Is the Brondeel Expedition the key to the story of the Belg. Coupé ? (Part I: from Brussels to Congo)


The Brondeel Expedition was a transsaharan travel from Belgium to Congo led by commandant Louis Brondeel. It started on Wednesday 17th of January 1934 at 1.12 pm, during a heavy rain. Mr. Louis Brondeel, a war veteran, was also an owner of a Dodge dealership. Therefore, he organized the expedition with both adventurous and promotional purposes in mind.

The crew consisted of Mr. Brondeel himself (at that time Mr. Brondeel was a reserve captain of artillery), Mr. Paul Neuray- the second in command, a reserve lieutenant of cavalry and the secretary of a newspaper entitled “La Nation Belge”, Charles Dekeukeleire- an avantgarde film director who worked with a camera operator named François Rents, three “technicians” (i.e. drivers)- Mr. Ernest Jacquemart, Mr. René Crahay and Mr. Gabriel Duhoux (who is mentioned in one of the articles as a high class driver after a recent success in Liège-Rome-Liège), doctor Jean-Auguste Storms (a specialist in tropical medicine) and a cook named Constant de Veuster (it is possible that he was related to the saint Pater Damiaan, but a research in Geneanet indicates that it may as well be a coincidence of names- https://gw.geneanet.org/fwouters7?n=de+veuster&oc=&p=constant, https://gw.geneanet.org/marcelcroon?lang=fr&n=deveuster&p=constant+jean).

The expedition aimed to show that the regular transport between Belgium and Congo was possible. Such goal could be achieved by covering about 13000 km from Brussels to Kitega (which is now renamed to Gitega) in about three months.

The caravan consisted of a six-cylinder passenger car and two trucks. All three were yellow-painted Dodges. According to “Sintair’s” (“Sintair” was a pseudonym of Herman Sartini) report from the 18th January 1934 issue of “La Nation Belge”, the trucks were 2.5 tonne and 3.5 tonne vehicles. The latter could carry three passengers. Mr. Brondeel wrote an article published in a monograph entitled “[50 années d’activité coloniale au Congo] : 1885-1935”. The article describes the trucks as “5900 and 6800 kg”. The numbers given in “La Nation Belge” may be load capacities. If so, Mr. Brondeel’s article seems to mention gross weights.

The first stage of the expedition led from Brussels to Port-Vendres, through Maubeuge, Reims, Langres, Lyon, Nimes and Perpignan. It was expected that the caravan would come to Reganne, through Alger, Laghouat, Ghardaïa, El-Goléa (now El-Menia), around 20th of January. Tanezrouft was considered a region where “the difficulties are multiplied by ten”. However, Mr. Brondeel anticipated that it would take two days to reach Gao. An important point on the trail between Reggane and Gao was the famous Bidon-V (one of barrels of fuel which were installed every 50 km, bearing names like Bidon-I, Bidon-II and so on. The Bidon-V is also known as Poste Maurice Cortier).
Having left Gao, the convoy would get to Fort Lamy (through Niamey, Dosso and Kano) after four more days. The leader of the expedition expected to cross the Congolese border in Bangassou and to travel to Kitega (Gitega), traversing Uélé, going through Aketi, Buta, Stanleyville (currently: Kisangani), Irumu, Lac Albert, Costermansville (now Bukavu), Uvira and Usumbura (currently: Bujumbura). Among the regions and countries visited by the caravan, the article by Mr. Brondeel mentions Ituri, Kivu, Ruanda and Urundi.
The leader of the expedition makes a remark that traveling from Belgium to Congo would not cause difficulties if the route consisted of paved roads. However, at that time only “la Route Nationale N°1” between Alger and Laghouat existed. Its length was about 450 km. The way to Congo had nearly 6500 more kilometers described by Mr. Brondeel as “more or less beaten tracks”. According to the article written by the commander, in the north of Sahara these tracks looked like European dirt roads but the further a traveler was going, the less clear the road became (even the markers were rarer). Once in deep Sahara, a driver could stick to the course by following the (more and more vague) traces of other drivers. A compass and the ability to navigate by the stars were also useful, as some of the traces might have been left by a traveler who had gone astray.

These were some of the reasons why so much preparation was needed.

