everything on the road,
except the gas station.

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In Omnia Paratus

...how about a '32 Auburn Boattail Speedster...

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A Country Boy Can Survive

What year and model Buick? My first car was a 1952 Buick Super four door Riviera, 263 OHV straight eight and DynaFlow tranny. It got 15-17 MPG.

It was my granddaddy's last car, bought from his boss in '54. Pop-Pop died in 1958 and my grandmother kept the car. I got it in 1971. I kept it until 2000. I wish I still had it.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

My father had a Supercharged Auburn Boat Tail Speedster. A later year than in the photographs. He kept the car in storage when his ship was at sea. When he was back, he would take the car out of storage and drive it. Then back into storage it would go.


Then he got married. My mother thought it was silly to have a car that he would drive only occasionally. She nagged my father until he sold it. He loved that car, and until the day he died he regretted selling it. Whenever I see one of those cars at a car show, I always wonder if that is my father's car. Thanks a whole lot, mom.

Don't remember what the model was for my 52 Buick, but it
was kinda like the LeSabre was later. Not the biggest or
smallest, kinda in between. It was a good size 4 door sedan.
I killed a big old black bear for a rancher because the bear had
killed one of his cows and tore the bag off another one. Then
I carried the bear back to town in the trunk of my 52 Buick.
Never could get the stink out of it, so I traded it for another
Buick.

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In Omnia Paratus

And another thing. My son's mother wanted me to sell my Ferrari. That's one of the many reasons why I raised my son as a single father, and the car is safely in the garage.

Way back, I did have a Alfa Romeo.
I learned to hate the word ‘Marelli.’
The other night I saw Chasing Classic Cars Wayne up in Conn unload an old Fiat -Abarth.
His lead Mechanic, Roger Barr, looked into the rear engine compartment, saw what kind of ignition -electrical system it had, and then made a disparaging remark about Marelli.
So I ain’t the only one!
I see that Roger is having some health issues.
Roger Barr - Wayne Carini | Hagerty Articles

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

That '35 Bugatti was visually a truly stunning automobile, impractical as it was. The designs of today's cars are pretty tepid by comparison, with a few exceptions.

I remember the straight eight Buicks. I believe that those engines were utilized as late as the 1953 model cars. They had overhead valves (as did the straight six Chevys) long before the competing flathead Ford engines. My sixth grade teacher had a '51 Buick - I remember it well for its wide toothy grille- very distinctive. She was the envy of the school for that big powerful automobile.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

The Marelli family had distant cousins in England, the Lucas clan.

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Release the Kraken

I also have distant Cousins in England.
Lucas is probably better than Marelli, but not by much!
After all, Lucas is often referred to as the ‘Prince of Darkness.’
Their Company Motto is - Be Sure to Get Home Before Dark

https://jalopnik.com/399791/joe-luca...l-system-jokes

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

I guess with the Bugatti you'd have to find round luggage to get it the trunk?

Arlo, I know nothing of cars but I do know a great color when I see it. Long ago, I had one of these:

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

In the early '70's we had a 1952 Pontiac Chieftain, straight 8 L-head, complete with all of the extras. Fender skirts, windshield visor ( with the little "prism" that allowed you to see the overhead stop light) and even the lighted Indian head hood ornament.
Talk about being built like a tank! My wife was rear-ended by one of the Japanese tin boxes of the era. Part of it got past the rear bumper and I had to find a replacement tail-light lens. The other car had substantial damage.

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

I remember in the 50s when folks would return home after going "up North" for better pay. The locals would say..That boy musta done good, he come home driving a 4 Hole Buick!

Just one thing. Ettore Bugatti was Italian. But the Bugatti brand was French made in Molsheim in Alsace.

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Expect the unexpected

I really liked the looks of the Dussies and Packards, never seen one in real life just pictures but, man do I like their looks.

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I Cor. 10:13 "1611KJV"

Magnificent!

Yours was probably a Super like mine. The Special was the lower priced Buick and the Roadmaster was the expensive one. The Super was in the middle. Both the Special and the Super used the 263 c.i. straight eight. The Special shared bodies with the Chevys and Pontiacs. The Super shared bodies with the larger Olds and Caddies.

I never carried a bear in the trunk, but I did tow a U-haul trailer a time or two.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

So do I. But you have more chances of seeing one than me.

The exception. I saw this one in real life. A Packard Super 8 that was affected to the President of the Republic.

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Expect the unexpected

That Bugatti the OP posted is the kind of car that makes you want to wear a suit ,tie and fedora! Very elegant car!

I had a distinct pleasure several years ago of doing a few laps(parade period) at the Road American track in Wisconsin in a Talbot Lago. This was during the annual vintage races that were held each Fall. The Lago is very similar in appearance to the Bugatti. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm glad I was able to do it.
Jim

Talking about the cost to maintain cars, I always wanted a Jaguar, and about 20 years ago we bought a 6 year old XJ6. Beautiful white with biscuit leather interior. That car turned heads at traffic lights.....one of my working class friends (of course I was too) said to me one day,"Bob, you driving a Jaguar? Those things are so expensive to maintain!" To which I replied, "Tom, this car is like a beautiful woman who empties your wallet every weekend, and you can't wait for Friday to come." In Truth it was pricey to maintain, but only ever had one issue that aggravated me, and new plug wires took car of that.

