This engine is undoubtedly an absolute aesthetic reference. If the car it equipped became the archetype of 20s race car,
this engine is likely to be the one which brought into collective conscious the fact that all Bugatti engines are tap-ground
aluminium parallelepipoids ! Of course, as any cliché, this is neither completely true, nor completely false.
The most remarkable
thing is not about circular mottling – which only is a decoration often made by uninspired restorers – but the overall conception of
this engine, the perfect synthesis of what makes a Bugatti. Indeed, it is a mix of extremely complex technical solutions put together
and assembled with absolute care and mastery. Everything in this engine can be defined as remarkable, either for the inventiveness of
its author, the quality of its manufacture, or its aesthetics. It is without doubt a “must-have”. An exceptional subject needs outstanding
treatment. We love challenges, and when a customer dares us, our bill of specifications is very simple: reproduce a type 35B engine dealing
with each part from the original one strictly to scale without forgetting a single one.
When one starts from a simple idea, the final result always appears to be extremely complicated. The production of this engine is no exception to this rule. First, we had to find the bearings. The “double row ball” bearings no longer exist… We have to find “simple” ones, whose internal diameter/external diameter ratio was in keeping with our calculations. Their width also had to fit the ratio. This is what determined the scale of 1/5. The block and all the foundry parts were made out of mechanical-welded brass, in order to avoid problems linked to shrinking. The overall represents about 1500 parts, all of them machined by us, not counting bolting… For the record, the crankshaft was machined from a solid block. Il weights 600g, and the bar required to make it weighted 5 kg!
Creation entirely designed and made at my workshop in France.
