Bugatti Type 23 "Brescia" Cabriolet by Michel Bigatti 1925, França

Bugatti Type 23 "Brescia" Cabriolet by Michel Bigatti 1925, França
Fotografia

Chassis n° 2615
Engine n° 1013
Gearbox n°1086
- Transparent history
- Original configuration
- Unique coachwork
Chassis 2615, equipped with engine 1013, was delivered to the Bugatti dealer in Nice, Ernest Friderich, on 5 August 1925 with three other chassis: 2613, 2614 and 2616. From there they were sent to local coachbuilders. 2615 headed to the Michel Bigatti (!) workshop in Nice. The Bigatti offices were at 7, Rue Cais-de-Pierlas in a superb late 19th century building and the factory was sited at two other addresses: in a parallel street, at 7bis rue Barla, and rue Scaliero. Michel Bigatti was a board member for the Nice Motor Show syndicate. His company had a stand at the Show which took place in January. There is a fantastic photograph of this coachbuilder's workshop showing another Bugatti Type 23 (chassis 2420), delivered to Louis Chiron in February 1925, having its bodywork painted.
Our Brescia was given a pretty cabriolet body in leatherette, considerably lighter than steel. The car was registered new on 18 November 1925 in the name of Christian Dietz, in Sainte Maxime, with the number 3719 M 6. This is the only French registration the car has had. Christian Dietz was one of the oldest garage owners in the town. In 1925, the directory for automobile professionals listed : " Auto Garage Dietz, Tél: 7 à Sainte Maxime ". He had built, before 1918, the beautiful " Villa La Pergola " at 83, boulevard Berthie Albrecht. The town census states that in 1921, Christian Dietz, French, born in Brussels in 1900 or 1901, garage owner, lived at 10 Boulevard du Littoral. In 1926, he was listed at 275 Boulevard de la Croisette, with his wife Aimée Dietz, born in Cavaillon in 1906. Dietz appeared to have a strong interest in Molsheim productions, as there were several other Bugatti registered in the name of the Garage Dietz after 1925: a Type 40 in the spring of 1927, a Type 35A in 1928, a new Type 38 in October 1929, a second-hand competition Type 35 at the start of 1931 and finally a Type 44 in 1932.
On 4 July 1927, the vehicle was registered in Nice, with the same number, in the name of Paul Hust.
It appears that Hust, an English-sounding name, with an address in a street full of hotels, bought the Bugatti simply to use while he was on vacation in Nice. He drove it during the summer of 1927 and sold it to Paul Kohler on 3 September 1927. Kohler was the finance director of the " Riviera Palace Hotel " in Nice. This hotel, situated halfway up the Boulevard de Cimiez, was built in 1889, in the grounds of a one-hectare park, by Compagnie Internationale des wagons-Lits. Kohler's role, in this immense palace, no doubt brought him into contact with the previous owner, enabling him to buy the two-year old Bugatti from him. The Riviera Palace Hotel later merged with the " Hôtel Moderne " at 8 place la République in Paris XI, and there is still a small brass plaque with Kohler's name at this address on the dashboard. A second brass plaque is engraved with the name " Poupette ".
It seems that Kohler was the last owner before the car was hidden away during the war. The Bugatti was discovered at the start of the 1960s by Jacques Vincent from Vidauban.
It doesn't appear in the Bugatti Register published by H. G. Conway in 1962, so was probably found after this date.
Jacques Vincent set up an automobile scrap yard around 1960. A lover of beautiful cars, he built several hangars to store the ones he felt were worth saving. The well-known classic car hunters, including Jean-Louis Dumontant and André Binda, soon discovered this address. Antoine Raffaeli, who had offered his services, remembers that around forty old cars were stored at his property by the side of the RN7, with several parked out in the field and used to pull the barge ! And so, in 1966, travelling through the Midi with a friend in his Alfa Romeo Spider, the Australian collector Bob King came across the site, having noticed a post-war Bentley with a French body by the side of the RN7 ! He spotted in the hangars two Type 44 Bugatti and the Brescia.
The Swedish collector Olof Godin, who lived in France at the time, finally acquired the car in 1968, still with its 1925 registration, in strictly original condition with light yellow coachwork, red wings and red leatherette interior. Photos taken by Raffaelli in front of Vincent's villa show the car looking complete, missing only its bonnet and windshield. It is possible to read the coachbuilder's plaque " Etablissements Michel Bigatti, 9 rue Cais- de- Pierlas Nice ", still present on the car.
Godin kept the car in this condition for thirty years. In 1974, during a trip to Stockholm, Bob King saw the car again in a museum, unaware of where the car had gone after Vidauban. There are photos in the file confirming that Godin only started the restoration in 1994. On 25 May 1996 the block was installed, the engine assembled on 8 June 1996 and started on 10 June, probably for the first time since the war. On 14 June the coachwork was fitted and the car took part in the International Rally in Denmark on 18 June 1996, missing only its windshield, which was made in 2000.
The car presented in the sale is a gem.
In all likelihood, " Poupette " remained with Paul Kohler from 1927 until the end of the 1950s, and was then saved by Vincent and taken on by Olof Godin who devoted all his energy to restoring the car to its former glory.
Its unique cabriolet body by Michel Bigatti from Nice has a holiday feel, suggesting a trip to the Riviera and a return to the Roaring Twenties. Go for it, the Riviera Palace probably still has apartments for sale with parking spaces.
Today, the car is presented in good working order, as we have been able to verify on Swedish roads. It is in strictly original condition, and still has its original 16-valve engine and gearbox, as well as the original coachwork by Michel Bigatti. Exceptionally, the superb red leatherette upholstery is also original, as is the lovely dashboard, complete with all its instruments. With transparent and documented history, " Poupette " offers an amazing opportunity to buy a genuine Bugatti Brescia, with an excellent performance for its day, thanks to the outstanding 16-valve engine and lightweight body.