The press briefing before the depart took place at Hotel Métropole. The participants were visited by their families (the article in “La Nation Belge” mentions Mrs. Brondeel and the children of Mr. Paul Neuray), count de Briey, the head of the Deputy Cabinet to the Ministry of Colonies, Mr. Moeller- the honorary general vice-governor of Congo, and Mr. Wallon- the secretary of Cercle Royal Africain (Royal African Circle). Mr. Paul Neuray received a gift- a small cap rifle with a note containing wishes of “Good hunting”.

The vehicles had been photographed under The Arcades du Cinquantenaire before the official departure from the place de Brouckère which was scheduled to 17th of January 1934, 1 pm. Eventually, commandant Brondeel gave the signal to start the three-car convoy at 1.12 pm.

Really little is written about the way from Brussels to Reggan. However, a newspaper “Vers l’Avenir” noted the hour of arrival to Port-Vendres (9:46 pm on the 18th of January), the hour of boarding (8 am on the 19th of January) and the name of the ship- “Gouverneur Général Cambon”.

The most important events of the expedition (like the depart, some milestones and the return) were announced by many newspapers like “Le Soir”, “L’Avenir Belge”, “L’Echo d’Alger” or “The African World”.

On the 30th of January 1934 “La Nation Belge” published a correspondence relayed via radiogram from Gao. The note says that the expedition has arrived to Bidon V on the 25th of January “having touched Adrar on the 23rd of January and Reggan on the 24th of January”. It is the first direct report received from the members of the expedition. Between the 18th January 1934 and 30th of January 1934 “La Nation Belge” printed a feature which combined two biographical notes about filmmakers- Mr. Charles Dekeukeleire and Mr. François Rents and announced that they would make a documentary from the journey.

Two introductory articles and several (about ten) notes, most of which are radiogram-based, constitute the first part of the expedition’s press coverage provided by “La Nation Belge”. The second part is a 30-piece series developed from Mr. Paul Neuray’s notebook. It was inaugurated in the 13th June 1934 issue under the title “Avec la croisière transsaharienne Brondeel”. However, the initial article of the series has “2” as its number. Maybe “La Nation Belge” considered either “Sintair’s” report or the feature about the filmmakers as the first part of the story. Mr. Neuray starts his memories with a “jump”- from the depart described in the first paragraph to the arrival in Reggan mentioned right after.

He even omits the help provided by the expedition members to the driver and to the passengers of a broken down bus of the Compagnie générale transsaharienne somewhere between Adrar et Reggan. Mr. Brondeel and his crew actually saved these people who had spent three days without food and water. A mention about the help was published on the 26th of January in “Independance Belge”.

While “La Nation Belge’s” press stories may constitute a reportage with some ethnographic reflections, the chapter of the “[50 années d’activité coloniale au Congo] : 1885-1935” written by commandant Louis Brondeel is more of an instruction for travelers.

For example, a reader could learn that the General Governor of Algeria had issued an order establishing the Saharan Road Code which required that each car should carry the following spare parts:

a magneto or ignition device, spark plugs, connecting rods, leaf springs, cylinder head gaskets, and bearings”

because there were no repair shops in the desert.

The “never off-road alone” rule was also codified as a law. Mr. Brondeel comments that there had been some tolerance, but tragic deaths of motorists led to strict enforcement of the rule.

The leader of the Belgian expedition provides some more advice based on the experience gained by his team. The advice concerns both navigation and driving. For example, Mr. Brondeel suggests that at a speed about 50 kph the conditions in a car’s interior are unbearable for passengers. His feelings are that at the speed of about 60 kph each vibration starts to be balanced by another.

Another tip is to react to tailwind by doing frequent stops and turning the car towards the wind in order to cool the engine down.

Mr. Brondeel believed that one could not complete a Trans-Saharan journey through regions like Tanezrouft without being lost at least once (he even wrote a short tutorial on finding the route back with zig-zag moves).

