1923 Bugatti Type 23 Brescia

This 1923 Bugatti Type 23 Brescia Three Seater Torpedo Sports was acquired by Dr. Bob King as an original long wheelbase chassis, which had been saved by Australian Gavin Campbell in 1960. Mr. Campbell, with help from David Roberts, had amassed a series of components over the years, many of which were sourced from a crashed Brescia number 2569. These items were married to the Bugatti prior to its acquisition by Dr. King. Typical of the time period, the Bugatti frame is not numbered so it is impossible to determine which car it had originally been paired. It has since been designated as BC002 - the second car to receive this recognition and acceptance from the Bugatti Owner's Club.

This Bugatti is powered by engine number 892, which had previously been installed in chassis 2526. It had been renumbered to 2566 at some point for unknown reasons. Dr. King had Harry Donders of Melbourne created the vehicle's current boattail coachwork. The vehicle was assembled and completed in 1978 in time for the Australian Bugatti Rally in Canberra.

In 1995, the car entered the care of its current owner. Since then it has been used at various events including the 2003 International Bugatti Meeting in Lenox, Massachusetts. Later, it was mechanically rebuilt by John Schramm of Mechanical Restorations in Rockland, Maine. More recently, it was shown at the gathering of 'La Marque' at Lime Rock and the International Bugatti Tour in Saratoga in 2018.

This Bugatti's engine displaces 1496cc and offers 30 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual transmission and two-wheel drum and transmission brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2019