Automotive Art

Automotive Art – Matthew Stevens’ “Bugatti Type 51”

Matthew Stevens
Bugatti Type 51 Artwork

Bugatti Type 51 Artwork

Artist Matthew Stevens paints a captivating picture of one of Ettore’s masterpieces.

Bugattis have a devoted following due to the exquisite engineering, sound, and capabilities of cars like the Type 51. The striking appearance of the wheels and engine, along with details such as the hollow front axle, show the originality of the man behind the car: Ettore Bugatti. Born into an artistic family in Milan, in 1881, Bugatti was sent to study sculpture and was expected to continue the family tradition. At the age of 17, however, he became infected by the new automotive fever after buying a motor tricycle and, so, gave up his artistic studies to work as an engineering apprentice. He then started his own factory in Molsheim, Alsace, in 1909. The Type 51 was the ultimate incarnation of his Type 35 Grand Prix car. Forty cars were produced between 1931 and 1935 and are accepted today as some of the most important of all vintage racecars.

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