Although “Sintair” praises Mr. Brondeel as “a methodical mind and an enemy of improvisation who prepared this voyage in a way that reduces the role of the unforeseen to a strict minimum”, Mr. Neuray describes the depart from Reggan as a moment when it was impossible to dissociate from emotions triggered by facing the unknown. “And the unknown for us was the Desert”- he adds, claiming that each member of the expedition had known Sahara only by hearsay.
Mr. Neuray was a member of the passenger car crew as he remarks “we were accompanied by two trucks. The bigger one, driven by (Mr. René) Crahay, would have to make it through soft sands, dunes and stones. Will she pass? We will not know that until we cover 1300 more kilometers”. Therefore, it can be guessed that the passenger car was driven by Mr. Gabriel Duhoux, while Mr. Ernest Jacquemart operated the smaller truck. Each of the vehicles had a nickname. They were called “Jenny”(the passenger car), “Jacquet” (the smaller truck) and “Dédé” (the bigger truck).

It’s ironic that Mr. René Crahay, whose task seemed to be the hardest, was later omitted in the article concerning the return of the convoy to Belgium. “La Nation Belge” compensated for this mistake by writing a short note the next day (ie. the 11th of May 1934).

Mr. Neuray’s concerns about Mr. Crahay’s truck would be partially confirmed a bit later. The journalist explains that it was advisable to drive at night as colder weather not only brought less fatigue to people but also hardened the sand. However, after covering 26 kilometers in 50 minutes, Mr. Crahay’s truck got stuck. It was not deep, so the driver managed to recover in 15 minutes. Seems that Mr. Brondeel had not formulated his “60 kph or above” rule yet as the speed calculated from the info given by Mr. Neuray is about 31 kph.

After the depart from Reggan the three “technicians” drove almost all night. They stopped about 6 am on the 25th of January after 366 kilometers of journey and a short break for a meal. When Commandant Brondeel ordered a pause for a 2-hour sleep no one was tired. At 8 am they departed again, thinking that from the next day they would no longer measure time by calendar but by the length of their beards and by amount of dirt on their faces.

While crossing the Tropic of Cancer, one of them wondered why was the line not drawn on the soil.

When they reached Bidon V they witnessed an installation of a fuel tank overseen by a Shell representative for south territories, Mr. Vuillemin. Although Mr. Brondeel and his crew did not have a contract with Compagnie Générale Transsaharienne, the oil company executive placed 100 liters of fuel at their disposition. They were not able to use so much, but they appreciated the offer.

The road from Bidon V was hard. In the evening, Mr. Jacquemart had to repair his truck because a leaf of a spring was broken.

On the next day (if I understand well) the caravan set off at dawn. Mr. Brondeel hunted a gazelle which was later shared with another group of travelers.

In the “region of marcoubas” the terrain changed (“marcoubas” is a name of desert bunchgrass of species Panicum Turgidum). The convoy was able to travel only 38 km in 5 hours. At 8 pm the members of the expedition realized that they had covered just 128 km.

There was a dilemma: to follow the track and to take the risk of getting stuck in the sand or to go through the terrain covered by “marcoubas” posing a big challenge to the springs of the vehicles. In the words of Mr. Neuray, the members of the expedition “took a chance and won” by choosing the latter- “but it was hard, very hard”. When the night fell, the trucks got stuck again. After several recovery attempts, Commandant Brondeel decided to find some firmer ground for a bivouac. Mr. Neuray recalls listening to a mellow blues music from a gramophone, thinking of going to sleep but daydreaming instead. On the 28h of January in the morning a truck, recovered from sand trap, passed the camp of “Jenny’s crew” by just two meters without even slowing down.

After leaving the region of marcoubas and seeing a mirage-like caravan of three camels, the crew of “Jenny” had to stop because of a damage. A shock absorber arm (if Mr. Neuray described the element properly) was broken after being hit by a stone thrown from a tire. While Mr. Gabriel Duhoux was doing the repair, commandant Brondeel went hunting.

Then, the members of the expedition were approached by Daggatoun people. They gave one of the “Dagas” some salt that he asked for and several cigarettes. From his behavior they guessed that he had never smoked before. They took several photos. Mr. Neuray comments that a child hiding behind his or her mother “has not turned blue due to the bad dye yet”. He expresses his feelings towards the child with the words “Salam, plein de dignité” (“Sälam, young man full of dignity”).
At 4.45 pm the caravan reached Tabankort. There were just 200 kms of good road to Gao. About 11 pm Mr. Brondeel and his colleagues arrived at the hotel de l’Atlantide.

