1st version (Esders Roadster) - This chassis appeared in two versions. The first was known as the Esders roadster, so-named for Dr. Armand Esders, a successful French clothing manufacturer. The elegant design was by Ettore’s son Jean Bugatti and included a rumble seat for which a second windscreen could be raised. A notable feature is the complete absence of headlights – the client did not want them because he never drove the car at night. This is the first Royale Bugatti actually sold, in April of 1932. Though the body is lost to history, someone made a replica of this sporty Royale.
Ixo made a very pretty model of the Esders roadster as No. MUS004, in a fetching two-tone turquoise scheme. I’ve seen pics of a top-up version in a partworks series, but if the owner wouldn’t drive at night, would he drive in the rain? Ixo used diecast on the fender part, so this one does not have the-plasticy feel compared to the other two Ixos.
2nd version (Coupé de Ville Binder) – Chassis 41111 next passed to Raymond Patenôtre, the American-born son of the French Ambassador to the US. It is also stated to have been initially ordered by the king of Romania. Henri Binder reclothed the car in what became known as the Coupé de Ville Binder bodywork, which it retains today. Just a guess on my part, but I think the king or Patenôtre liked Ettore’s 41100 coachwork so much he wanted the same style of body. Dates vary from 1935 to 1939, and one source says the French government took it over, so I have doubts about the entire progression of ownership in the late 1930s. But it was hidden in a Parisien sewer during the war. The 41111 coachwork seems a little more formal looking than 41100, the windshield is higher and more upright and the roof over the passengers is solid, plus there is a removeable cover for the chauffeur. Through various owners it ended up in the Harrah Collection for a while; now it is owned by Volkswagen AG.
I don’t have a model of this one. WhiteBox sells the Ixo MUS Coupe Napoleon with a silver instead of blue inset, but of course it’s all wrong with the clear roof and low windscreen.
Chassis 41121 (Weinberger Cabriolet)
This chassis was sold to Joseph Fuchs, a German obstetrician. Ludwig Weinberger of Munich was responsible for the Victoria cabriolet design, originally black with yellow pinstriping and trim along the doors. Once again the internet has some conflict on dates, probably because the chassis may have been sold as early as1930, but finished car delivery is stated to be May, 1932. With troubles in Germany, Fuchs relocated a few times, eventually showing up in New York in 1937. By 1943, Charles Chayne (a future Chrysler VP) found the car with a frozen engine in a New York scrapyard and paid the princely sum of $75 for it (talk about a barn find!) Chayne got it running with some modifications, painted it white, and eventually donated it to the Henry Ford Museum, where it is today. I probably saw it when I visited the museum as a child in the early 1960s.
Rio initially made two versions of the car, No. 36 in white with top up, and No. 37 in a bizarre yellowish green with top down. A few other color variants have been issued since. I once had the white one, but it has faults, mainly in the shape of the rear trunk area and the height of the top and windscreen. Seeing that Ixo’s Museum series was on a roll with Royales, I disposed of it in the hopes that they would make this one properly. Hasn’t happened yet. Delprado issued an awful version that looks like a caricature of the white car. However, Vroom made a very nice model of the original black car – perhaps one day I will find one.
Chassis 41131 (Park Ward Limousine)
The fourth Royale was sold to Captain Cuthbert W. Foster of England, who commissioned a limousine body from Park, Ward & Co., Ltd. Dates differ on a few internet sources, so it is possible the chassis was ordered in 1931 with the completed car delivered in 1933. After a few owners the car made its way to the Schlumpf collection, now the Musée National de l’Automobile de Mulhouse.
No known diecasts, so the only options are Heco or other specialty model makers.
