Bucciali

I visited the Blackhawk a number of years ago.  Virtually no one there, a docent and I started talking.  He walked around with me, and I guess at some point I bragged that I knew a lot about early cars.  Then, he started testing me, asking me specific questions about some features of cars.  What are those circular shocks, how many Silver Arrows were built, that sort of thing.

We turned a corner and there sat quite the unusual car, indeed, the one discussed here. Certain he had me, he said, “OK, you know some things, but you can’t tell me what THAT car is!”

I did, though, as the Bucciali saga has always fascinated me.  I then told him, bet you didn’t know that the fenders have a top and a bottom, with space between, no way would a rock dent show on the top! (At least they were made this way on original fenders, I'm not sure about this car, as reading the auction description it's had an interesting life).   He didn’t, and the testing was over…..

It’s a neat car, but talk about a auction listing with a story.......that thing reads like war and peace. Interesting, yes, but what is it? I think it’s a perfect museum car...........not so sure I would want to take it for a spin.

I have some period photographs of a Bucciali in Paris at the salon, other references in periodicals like Omnia and show numbers of L'Illustration , [perhaps some other period printed matter/literature , not sure haven't looked at that section of my archives in some years. I do recall the period photo (s) I have show the car in a light color ( photos are b & w so can't tell color).

edinmassJul 19, 2021

It’s a neat car, but talk about a auction listing with a story.......that thing reads like war and peace. Interesting, yes, but what is it? I think it’s a perfect museum car...........not so sure I would want to take it for a spin.

yes,  if it was a Duesenberg or Packard I would turn up my nose,  but when you are talking about a manufacturer with a total output of a dozen cars beggars can't be choosers.

Problem is, how do you define what it is? Literally?

I like it, but it’s got so much baggage you have to ask yourself what the end game is?

So basically, a very important "bitsa". It'll be interesting to see what it brings. I am amazed however (given that the description discusses how "optically" improved moving the rear axle back 3 inches was) how poor the front hood to cowl mating is. The front and front-quarter photos look horrid to me. I understand a transition from squared off radiator to rounded cowl needs to take place but it isn't even in the same plane. Is there a 680 that needs it's body back?

FROM THE AUCTION AD...........

The first thing to grasp is that Bucciali was never an automobile manufacturer in the conventional meaning of that word.