Beautiful machines you've shared pictures of. Man I still like nice "classic" cars.

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

Not according to my exwife

Man-that straight eight Buick!!

"I believe that those engines were utilized as late as the 1953 model cars."

The first Buick straight eight appeared in 1931. Over the years, Buick had small straight 8s and large straight 8s. At times, the Buicks were considered to be better and/or more powerful than the Cadillacs, which didn't sit well with the head of the Cadillac Division.

Buick, founded in 1903, was the cornerstone of GM. 1953 was the 50th anniversary and V8s were introduced in the Super and Roadmaster lines. The '53 Special still used the 263 c.i. straight eight. In 1954, the Specials were also powered with V8s.

Cadillac and Olds had gone from flat head engines to OHV V8s in the late '40s. Pontiac kept the flat head sixes and straight eights through 1954, getting V8s in 1955. Chevy had been using the straight six since the teens (IIRC) until 1955, when the first small block V8s appeared.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

The '52 Buicks were very similar. The grill had less teeth, but they were wider. Also, the side trim was different. Most all of the mechanical running gear was the same.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

A friend of mine has a friend in Detroit that has a car collection that would rival Jay Leno's. He has a completely restored Dussie, and a couple Cord's. A man in Port Orange FL. in his late 80's had a survivor Duesenburg that he'd been trying to buy for years. The owner finally settled for an even 2 million dollars.

My friend picked it up for him, and brought it by for me to check out. I had to get pics of a 2 mill car in my drive way. The top has been replaced, and there was some upgrades to the ignition. The rumble seat leather was original, but the front seat had been recovered over the original leather.

I have about a dozen pics in this gallery on my web site.

Duesenberg - Kevin-Fair

@Kurusu don't know why but my quote button isn't working. Anyway just beautiful, love the dash layout.

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I Cor. 10:13 "1611KJV"

Since I already knew this Bugatti model I only read the text now. And... most of the impractical part of it applies to a T to the famous 1955 Mercedes 300SL "gullwing".



"The interior was claustrophobic. Ventilation in the cabin was nonexistant because the windows could not be opened". And even if there already was airconditioning available in 1955. The 300SL didn't have it.

PS. Even though the commercial 300SL had a steel body. It's race counterpart, the 300SLR, also had an elektron body. And it's flammability and the lack of knowledge how to deal with an elektron fire raised the toll of victims of what, I think, was the worse road racing accident ever.

1955 LeMans:
https://www.google.pt/url?sa=t&sourc...cI4dYwJMs0CRJv

The 1955 Mercedes 300SLR:

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Expect the unexpected

Several years ago the Packard Gen. Patton had his accident in was on display. I got to talking to the guy watching it and he had the whole story down pat. Interesting.

When I first saw the Chrysler Atlantic I thought; how will I ever get my wife to go along with buying one if they start production. This after I swore I would never buy another Chrysler product.

Wrote the Thread bout my old Buddy from Columbus, GA.
Around 1940-41, He would borrow his Grandma’s Packard.
Claimed he could outdrag every kid around.
Except for that one dude driving the Lincoln Zephyr V-12.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

From Kurusu’s link, above:

“The 1955 Le Mans disaster occurred during the 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France on 11 June 1955. A major crash caused large fragments of debris to fly into the crowd, killing 83 spectators and French driver Pierre Bouillin (who raced under the name Pierre Levegh) and injuring nearly 180 more. It was the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history, and it prompted Mercedes-Benz to retire from motor racing until 1989.”

That is a horrendous crash...

The worse. There is footage of the race and the crash.


YouTube

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Expect the unexpected

That 35 Bugatti is absolutely gorgeous! While I love the late 60's early 70's muscle for the shapes and power, the cars from the 20's and 30's era are unbelievable sculptures from every angle. I had the pleasure of going to the Auburn, Cord, Duesenburg Museum several years ago with my Grandfather. It gave me a new level of appreciation for those creations. I'd love to go visit again, as some of the building was still being renovated.

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John 14:6, Luke 21:11

If any of you make it to the Denver area you need to check out the Clive Cussler auto museum-trust me.

The Mercedes SLR was legendary. The engine was unique to my knowledge, in that it had desmodromic valves. This means that the valves were actuated mechanically, both up and down - no springs involved. That gave it virtually unlimited revs - no valve "floating" possible at high RPMs. These were incredibly advanced racing cars. My '65 Vette would float the valves at around 6000 RPM - plenty of muscle - rising torque, and then -zip-. Had to watch the redline and beat it with the upshift.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Yes. The Mercedes SLR used desmodromic valves. Also it was a straight 8, the 300 SL used a 6 in line engine. In common only the 3 Liter displacemement and the fuel injection.

Of course modern engineering found out that desmodromic valves weren't necessary to avoid "valve floating". But that is another story.

Currently only Ducati is still using them in some of their motorcycle engines.

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Expect the unexpected

Speaking of Mercedes, here is a unique one from 1938: