Bucciali TAV 12
| Bucciali | |
|---|---|
 Bucciali TAV 12 "la flèche d'or"
|
|
| TAV 12 | |
| Production period: | 1931-1932 |
| Class : | Upper class |
| Body versions : | Limousine , cabriolet |
| Engines: |
Otto engine : 4.9 liters (88 or 132 kW) |
| Length: | 6360 mm |
| Width: | |
| Height: | 1480 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 3734-4089 mm |
| Empty weight : | |
The Bucciali TAV 12 (alternatively also 8-32 or Type 7 ) is the last model from the French car manufacturer Bucciali . The TAV 12 presented in 1931, the history of which and the special features of which have not been fully clarified, is considered to be “shrouded in legend.” Unusual for the time, it was front-wheel drive and had sensational bodies, the flat and long limousine version also being la flèche d'or (“ the golden arrow ") is called. The vehicle, of which only one example is known, was dismantled into its individual parts before the outbreak of World War II . 40 years later a collector had it rebuilt. The TAV 12 has been roadworthy again since the early 1990s and is shown at exhibitions from time to time.
background
The Bucciali brand goes back to Angelo ("Buc"; 1889–1981) and Paul-Albert Bucciali (1887–1946). The Bucciali brothers, who came from a Corsican family, were born in Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France and, after completing their professional training, initially worked as piano and organ builders in their hometown . After the First World War , they founded the Société Bucciali Frères , which was based in Courbevoie near Paris and produced a number of small, conventionally designed sports cars from 1922. The automobiles initially marketed under the Buc brand were partly one-off; some models were also produced in small series of up to 100 copies ( Buc AB 4-5 ). Occasionally vehicles from Buc appeared at French motorsport events. The company's vehicle output until 1926 totaled 120, 150 or 200 copies, depending on the source. That was not enough to make business operations economically viable. With this in mind, the Bucciali brothers gave up the production of conventionally designed automobiles at the end of 1925.
From 1926 the Société Bucciali Frères then became a design office for automotive technology. The Bucciali brothers were now primarily concerned with the development of front-wheel drive designs. This was a new drive concept for automobiles, which had attracted some attention since 1925, after a front-wheel drive racing car ( Miller 122 ) designed by the American engineer Harry Miller had been surprisingly successful at the " Indianapolis 500 ". The Buccialis often used the preparatory work of other engineers in their constructions. In the first front-wheel drive car, the Bucciali TAV 1, ideas of the Brazilian engineer Robert Dimitri Sensaud de Lavaud could be recognized, later developments had similarities with the technology of the American Cord L-29 from 1929, the first mass-produced passenger car with front-wheel drive.
Beginning in 1926, the company, which now traded under the name of Bucciali, presented a new design at each of the Paris auto shows that took place every October , which was mostly a further development of previous concepts. In individual cases, only chassis were exhibited, but mostly the chassis were provided with individual bodies that Angelo Bucciali had designed. They were predominantly characterized by extraordinary proportions, which included an unusual length and an extremely low overall height. This form of design became a trademark of Buccialis. Bucciali vehicles were usually equipped with internal combustion engines from other manufacturers such as SCAP , Continental or Lycoming ; only in the case of the Bucciali Double Huit from 1930 did the company announce a 16-cylinder engine it had designed itself, which was ultimately not realized. Most of the Bucciali models remained unique; only three or four examples of the Bucciali TAV 30 can be verified. The company's last model was the TAV 12 from 1931, which was fitted with two bodies one after the other.
Although the Bucciali brothers regularly announced that they wanted to mass-produce their front-wheel drive models, the seriousness of this intention is doubted in the literature given the extremely small volume of production. Most publications assume that the Bucciali brothers were primarily interested in selling their patented front-wheel drive solutions to interested series manufacturers; The sensational, but impractical bodies of the Buccialis should also be seen in this context. In fact, Bucciali sold rights to use individual ideas to the American Peerless Motor Car Corporation ; however, the company went bankrupt in 1931 and turned to brewing before it could implement the Buccialis concepts.
nomenclature
The name of the vehicle is, as is often the case with Bucciali models, confusing. Various names have been used over the years. At the factory, the car was initially called Bucciali 8-32, with the first digit standing for the eight-cylinder engine originally planned and the last two digits designating the year 1932, when it was to be presented to the public. However, this designation was obsolete after the client had opted for a V12 engine. Automotive historians subsequently introduced the designation TAV 12. TAV stood for Traction Avant (= front-wheel drive), while the 12 denoted the tax class or the number of cylinders, depending on the source. Alternatively, the TAV 12 is also called Type 7, i.e. the seventh model from Bucciali.
