T44 Restoration
One of our customers owns a Type 44 Bugatti that up until recently hadn't turned a wheel for many, many years:
This is how it looked when it arrived at our premises. At first glance the car looks in reasonably good condition. However, the owner knew that its original colour wasn't red and wanted the car put back to its original 'new' condition - fully restored, mechanically sound and beautifully re-painted
As with all major restorations, the devil is in the detail:
The engine had been completely stripped and left in bits - but at least many of its components had been kept in the boot!
The customer had a comprehensive record of the car with some interesting, historic photographs:
Despite the fact the car had been painted black at some point in its past, thanks to the memory of a previous owner, the current owner discovered that when it left the factory it was originally two-tone
The car was completely stripped down and given a thoroughly good clean:
During this process it was noted that certain components had some of the original paint on them - ultimately this helped us to match the colours
The interior also needed a lot of attention - as did the soft-top:
Whilst the car may not have turned a wheel in recent times, it was evident from the upholstery and trim that it had once been used and driven quite extensively
Unfortunately the dashboard was very delapidated and in need of attention:
With the owner's permission, we found a lovely new piece of rosewood to replace the very tired, old dashboard
While all of the specialist cosmetic work was being undertaken:
The technicians had a serious job to do on the engine - and as you can see it looked stunning when they'd finished with it
It wasn't too long before the body was ready for painting:
Here is the car just before it was delivered to our specialist sub-contractor's paint shop for painting
One of these photographs will give you a good idea as to what the original colours of the car really were:
These are the 'before-and-after' pictures of the rear of the car. The picture on the left clearly shows that some of the woodwork had seen better days
Here is the finished vehicle - just before it was returned to the customer:
The new upholstery looks immaculate as does the soft-top - but what really pleased the customer was the fact that the car was back in its true, original colours
And here is the finished, beautiful T44 Bugatti, back in action:
Yes - here it is again. Only this time it's where it should be - back in action out on the road. Its first outing was the International Bugatti Rally held in June 2017 on the beautiful island of Sardinia. Not surprisingly, the car performed brilliantly and attracted many admirers
