In 1924 the Bugatti 35 was born

We are in the midst of the Roaring Twenties. The recovery of the European economy, from 1924, was accompanied by a social development that favored the democratization of the automobile. Popular cars, which were once rare on the market, are increasing. Their appearance was inspired by the liberation of women, which constituted one of the upheavals in society during the Roaring Twenties. Published in 1922, La Garçonne by novelist Victor Margueritte left its mark. Manufacturers no longer hesitate to target women, offering them cars that are more manageable, more compact and more stylish. Mistinguett, Gaby Morlay, Greta Garbo are happy to show themselves behind the wheel. In November 1924, the cover of Vogue magazine, written by Georges Lepape, showed a sexual creature in front of a Voisin torpedo. A woman becomes a consumer… without gaining civil equality.

During the 1920s, the automobile was often seen at the forefront of social change. Celebrities (we’re not talking about “people” yet) enhance their photos by carefully choosing their frames. Rolling in Voisin testifies to some originality. Paul Morand buys the most modern “sports interior”. “In 1924, as soon as Grasset signed me a big cheque, (I bought) my first Voisin,” the author noted in his unremarkable Journal. Maurice Chevalier, Rudolph Valentino, Anatole France also in their Voisin.

The car is one of the modern symbols of this era in which the Esprit Nouveau of Le Corbusier breathes. Mallet-Stevens and Fernand Léger did not ignore it when creating the sets of L’In humanine, the film that Marcel L’Herbier launched in December 1924. The director called on dedicated artists like the Martel brothers or Louis Barillet, like Paul Poiret for costumes or Darius Milhaud for music. Against the background of avant-garde architecture, the high-priced Rolland-Pilain emerges…

Art and cars also interact on walls and in magazines. A whole generation of poster artists emerges from the shadows: in different styles, more or less realistic, Charles Loupot, Leonetto Cappiello and René Vincent collaborate with Peugeot, I could or Bugatti ; Robert Falcucci designs Renault posters. Georges Hamel (who signs “Géo Ham”) becomes a witness to the changing world under the empire of speed. He draws sports scenes by combining gravity and humanity in a movement that is always amazing. The gouaches he creates for L’Illustration covers convey speed with power, but with great subtlety in coloring.

But nowhere else do art and technology come together more closely than in the style of Ettore Bugatti. Type “35” represents the archetype of his singular aesthetic. Whether in general harmony or in the execution of every detail, the machine is regarded as a piece of gold. The radiator is shaped like a horseshoe, recalling Bugatti’s passion for horse riding. The back is tapered like the back of a canoe. The chassis follows the curves of the bodywork. The straight eight-cylinder engine with a non-detachable cylinder head is a museum piece. All the equipment comes together: polished aluminum on the eight-spoke wheels, forged steel for the front axle, corked aluminum that gives indescribable reflections to the engine, copper wire that zigzags every chassis adjustment screw, leather joints, rings copper … The beauty of “35” is caused by craftsmanship.

A story with gum

The Bugatti 35 appeared on 3 August 1924 during the ACF Grand Prix which also served as the European Grand Prix. It is organized in the Lyon area on a circuit of 23 kilometers whose route starts from Les Sept Chemins, passes through Givors, and returns via Grande Pavière and the origin of the Esses. Five Bugattis arrive by road. Lined up before the start, the five blue cars are impressive, but with only 90 horsepower, the Bugatti suffers a significant power handicap compared to the new Alfa Romeo P2, Fiat 805 and other Solars that all have supercharged engines. many.

From the start, Bugatti reveals a weak point we didn’t suspect: the tires. Made by Dunlop, it turned out to be completely unsuitable for the circuit, their covers burst after several kilometers! Struggling with these problems throughout the race, Bugatti finished far behind, in seventh and ninth places. The versatile, mass-produced Bugatti 35 will compete for many years in many competitions in the hands of professional pilots or master drivers. The painter André Derain as the writer Paul Morand will be unconditional fans. The latter will write: “Besides, other cars are guns.”

The car is also a tool of investigation in these times that elevates the spirit of colonialism. To conquer the world, a car must be able to go everywhere. Renault built the “desert rover”, 10 HP models with six twin wheels. With three cars of this type, the director of Compagnie Générale Transatlantique accompanied by six men took in 1924 the junction between Colomb-Béchar, the station of the Algerian railway, and Bourema, where the Niger railway departs. The caravan successfully crossed the desert for the first time in just seven days.

Citroen he chose another type of car to go to Africa. The “Central African” expedition, better known under the title “Black Cruise”, leaves on October 28 to connect Colomb-Béchar with Madagascar. These expeditions combine a laudable desire to meet other people with a unique desire to conquer or change them. From these extraordinary journeys, Alexandre Iacovleff brought back elegant sanguines, while the sculptor Henri Bouchard created official bronze medals for these same events. The painter was commissioned by André Citroën “to restore by painting indigenous values ​​and customs that are in danger of disappearing”. Respectively in Chamonix in January and then in Paris in May, the Winter and Summer Olympic Games, which are held in France, are also an opportunity to bring people together.

Art and science were reunited. On May 15, 1924, Juan Gris gave a lecture at the Sorbonne on the topic of “the possibilities of painting”. He clearly declares “art is science”. As for André Breton, he called for dreams, the unconscious and the fantastic in his Surrealism Manifesto published in October 1924.

Bottom line, politics favors reality. Russia also opens a new page in its history with the death of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin in January, at the age of 54. After him, the strongest man in Russia is Joseph Stalin who succeeds in removing Leon Trotsky. In France, the Left, made up of radicals and socialists, is driving the right and winning parliamentary elections. The following month, Gaston Doumergue was elected President of the Republic. In June 1924, to celebrate his election, he paraded in a Renault 40 CV torpedo.