Palácio Boa Vista, Campos do Jordão, São Paulo, Brasil

Palácio Boa Vista, Campos do Jordão, São Paulo, Brasil
Campos do Jordão - SP
Fotografia - Cartão Postal




O Palácio Boa Vista é a residência oficial de inverno do governador do Estado de São Paulo. Localiza-se no Alto da Boa Vista, na cidade de Campos do Jordão. Sua construção se iniciou em 1938, a pedido do interventor federal Adhemar de Barros, para servir então de residência oficial de veraneio, sendo concluída somente em 1964. Em 1970, o palácio seria declarado “monumento de visitação pública” e transformado em um centro de arte, sem prejuízo de sua finalidade precípua de sede de inverno do governo estadual.
O palácio abriga um precioso acervo artístico, constituído por obras de importantes nomes da arte brasileira, além de uma coleção de itens de artes aplicadas e artesanato. Anexa ao palácio encontra-se a Capela de São Pedro Apóstolo, projetada pelo arquiteto Paulo Mendes da Rocha, que abriga um acervo de arte sacra do período colonial e de artistas contemporâneos. O acervo do Palácio da Boa Vista é aberto à visitação pública e integra, em conjunto com as coleções dos palácios dos Bandeirantes e do Horto, o Acervo Artístico-Cultural dos Palácios do Governo de São Paulo.
Nomeado interventor federal no Estado de São Paulo por Getúlio Vargas, em 1938, Adhemar de Barros, admirador de Campos do Jordão, decidiu construir uma residência de veraneio nessa cidade, para uso do governador. Encomendou ao arquiteto polonês Georg Przyrembel o projeto da residência “nos moldes dos castelos europeus”. O local escolhido seria o Alto da Boa Vista, que permitia uma visão panorâmica dos principais bairros da cidade. O projeto da casa de veraneio evoluiu para um palácio e, ainda em 1938, iniciou-se a construção, em terreno doado por particulares.
Em pouco tempo, no entanto, a obra tomaria um ritmo lento, permanecendo praticamente paralisada por 25 anos, período em que foi alvo de críticas dos opositores de Adhemar. Quando assumiu o cargo de governador do estado pela segunda vez, em 1963, Adhemar de Barros mandou retomar as obras em ritmo acelerado, e o palácio foi finalmente inaugurado a 21 de julho do ano seguinte.
Eleito indiretamente governador do estado em 1967, Abreu Sodré considerou o uso do Palácio Boa Vista como residência de veraneio muito restrito, incumbindo o seu secretário da fazenda, Luís Arrobas Martins, de estudar melhor uso do edifício. Martins decidiu-se por transformar a residência em centro cultural: empreendeu pequenas reformas e adaptações e adquiriu obras de arte, mobiliário e objetos de arte aplicada para decorar o palácio. Em 1970, o edifício foi declarado “Monumento de Visitação Pública” do estado, abrindo as portas à população.
Desde então, o Palácio da Boa Vista possui a dupla atribuição de servir de sede de inverno do governo do estado e de centro cultural. Em julho de 1970, o palácio abrigou os primeiros "Concertos de Inverno", transformados no ano seguinte em Festival de Inverno de Campos do Jordão. Em 1989, em comemoração ao jubileu de prata de inauguração do Palácio Boa Vista, o governador Orestes Quércia determinou a construção da Capela de São Pedro Apóstolo, projetada por Paulo Mendes da Rocha e inaugurada em julho deste mesmo ano.
Projetado por Georg Przyrembel em estilo “Maria Tudor” por sugestão de Adhemar de Barros, o Palácio da Boa Vista localiza-se no alto de uma, o que permite que seja avistado de diversos bairros de Campos do Jordão. O palácio impressiona pela suntuosidade e pela decoração interna – são mais de 1800 obras de arte expostas em 105 cômodos. Insere-se em um terreno de mais de 95 mil metros quadrados, a maior parte disposta na forma de amplo jardim, circundando a residência.
Anexo ao palácio, há a Capela de São Pedro Apóstolo. Erguida em concreto armado sobre um único pilar, com paredes de vidro e circundada por espelhos d’água, a capela é assinado por Paulo Mendes da Rocha, que teve a incumbência de projetá-la de forma que não interferisse negativamente no seu entorno.
O Palácio Boa Vista abriga uma representativa coleção de arte brasileira, do modernismo à arte abstrata, destacando-se um amplo conjunto de pinturas de Tarsila do Amaral (oito telas, dentre elas, Operários), bem como obras de Anita Malfatti, Cândido Portinari, Di Cavalcanti, Victor Brecheret, Alfredo Volpi, Ismael Nery e Vicente do Rego Monteiro, entre outros. Há ainda uma coleção de pinturas cusquenhas dos séculos XVII e XVIII, além de mobiliário, tapeçarias, louçaria e prataria artística. Na Capela de São Pedro Apóstolo são conservadas obras religiosas do período colonial brasileiro e criações contemporâneas. O acervo é aberto à visitação pública.

Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider 1964, Itália

Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider 1964, Itália
Fotografia

Chassis # AR * 379303
Engine No. AR00112 * 14801
- An easy and pleasant to use car
- Beautiful patina for this Italian classic
- Same owner for over 30 years
- No reserve
Evolution of the Giulietta, which was launched in 1955 and which started the saga of the Alfa cabriolets, the Giulia Spider was unveiled in 1962. Launched at the same time as the new Giulia TI, the spider's engine was the same four cylinder 1570cc, developing 92bhp, which gave the car a top speed of 172 km/h, as well as better reliability compared to its predecessor.
Sold new in France as can be seen by the manufacturer's plate, the Giulia Spider 1600 on offer was registered on November 30, 1964. In the hands of a Parisian owner from 1983 to 1988, the vehicle was acquired by its current owner in an auction in October 1988. In 30 years the car has covered a little more than 40,000km, it has been used regularly, as can be seen from the invoice folder. It displayed 90,886km during our test drive, what most likely corresponds to the car's genuine mileage. Concerned about the good running of his vehicle, the owner did a mechanical overhaul in 1997, at the excellent specialist workshop Tecnica. In 2001, they also refurbished the gearbox and replaced the clutch. He also had the car repainted, the top changed, and the interior trim replaced in 1998. Driving mainly to Deauville, and in the South of France in recent years, on his return to Paris in November 2018, the car was serviced at Tecnica. Without being perfect, yet with a nice patina, this beautiful Giulia Spider, will seduce enthusiasts.

Citroen 2CV AZ "Rallye" 1956, França

Citroen 2CV AZ "Rallye" 1956, França
Fotografia

Bought in 2017 during the Retromobile show by its current owner, this car was prepared to take part in various regional rallies at the time, as confirmed orally by Jean Malard, founder of the first 2CV club in the world. The car is distinguished by Equilux headlamps, Cibié fog lamps, and reinforced rims of the utility version, while the passenger compartment includes a handle for the passenger, a map reader and a mechanical washer. A Speed tubing with a 32 carburetor improves performance, and a protective skid plate under the engine has been added.
The high quality restoration included: replacement of the floorpan, complete dismantling and paint of the body, check of the mechanicals, replacement of the wiring harness, refurbishment of the interior. The previous owner told us that white circles for the race numbers were found when the doors were being sanded. Since the restoration, the car has covered just 231 km, the tyres are new, as is the hood. This 2CV has been subject to a very comprehensive restoration and is a wonderful witness of a time and period when "competing" didn't cost much.