Chassis 41141 (Kellner Saloon)
The fifth Royale chassis was bodied by Kellner as a 3-door saloon in 1932 and displayed at London’s Olympia Show, but was unsold. This is one of the cars Ettore had walled-up during the war. This and 41150 were sold in 1950 to Briggs Cunningham for the equivalent of less than $600 plus two GE refrigerators. The car was restored and was in the Cunningham museum until it closed in 1986 (I saw it there in March, 1982). It was sold at auction in 1987, and has been through a succession of owners since, with present ownership a bit murky, possibly by someone in Japan, but it has been shown in recent years by a Swiss broker.
No diecast available, but I have seen a resin body kit by Tacot that can be used on the Rio model. A handbuilt by Heco is an option also.
Chassis 41150 (Berline de Voyage)
I could not find a vintage photo of this one, but one source states it was done in-house in 1929, possibly pre-dating the Coupe Napoleon body on 41100. The style certainly has a 1920s look about it. Part of the package deal Briggs made in 1950, the car ended up with Bill Harrah in his collection by 1964. Then it went through a succession of owners (including Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino’s Pizza) before landing in the Blackhawk collection. Just this year, it was sold for an undisclosed amount (said to be a record for a pre-war car) to an unknown buyer, possibly in Europe or South Korea.
Rio made a model of this one, using a pale yellow for the rear body, but I really like the Franklin Mint version (B11VJ12). This is one of their better efforts, with four opening doors, engine detail, and even the red pinstriping around the wheel rims.
Finally I should mention that CCC makes a white metal kit of the Royale chassis – I am very tempted by this one.
1st version (Esders Roadster) - This chassis appeared in two versions. The first was known as the Esders roadster, so-named for Dr. Armand Esders, a successful French clothing manufacturer. The elegant design was by Ettore’s son Jean Bugatti and included a rumble seat for which a second windscreen could be raised. A notable feature is the complete absence of headlights – the client did not want them because he never drove the car at night. This is the first Royale Bugatti actually sold, in April of 1932. Though the body is lost to history, someone made a replica of this sporty Royale.
Ixo made a very pretty model of the Esders roadster as No. MUS004, in a fetching two-tone turquoise scheme. I’ve seen pics of a top-up version in a partworks series, but if the owner wouldn’t drive at night, would he drive in the rain? Ixo used diecast on the fender part, so this one does not have the-plasticy feel compared to the other two Ixos.
2nd version (Coupé de Ville Binder) – Chassis 41111 next passed to Raymond Patenôtre, the American-born son of the French Ambassador to the US. It is also stated to have been initially ordered by the king of Romania. Henri Binder reclothed the car in what became known as the Coupé de Ville Binder bodywork, which it retains today. Just a guess on my part, but I think the king or Patenôtre liked Ettore’s 41100 coachwork so much he wanted the same style of body. Dates vary from 1935 to 1939, and one source says the French government took it over, so I have doubts about the entire progression of ownership in the late 1930s. But it was hidden in a Parisien sewer during the war. The 41111 coachwork seems a little more formal looking than 41100, the windshield is higher and more upright and the roof over the passengers is solid, plus there is a removeable cover for the chauffeur. Through various owners it ended up in the Harrah Collection for a while; now it is owned by Volkswagen AG.
I don’t have a model of this one. WhiteBox sells the Ixo MUS Coupe Napoleon with a silver instead of blue inset, but of course it’s all wrong with the clear roof and low windscreen.
Chassis 41121 (Weinberger Cabriolet)
This chassis was sold to Joseph Fuchs, a German obstetrician. Ludwig Weinberger of Munich was responsible for the Victoria cabriolet design, originally black with yellow pinstriping and trim along the doors. Once again the internet has some conflict on dates, probably because the chassis may have been sold as early as1930, but finished car delivery is stated to be May, 1932. With troubles in Germany, Fuchs relocated a few times, eventually showing up in New York in 1937. By 1943, Charles Chayne (a future Chrysler VP) found the car with a frozen engine in a New York scrapyard and paid the princely sum of $75 for it (talk about a barn find!) Chayne got it running with some modifications, painted it white, and eventually donated it to the Henry Ford Museum, where it is today. I probably saw it when I visited the museum as a child in the early 1960s.