History of the TAV 12
Production based on changing customer requirements
The TAV 12 was the last of seven front-wheel drive cars from the Bucciali brothers and at the same time the only automobile from the brand that was not primarily built for exhibition purposes, but on behalf of a customer.
The client was Georges Roure, a businessman who had seen the front-wheel drive Bucciali Double Huit (double eight) with a 16-cylinder engine at the Paris Motor Show in 1930 . During the production process, the car went through numerous conceptual changes. Roure's order was originally for a replica of a convertible presented in 1930 with the V16 engine. However, the Bucciali brothers were not in a position to provide a functional V16 engine at short notice, because such a construction did not exist in reality: the V16 engine block exhibited in 1930 was merely a dummy with no interior. Roure then ordered an American 8-cylinder engine from Continental instead, but changed his order again before it was installed and ultimately had a 12-cylinder engine from the French manufacturer Aéroplanes G. Voisin installed.
The first version, which appeared in the fall of 1931, was a two-door convertible. Unlike some earlier Bucciali designs, the convertible was undoubtedly ready to drive. There are reports of a PhD drive by Paul-Albert Buccialis in November 1931. Bucciali transported the car to Nice , where it took part in an exhibition and received an award for its elaborate technology. Regardless of this, the customer soon gave up the convertible because he did not agree with the lines of the body.
In the first months of 1932, Bucciali then produced a large four-door sedan (French: Berline ) for Roures , which was nicknamed la flèche d'or . La flèche d'or was completed in April 1932. In the same month, the client Georges Roure took over the car. Bucciali charged a price of 130,000 French francs for the chassis, while the body cost a further 85,600 francs. Roure sold the car to a Parisian banker a little later.
In October 1932, la flèche d'or was shown publicly at the Paris Motor Show. It was the last time that Bucciali had a stand at this fair. Next to the TAV 12 was a TAV 30 convertible, the long, low lines of which followed those of the Berline and which was equipped with an eight-cylinder in-line engine from Lycoming.
Single item or additional copies?
La flèche d'or probably remained a one-off; in any case, only a single vehicle of this type is known today. A single source claims that two similar cars with Voisin engines were built in 1932; however, there is no evidence of this. However, there are indications that in the summer or autumn of 1932 a two-year-old TAV 30 chassis, which was initially provided with a roadster body, was subsequently given a body reminiscent of la flèche d'or for a customer . However, this vehicle was equipped with a Lycoming eight-cylinder engine. Finally, it is documented that the Bucciali brothers began designing another limousine for the Paris Motor Show in 1933 in autumn 1932; However, it was no longer realized, because at the beginning of 1933 the development work at Bucciali ended for financial reasons.
Dismantling and rebuilding
The TAV 12 was used regularly by its owner in the 1930s, who however had the body removed after a few years. The body was mounted on a Bugatti T46 chassis at the end of the 1930s . The T 46, which was produced from 1929 to 1936, was the second largest Bugatti and, based on the legendary Type 41 luxury sedan, was known as the "Petite Royale". The wheelbase of the Bugatti was half a meter shorter than that of the Bucciali, so that the body in the area of the front end had to be shortened considerably. The Bugatti with the “La flèche d'or” body was transferred to the USA in the early post-war period. The Bucciali chassis, on the other hand, remained in France and was considered lost for a number of years. After its rediscovery, it was taken over by a French collector.
In 1976 the body and the Bucciali chassis came into the hands of an American collector who arranged for the la flèche d'or to be rebuilt. The engine, the gearbox , the front-wheel drive, the suspension and most of the sheet metal parts could be taken over from the original vehicle. Some chassis parts as well as the rear fenders and the bonnet, on the other hand, were remade. More than ten years later, the reconstruction was completed. Since the late 1990s, the TAV 12 has been shown repeatedly in public, including at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance (2006).
Design and technical details
Bodies
The car was initially dressed as a convertible, a little later it was given the structure of a four-door sedan.
Cabriolet
The first version, which appeared in the fall of 1931, was a two-door convertible. The vehicle had a steel chassis with a 3734 mm long wheelbase , which had already been used for a copy of the TAV 30 the year before. In contrast to the other TAV models, the design of the body did not go back to the Bucciali brothers, but to Émile Guillet, the owner of a body shop who was at times a partner in Buccialis. It was not considered to be a stylistic success.