According to the telegram sent to “Indépendance Belge” from Gao on the 29th of January, the crew had experienced 49 recoveries from the sand. “Jenny” participated in two such events, taking three minutes. “Jacquet” was stuck dozen times. Setting “Dédé” free from sand traps took four hours. The longer the journey lasted, the more skilled in off-road recoveries the members of the expedition became.

They traveled from Reggan to Gao 4 days, 6 hours and 52 minutes, covering 1364 km. Mr. Neuray gives a short “technical summary”, saying that the only losses were a broken leaf of a spring, and a broken shock absorber arm. He emphasizes that there was no need to refill the radiators. Not even once.

After a night in house-like conditions, the expedition members got back on the track on the 29th of January, at 3.10 pm. Mr. Neuray describes the road, following the Niger river, as “sometimes excellent, sometimes execrable”. The caravan was crossing village after village, greeted by the natives. At 7.10 pm the expedition members arrived in Ansongo, having covered 117 km. At 9 pm the crew ate a dinner composed of guinea fowls that they had hunted. Then they covered about 60 kilometers more and went to sleep around midnight. On the 30th of January they woke up at 5 am. Traveling through the Niger River basin, they reached the first Sudanese bridge (Mali was known as French Sudan at that time)- a kind of object that they would meet often before crossing the Nigerian border.

Then, they made a short pause when Mr. Jacquemart needed to repair the fuel pump in his truck. A group of horse riders were chasing a herd of donkeys. The men raised their colored straw hats to greet the expedition members and stopped to look at the cars.

The reception in Niamey was even warmer. The travelers found themselves in the middle of a crowd with a policeman trying to disperse it with a stick.

At 7.18 pm, “Jenny” arrived to Dosso. After a visit to the administrator, the expedition members put their tent up for the first time. Mr. Neuray recalls a dinner, the music from a gramophone, and a sleep without dreams.

On the next day (the 31st of January) the expedition members received water from some chained prisoners while being watched by a tame ostrich.

Mr. Neuray describes the road as “beautiful, too beautiful”, adding that the car covered 71 kilometers in an hour and that “the 72nd almost became the last”. Mr. Brondeel had passed the steering wheel of “Jenny” either to doctor Jean Storms or to Mr. Neuray himself. The driver failed to turn into a corner properly, straightened the car up, avoided “a catastrophe on the right and some precipitate on the left”. The car hit a savanna at 60 kph, making its way through the bushes. Commandant Brondeel said that “Jenny” was reparable. After four hours the passenger car took back the lead of the caravan carrying some superficial “wounds”.

However, the road became more difficult. Steep slopes turned it into a rollercoaster. Nevertheless, Mr. Brondeel and his people covered 473 kilometers, crossing Birni N’Konni. On the 1st of February they arrived to Maradi. The administrator named Gosselin wished them good luck and asked them to greet Robert Fabry (https://www2.vieillestiges.be/fr/memorials/robert-fabry)- a Belgian aviator, who was also known in the A.O.F. After a two-hour stop the expedition members got back on the track. Soon, they reached Nigeria. The indigenous people tended to salute them more formally, by kneeling and bowing their foreheads in the dust. Mr. Neuray comments that the expedition members would experience this kind of behavior all the way through the British Nigeria.

Another thing that he notices are the changes of Nigerian infrastructure since the expedition of prince de Ligne who “had cursed the roads of Northern Nigeria many times”. Things like a concrete bridge, proper milestones and the presence of renovation teams meant that driving through that region was gradually turning from a challenge to a normal tourist or business travel.

Another Nigerian memories noted by Mr. Neuray are “London-like” left-hand traffic and not being stopped at border post in Jibia. The first city was Katsina. It was surrounded by a wall. A policeman wearing dark blue uniform showed the right way to the expedition members. They drove slower to see a market full of shining copperware. Then, they covered 175 km of a highway to Kano. Commandant Brondeel went to a meeting with the resident and avoided showing him the convoy as twin tires were forbidden on British roads. The expedition members did not plan to stay in Kano. They wanted to go as far, as their energy would allow. After covering 139 km more they arrived to Assongo. In Assongo, where they stayed for a night (sleeping with one eye open), they realized that some items like Mr. Brondeel’s alarm clock and Mr. Neuray’s glasses had been stolen from them in Kano.

