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The Bugatti for the monarchy that failed as a car but was a railway success: it became the father of the high-speed train

2023-06-04T10:44:24.979Z

Highlights: Bugatti's Type 41 Royale was to be the limousine of kings and aristocrats. But the Great Depression collapsed the plans. A request from the government of France turned the project and put Bugatti at the forefront of the mobility industry. The monarchy's car inspired the first high-speed trains, which caressed 200 km/h and introduced in France a change even in the perception of time: never, as before, had the aristocracy and big bourgeoisie been able to go and return so quickly from their country houses.


It was to be the limousine of kings and aristocrats, but the Great Depression collapsed the plans. A request from the government of France turned the project and put it at the forefront of the mobility industry.


Bugatti is today a brand of supersports cars available to a few people around the planet. Yesterday it was also a company of exclusive, luxurious and almost portentous vehicles. Before falling into disgrace by World War II, he left a fleet of cars that still marvel. The most striking was a limousine designed for the monarchy, but which the crisis of '30 forced to reconvert into the antecedent of high-speed trains.

One of the first Bugatti Type 41 Royale was addressed: Alfonso XIII of Spain, who since his birth in 1886 was king and crazy about cars. In his collection was already the Hispano-Suiza baptized with his own name. The entry of the creation that the Italian family company and French territory presented in society in 1926 was imminent, with artistic touches such as a sculpture by Rembrandt Bugatti. It took five years to go into production. By then, the political and economic map was different: Alfonso was not on the throne, the monarchies were in a state of collapse and the rich were clinging to their dwindling treasures after the crash of '29.

Bugatti Type 41 Royale, the luxury car that became the father of high-speed rail.

On the verge of collapse, the company had to flee the labyrinth. It had dozens of engines and the vehicle's units were not sold. The departure was by rail. It is that the French government sought to renew its railway fleet. And the powerful promoter of the Royale could serve to satisfy the authorities and to weather the storm over his venture.

Thus, the monarchy's car inspired the first high-speed trains, which caressed 200 km/h and introduced in France a change even in the perception of time: never, as before, had the aristocracy and the big bourgeoisie been able to go and return so quickly from their country houses.

This was the Bugatti Type 41 Royale, the car that the European kings were going to use

If the Franco-Italian house was lavish in magnificence, the new creation implied a leap in quality, even in size. The 6.4 meters in length made that limousine the most impressive vehicle of the company.

It seemed built in two modules. In front, a long trunk housed the engine and was topped by the small sculpture of an elephant standing on two legs, signed by Rembrandt, Etore's brother who committed suicide in 1916. The back was a cubicle with room for two or four people. There were quirky touches, such as the walnut ruffle and buttons coated in whale beard.

The body was a visual extension of the power it kept under the hood. The eight-cylinder in-line engine was slightly inspired by aircraft boosters, climbed to 300 hp at 1,800 rpm and, according to promises from its inventors, could reach 200 km / h. The demand for fuel was monstrous: it needed 22.5 liters per 100 kilometers, served by a tank with capacity for 200 liters. The total weight amounted to 3,100 kilos.

Bugatti Type 41 Royale, the luxury car that became the father of high-speed rail.

Time, however, was not on his side. Only in 1931 did it enter the production stage. It was planned that, with almost artisanal standards, 25 units would be manufactured, a limited run in tune with the exclusive target audience. But it did not sell even five copies.

Ettore could not give Alfonso XIII his luxury limousine: the king had been overthrown a few months earlier, with the proclamation of the Second Republic. The vacant throne was a sign of turbulent economic times.

Bugatti with the Type 41, a super luxury car that ended in failure.

The Great Depression dyed every corner of the cities gray. Misery loomed over the workers, impoverishment threatened the middle strata and the aristocracy balanced so as not to fall. There were those who no longer had enough money to afford an almost sinful expense: the Bugatti Type 41 Royale cost three times as much as similar vehicles and was by far the company's most expensive model. Even those who could have made the disbursement, took care of their forms and appearances so as not to tempt fate.

Bugatti Type 41 Royale, the luxury car that became the father of high-speed rail.

The firm already had the 25 engines and there were six units manufactured. Of these, they barely managed to place four on the market, between 1932 and 1933. The other two were left for the Bugatti family, who also seemed to dance so as not to collapse. The government of France and the cunning of Ettore came out to save her.

From the luxury limousine to the father of high-speed trains

With his hands full and his pockets getting lighter, the owner of the company received the official notice: the country's authorities were looking to modernize its railway system, with formations that had a combustion engine to replace the steam engines. In addition, they sought to mitigate the loss of users in the face of the advance of cars. He did the math: the powerful driver of the Royale, with slight modifications, could pull wagons crossing France.

Bugatti Type 41 Royale, the luxury car that became the father of high-speed rail.

Within nine months, Ettore reconfigured the limousine's engine and body into aerodynamic four-axle units. It far passed the tests for express and high-speed travel. In the tests carried out at Le Mans it reached 172 km / h. In 1934, an advanced model of the train was launched up to 196 km / h. "Speed, comfort and safety", read the advertisements of the fastest train in the world, which never managed to touch the 200 km / h it promised.

The first formation of the Autorail Bugatti or Wagon Rapide WR was ready in the European spring of 1933. It was built in the plant that the firm had in Alsace, which before this new stimulus intensified its work towards industrial volumes. He later adapted a second model of Wagon Léger.

Bugatti Type 41 Royale, the luxury car that became the father of high-speed rail.

All had single, double (42 meters long, 74 seats) and triple (60 meters, 144 locations) versions. They were equipped with four boosters of the Royale, located in the center, under a kind of dome from which the conductor guided the train.

In total, until the 50s, Bugatti made 88 trains for the French line. The first were destined for Chemins de Fer de L'Etat, which ran from the capital to Cherbourg, on the banks of the English Channel. Then the PLM company expanded, linking Paris with Lyon (the 450-kilometer route was completed in 4 hours 50 minutes) and with Vichy, in addition to covering the Marseille-Nice road. In the east it reached Strasbourg (3 hours 52 minutes for about 504 km) and Mulhouse. There were also intentions to export the invention, with a presentation at the International Exhibition in the French capital in 1937. There were no interested parties.

Bugatti Type 41 Royale, the luxury car that became the father of high-speed rail.

Of all the Bugatti trains there is hardly one left. This is the fourth formation of the Présidentiel version, which inaugurated the venture. It is on display at the Cité du Train de Mulhouse, Europe's largest railway museum, in deep eastern France, near the border with Germany and Switzerland.

See also

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The jewels of the world's greatest race: the incredible cars selling for 100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The incredible story of the cursed car in which World War I began and unleashed a chain of tragedies

From Mercedes-Benz to Cadillac: the incredible cars of a legendary collection auctioned in Junín

Source: clarin

All tech articles on 2023-06-04

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