Berline: "la flèche d'or"
In the first months of 1932, Bucciali manufactured a large four-door sedan (French: Berline ) on behalf of Roures , which was nicknamed la flèche d'or . The body was made of a composite construction, it consisted of sheet steel shells that were nailed to a wooden frame.
The wheelbase of the sedan was 4089 mm; it was only a few millimeters shorter than that of the Bugatti T41 "Royale" . At 6360 mm, the car was exceptionally long, but the construction height was only 1480 mm. The Bucciali TAV 12 Berline was the lowest car of its time. The wheels were 24 inches in diameter. The design of the body went back to Paul-Albert Bucciali; the sheet metal parts were allegedly manufactured according to Buccialis specifications at Saoutchik in Neuilly-sur-Seine . The hood was also low. Its top line lay below the highest point of the fenders, so that the bonnet was partially covered by the wheels and the fenders when viewed from the side. As with the earlier Buccialis TAV models, a stylized stork was attached to the side ventilation openings of the bonnet . He referred to the Fliegerstaffel Escadrille des Cigognes (stork squadron ), in which Paul-Albert Bucciali had participated in the First World War . Another special stylistic feature was the lack of running boards. The large headlights were positioned in front of the radiator grille directly on the front bumper. At the rear of the car there were two spare wheels attached to one another.
technology
The TAV 12 had a steel chassis, front-wheel drive and independent front and rear suspension . Paul-Albert Bucciali had this design patented for himself as early as 1928. Both versions of the car were powered by a 12-cylinder engine that Bucciali purchased from Voisin. This H18 valve motor was primarily installed in the Voisin C18 . It had a displacement of 4886 cm³. The mixture was prepared by four Zenith carburetors. The output of the Voisin engine was given as 180 PS (132 kW), other sources speak of 120 PS (88 kW). The Voisin engine, which was actually designed for a rear-wheel drive vehicle, was mounted the other way around with regard to the front-wheel drive in the Bucciali, so that the flywheel with the clutch was now at the front. The four-speed gearbox was a Buccialis own design. It was across the front of the engine, in front of which was the differential. The front drum brakes were internal, that is, they sat on the differential and worked via the drive shafts.
The TAV 12 in press and literature
The specialty of the Bucciali TAV 12 is highlighted in both contemporary and current media. At its first contemporary exhibition in Paris, a trade fair report described the Flèche d'or as “the most modern and advanced car in France” of its time. In retrospect, authors see it as one of the most famous or "most mysterious automobiles ever produced".
Technical specifications
| Bucciali TAV 12 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Parameter | Cabriolet | Berline La flèche d'or |
| Engine: | Twelve-cylinder gasoline engine V configuration |
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| Displacement: | 4886 cc | |
| Max. Power: | 120 PS (88 kW) or 180 PS (132 kW)
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| Mixture preparation: | 4 Zenith carburettors | |
| Valves: | none (valve motor system Knight ) |
|
| Cooling: | Water cooling | |
| Transmission: | Four-speed gearbox (manual gearbox) transversely at the front |
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| Suspension: | Independent front suspension | |
| Brakes: | front and rear drum brakes | |
| Chassis: | Steel frame | |
| Body: | Mixed construction (wooden framework clad with sheet steel) | |
| Wheelbase: | 3734 mm | 4089 mm |
| Dimensions (length × width × height): |
6360 × ... × 1480 mm | |
| Top speed: | 180 km / h | |
Remarks
- ↑ There are different information on this in the sources.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j "1932 Bucciali TAV 12 Berline, coachwork by Saoutchik. Private Portfolio No. 114 ". (PDF) (No longer available online.) Www.kidston.com, October 12, 2014, archived from the original on July 14, 2014 ; accessed on December 1, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Griffith Borgeson, Roy D. Query: The fairy tale of the stork . Brand history Bucciali (1926–1932), part 2. In: Motor Klassik , issue 5/1989, p. 48.
- ↑ a b c Griffith Borgeson, Roy D. Query: The fairy tale of the stork . Brand history Bucciali (1926–1932), part 1. In: Motor Klassik , issue 4/1989, p. 49.
- ↑ a b c d Serge Bellu: Bucciali TAV 12. L'attraction des frères Bucciali . In: Automobiles Classiques No. 116 (September 2001), p. 77 (with illustration).