Then, they arrived to a place with a big barrier across the road. The barrier was marked as “Jamaari Toll” (Jamaari is a first name which means “handsome” in Swahili). A “giant covered in red and green moth-eaten wool” asked them to pay 10 schillings per car. They did.

Going further, they overtook and passed caravans which were raising clouds of dust on a camel trail that ran along the route. Mr. Neuray mentions a “telegram to Europe” or a “telegram in Europe”, alongside the visits to Azare, Puluskum and Maiduguri. However, the correspondence from Gao is the only one that I have found in Belgian newspapers published at the turn of January and February 1934.

During the nightfall the crew arrived to Dikwa, which they considered “the first station in Cameroon”. Then they were stopped by a body of water, after having covered 571 km. It was 10.45 pm. On the 3rd of February they woke up next to a stream named Ebeji (Ebeyi). They saw flying eagles, horseback riders going upstream through the ford and ferrymen waiting for them. During the first crossing of the river, the ferry scraped the muddy bottom. The expedition members moved towards the prow to look at Fort-Lamy (currently, N’Djaména, the capital of Tchad).

During their further voyage through the North Cameroon, they were looking at greenery struggling to survive in dry conditions. A band of macaques crossed their path.
Soon, they arrived to Kousseri. The assistant administrator named Bourjes, originating from Toulon, made an impression of a “friend since 20 years”. He summoned some Goumier (an indigenous Moroccan soldier) who was the commander of a ferry stationing on the other side of the river Logone. Mr. Bourjes told the expedition members many things about Africa. From the story of his journey to the office during the rainy season (which involved three weeks of sailing in a canoe) to the memories about François Lamy. While Mr. Brondeel and his companions were listening to their host, some tribe leaders were waiting for authorization to continue their voyage to Mecca. Mr. Neuray admired their lack of impatience which made them “masters of time”.

To cross the river, the caravan needed help from some chained prisoners, mobilized by Mr. Bourjes. Following a straw trail, the expedition members saved much time. Mr. Brondeel greeted the governor of Chad, Mr. Richard Brunot who was waiting at the landing stage. Mr. Borjes, Dr. Storms and Mr. Neuray sailed along in a canoe looking for ducks in the reeds of the river bank.

Then, the expedition arrived to the A.E.F (L’Afrique équatoriale française- French Equatorial Africa). They needed oil, but a station ran out of it. Moreover, Mr. Brondeel and his colleagues were informed that the supply would come from the south in some days. Fortunately, an energetic woman persuaded the military aviation to give a barrel.

Mr. Neuray mentions “another barrier of Chari” which was to be crossed with a ferry. By a special favor, the expedition members could traverse at night. However, the mechanic had not been alerted. Mr. Brondeel and his people had to wait until the moment when the man returned to his hut. At the dawn they reached the other coast.

Traveling to Bongor, they arrived to the banks of Logone and saw crocodiles sleeping with their mouths open. In the city itself, the first strong impression was the way of dressing of people from tribes like Fula. Traveling through the plain of Laï, the expedition members observed indigenous people hunting and clearing the terrain with fire. Then, they crossed Nazia, Doba, Bediondo and Kumra. When the river Bahr-Sara stopped them, they listened to the music played by paddlers. The next station was Fort-Archambault (currently Sarh). A red ribbon of a laterite road seemed to unfold endlessly. Just after the dusk a stone damaged the oil tank of “Jenny”. The crew hurried to collect the precious liquid. Waiting for trucks, they spent a night in a forest. As Mr. Neuray says, “the ingenuity of commandant Brondeel enabled them to start again”. At 11 am they arrived to Fort Crampel, where they heard that the trucks had been there two hours before. The pursuit began. “Jenny” arrived to places named “K’Mbre” and Moruba, running out of spare parts. An American missionary who had lived nine months in Brussels greeted the expedition members.

The crew of “Jenny” hurried to meet the trucks, but the pursuit was delayed by a damaged bridge. A corporal, in command of hundred people repairing the structure, asked Mr. Brondeel and his companions to wait until the following day, despite a tornado. When the job was done, “Jenny” went further until she reached another river, near Bambari (it had to be Ouaka). There, she was finally joined by the trucks. The drivers of “Jacquet” and “Dédé” had traveled through Fort Sibut (currently Sibut). Mr. Neuray notes that the “mastodons” would not have been able to cross the bridge repaired for “Jenny”. However, the conditions were hard even for the car itself as it got stuck because of a fallen tree. Stress and fatigue forced the crew to have a rest. After the break, they drove through Alindao, crossed the river Ubangi and, through a place called Furumbula, arrived to the banks of the river Kotto.

