{"id":500275,"date":"2023-01-03T09:52:09","date_gmt":"2023-01-03T17:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/?p=497012"},"modified":"2024-02-24T00:26:54","modified_gmt":"2024-02-24T00:26:54","slug":"reborn-1931-bugatti-dubos-coupe-to-be-featured-at-arizona-concours-delegance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/reborn-1931-bugatti-dubos-coupe-to-be-featured-at-arizona-concours-delegance\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Concours (2023) – Reborn 1931 Bugatti Dubos Coupe to be Featured"},"content":{"rendered":"

COPMPETITION HISTORY<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>The 1931 Bugatti Type 51 Dubos Coupe\u00a0has a fascinating history of competition, design and reincarnation.\u00a0 Originally built as a factory-team grand prix race car piloted by legendary drivers Louis Chiron and Rene Dreyfus, the car was rebodied in Paris in 1937 as an elegant Louis Dubos coupe, which is how it appears today. The historic Bugatti from the Nethercutt Collection will be one of the featured pre-war automobiles in the Arizona Concours d\u2019Elegance, a curated show and judged competition of exceptional automobiles that takes place January 22, 2023, in a new location at the renovated Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza.<\/p>\n

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ONE-OF-A-KIND<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The one-of-a-kind Bugatti exemplifies the Arizona Concours\u2019 theme of \u201cThe Art of Aerodynamics,\u201d and it will be part of the public display of about 90 special automobiles, which include antiques from the dawn of motoring, beautiful pre-war classics, sports cars and modern exotic supercars. The original Bugatti Type 51 race car started its journey after the 1931 race season, when it reportedly was given by Ettore Bugatti to Chiron, who used the car for about a year. After Chiron sold the car, it was acquired by wealthy Parisian playboy Andr\u00e9 Bith, a close friend of Jean Bugatti, Ettore\u2019s son. Bith drove the Bugatti in rallies and sporting events, then contracted with Louis Dubos to build an aerodynamic body styled after Jean Bugatti’s iconic Atlantic coupe, which had impressed Bith with its unique design.<\/p>\n

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SPECTACTULAR RESULT<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The result was spectacular, the Dubos body a swoopy and aerodynamic beauty with a large single fin centered on the rear. The splendid interior was trimmed in tan pigskin with a sycamore wood instrument panel.\u00a0 Bith immediately entered the coupe in the 1937 Bagatelle Concours d’Elegance, where it was awarded second overall Best of Show.\u00a0 Bith sold the Dubos Coupe before WWII, after which it was acquired in the early 1950s by American collector Gene Cesari, who removed the coupe body and sold it to another American collector, who then mounted it on a made-up Type 51 Bugatti chassis.\u00a0 Cesari\u2019s reason for separating the Dubos body from the chassis is unclear.<\/p>\n

California car collector J.B.\u00a0Nethercutt purchased\u00a0the\u00a0original\u00a0Type\u00a051 chassis, No. 51133, from Cesari and\u00a0restored\u00a0it\u00a0as\u00a0a\u00a0grand\u00a0prix\u00a0car\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0body created by Bugatti\u00a0authority\u00a0O.A. Phillips. The Bugatti\u00a0became a regular\u00a0feature of\u00a0the Nethercutt Collection\u00a0for many\u00a0years. In 2000, the reconstructed Dubos Coupe became available at auction, and the Nethercutt Collection was able to purchase it, with the intention of reuniting the body with its correct chassis.\u00a0 The Nethercutt experts enlisted the help of\u00a0Andr\u00e9\u00a0Bith, then more than 90\u00a0years\u00a0old, to assist with the rebuild with documents, photos, receipts and his own still-reliable memory.<\/p>\n

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BODY AND CHASSIS REUNINTED<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Bugatti Dubos Coupe is once again intact\u00a0as when it left the coachbuilder\u2019s shop in July 1937, the luscious body once again on the correct chassis.\u00a0 Since its restoration, the Bugatti has won 8 Best of Show swards at various concours d\u2019elegance. The Arizona Concours d\u2019Elegance will be a signature event during January in Arizona,\u00a0and one of the first major events held after renovation at the Scottsdale\u00a0Civic Center Plaza, bordered by Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. The Concours was previously held at the Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix, where it received much acclaim for the annual display of rare and beautiful vehicles. The Concours is partnered with Scottsdale Arts, one of Arizona\u2019s largest arts nonprofits, to present the event, which blends history, design and technology. Proceeds from the Concours will benefit local artists and art programs.<\/p>\n

Past YouTube video on the 1931 Bugatti can be found here:<\/p>\n