- ^ Serge Bellu: Bucciali TAV 12. L'attraction des frères Bucciali . In: Automobiles Classiques No. 116 (September 2001), p. 70.
- ↑ An overall victory of a Buc at a motorsport event is not recorded. At the III. Grand Prix de Boulogne 1923 a driver named Augustus Bucciali started for the first time in a car called Buc; he crossed the finish line, but was not classified because the distance was too short; see. Statistics of the race on the website www.teamdan.com ( Memento of the original from May 4, 2009 on WebCite ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed December 1, 2014). No races were recorded for 1924, in 1925 there were several finishings of several Buc drivers, cf. Statistics of the Great Prizes of 1924 ( Memento of the original from May 4, 2009 on WebCite ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. and 1925 ( Memento of the original from May 4, 2009 on WebCite ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , each on the website www.teamdan.com (accessed on December 1, 2014).
- ^ A b Serge Bellu: Bucciali TAV 12. L'attraction des frères Bucciali . In: Automobiles Classiques No. 116 (September 2001), p. 69.
- ↑ a b Harald Linz, Halwart Schrader: The great automobile encyclopedia. 100 years of history, 2500 brands from 65 countries . BLV Verlagsgesellschaft München 1985, ISBN 3-405-13217-7 , p. 72.
- ↑ a b c d Eric Favre: Bucciali, la passion de la démesure , history of the Bucciali brand in: La Gazoline, edition of January 26, 2003.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Daniel Vaughan: "1932 Bucciali TAV 12". www.conceptcarz.com, February 1, 2010, accessed December 1, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c d Griffith Borgeson, Roy D. Query: The fairy tale of the stork . Brand history Bucciali (1926–1932), part 2. In: Motor Klassik , issue 5/1989, p. 50.
- ↑ Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980 . Beekman House, New York 1984, ISBN 0-517-42462-2 , pp. 215 f.
- ↑ a b Griffith Borgeson, Roy D. Query: The fairy tale of the stork . Brand history Bucciali (1926–1932), part 2. In: Motor Klassik , issue 5/1989, p. 51.
- ^ Wouter Melissa: "Bucciali TAV 8-32 Saoutchik 'Fleche d'Or' Berline". www.conceptcarz.com, October 18, 2006, accessed December 1, 2014 .
- ↑ This may be a misleading phrase; under certain circumstances, the convertible and the sedan following it are counted as two separate vehicles.
- ^ Serge Bellu: Bucciali TAV 12. L'attraction des frères Bucciali . In: Automobiles Classiques No. 116 (September 2001), p. 76.
- ↑ a b H. O. (Hans Otto) Meyer-Spelbrink: The flight of the storks . The front-wheel drive models from Bucciali. Oldtimer Markt, issue 4/2016, p. 30.
- ^ HG Conway: The Bugatti types . In: The Bugattis. Automobiles, furniture, bronzes . Exhibition catalog of the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (1983), p. 271.
- ↑ popular name of GC 12, groupe de combat n ° 12, established in Reims in 1912; Pascal Ory : Dictionnaire des étrangers qui ont fait la France, Robert Laffont, Paris 2013.
- ↑ In the patent drawing, however, the name "Albert-P. Bucciali ”.
- ↑ Figure of the patent drawing (accessed on December 1, 2014).
- ↑ a b c Gijsbert-Paul Berk: André Lefebvre, and the Cars He Created at Voisin and Citroën , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 978-1-84584-464-6 , p. 52.
- ↑ There are different information on this in the sources.
literature
- Gijsbert-Paul Berk: André Lefebvre, and the Cars He Created at Voisin and Citroën , Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011, ISBN 978-1-84584-464-6
- Griffith Borgeson: Das Märchen vom Storch , biography of the front-wheel drive models, in: Motor Klassik , issues 4 and 5/1989.
- Eric Favre: Bucciali, la passion de la démesure , history of the Bucciali brand, in: La Gazoline, edition of January 26, 2003
- Christian Huet: Bucciali , ed.Christian Huet (self-published), 2004.
- Serge Bellu: L'Attraction des frères Bucciali . Brand history and presentation of the Bucciali TAV 12, in: Automobiles Classiques No. 116 (September 2001), p. 68 ff.
- HO (Hans Otto) Meyer-Spelbrink: The flight of the storks . The front-wheel drive models from Bucciali. Oldtimer Markt, issue 4/2016, p. 26