Rio initially made two versions of the car, No. 36 in white with top up, and No. 37 in a bizarre yellowish green with top down. A few other color variants have been issued since. I once had the white one, but it has faults, mainly in the shape of the rear trunk area and the height of the top and windscreen. Seeing that Ixo’s Museum series was on a roll with Royales, I disposed of it in the hopes that they would make this one properly. Hasn’t happened yet. Delprado issued an awful version that looks like a caricature of the white car. However, Vroom made a very nice model of the original black car – perhaps one day I will find one.
Chassis 41131 (Park Ward Limousine)
The fourth Royale was sold to Captain Cuthbert W. Foster of England, who commissioned a limousine body from Park, Ward & Co., Ltd. Dates differ on a few internet sources, so it is possible the chassis was ordered in 1931 with the completed car delivered in 1933. After a few owners the car made its way to the Schlumpf collection, now the Musée National de l’Automobile de Mulhouse.
No known diecasts, so the only options are Heco or other specialty model makers.
Chassis 41141 (Kellner Saloon)
The fifth Royale chassis was bodied by Kellner as a 3-door saloon in 1932 and displayed at London’s Olympia Show, but was unsold. This is one of the cars Ettore had walled-up during the war. This and 41150 were sold in 1950 to Briggs Cunningham for the equivalent of less than $600 plus two GE refrigerators. The car was restored and was in the Cunningham museum until it closed in 1986 (I saw it there in March, 1982). It was sold at auction in 1987, and has been through a succession of owners since, with present ownership a bit murky, possibly by someone in Japan, but it has been shown in recent years by a Swiss broker.
No diecast available, but I have seen a resin body kit by Tacot that can be used on the Rio model. A handbuilt by Heco is an option also.
Chassis 41150 (Berline de Voyage)
I could not find a vintage photo of this one, but one source states it was done in-house in 1929, possibly pre-dating the Coupe Napoleon body on 41100. The style certainly has a 1920s look about it. Part of the package deal Briggs made in 1950, the car ended up with Bill Harrah in his collection by 1964. Then it went through a succession of owners (including Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino’s Pizza) before landing in the Blackhawk collection. Just this year, it was sold for an undisclosed amount (said to be a record for a pre-war car) to an unknown buyer, possibly in Europe or South Korea.
Rio made a model of this one, using a pale yellow for the rear body, but I really like the Franklin Mint version (B11VJ12). This is one of their better efforts, with four opening doors, engine detail, and even the red pinstriping around the wheel rims.
Finally I should mention that CCC makes a white metal kit of the Royale chassis – I am very tempted by this one.
Once again Harv, I am extremely impressed with your Bugatti Royale post. Both have been exceptional reads and you have sure done a lot of research.
I mentioned back in December that for many years in the 1970s, I had a 1927 Bugatti 35 replica. At that time I was buying and reading everything that I could about Bugattis. Yes, I have the Automobile Quarterliies. Two books that I purchased at that time were Bugatti by H.G. Conway (464 pages) and Bugatti, Thoroughbreds from Molsheim by Pierre Dumont, translated into English by Patrick E.Grace (520 pages). I have just pulled them from my bookcase and will read them again.I recommend both books highly if anyone wants lots of details on Bugatti (not the current resurrection).
Thanks for the impetus. I can't wait to read your future posts, Bugatti or other interests.
@david-green Thank you David. I think between photos, photo editing, research, and writing, this took at least 16 hours to pull together. So I can also appreciate what you put into your F1 updates.
what a fantastic post Harv, thank you. What an impressive display a full collection would make. Heres a video I saw some time ago of the Napoleon driving around Paris. In French, but imagine sitting at the bus stop and seeing this go by!
Looks like I missed one. Ixo MUS064 is the 41141 Kellner coupe, which appears in the 2019 catalog. Must have appeared while I wasn't looking, now there are none to be had. Another holy grail for my list.