Then, they traveled through a region with cotton fields and first coffee trees. Wobbly culverts creaked when the vehicles crossed them. The indigenous people cheered the expedition members on. Having crossed another river, Mr. Brondeel and his colleagues noticed a sign saying “Bangassou, 19 km”. On the 8th of February, at 11 am they arrived at the banks of the river Le Bomu. On the other side of the body of water, they could see Congo. They had covered about 8400 kilometers in 20 days and 20 hours.

They were happy for the success, but it was not the end of the adventure.

To be continued…

Andrzej Szczodrak

Many thanks to:

  • Uwe, Ante and Valentin
  • The Goyvaerts family
  • Mr. Marc Duhoux
  • Mrs. Viviane De Jaeger
  • Mr. Michel Jacquemart, Dr. Pierre Jacquemart
  • Mr. Marc René Crahay
  • Mr. Rob Van den Broeck
  • Mrs. Françoise Quatrus
  • Mr. Paul Grant
  • Mr. Jean-Luc Ernst
  • The inhabitants of Braine-l’Alleud, especially the members of the group “Braine-l’Alleud d’hier à aujourd’hui”

The mystery of the Garage Métro

The Garage Métro seems to have been the last place where the lost Bugatti Atlantic (“La Voiture Noire” or rather “Le Belg. Coupé”) was seen. In the Francophone automotive culture the word “garage” has a wide range of meanings, from an actual garage to a big automotive showroom with a service station. In this case, the term “showroom” seems to be the most adequate.

The Garage Métro was located at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 305-307 (later: 303-309) in Forest. It had been created by Mr. Gabriel Duhoux’s brother, Mr. Norbert Duhoux at the beginning of 1930s (https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1931/AC_1931_RUES%20STRATEN#page/11). Mr. Norbert is noted as the person in charge of the garage just in the Brussels Trade Almanacs from 1931 and 1932. Since 1933 the showroom was managed by Mr. G. Oosterbosch. Then, the most interesting person appears. Mr. René Dupont, who had been born in Sirault on the 19th of December 1889, took the place over in May or June 1935. He came there from Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Rue de la Princesse, 14. His wife’s name was Irène Vanmarsenille.
Mr. Dupont is mentioned in “De Volksgazet” from the 28th of September 1939 as an example of a manager trying to take advantage of the war by lowering the wage of one of his employees who had been mistakenly drafted into the Belgian army. The case was publicized by a famous Belgian trade union activist Frans Liebaers.
Despite this reputation loss, the Garage Métro was pretty active in media during Mr. Dupont’s era. It is mentioned in several advertisements, mostly in “Le Soir” and in “La Dernière Heure”- both as a seller of used cars and motorbikes and as an employer searching for new workers. It seems that selling American vehicles was an important part of Garage Métro’s activities. However, an advertisement on page 17 of “Le Soir” from 5th of January 1936 informs that the showroom offered a “10hp Renault” (“hp” might mean a tax horsepower here).
When led by Mr. René Dupont, the Garage Métro presented itself as a demanding employer. For example, an advertisement from 19th of October 1940, announcing the search for sheet metal workers, bodywork specialists, mechanics-installers and upholsterers says “inutile de se présenter si pas très capable” (no point in showing up if not very skilled). This kind of expression can be found in more job adverts from that company, as it was really popular at that time. Mr. Gabriel Duhoux used a similar statement in a job advert issued for Garage Red Star in “Le Soir” from the 25th of February 1928- “Inut. se prés. si pas ou place anal. avec bon cert.” (not welcome if not from an analogous place with a good certificate), while he was looking for a watchman-washer.

The Bugatti episode of the Garage Métro story starts in 1945 or 1946 (most probably in June 1945, as some of the British and American liberators marched through Brussels in that month: https://www.brusselstimes.com/66604/how-sam-boon-contributed-to-the-liberation-of-brussels). The blue 57453/57222/57454 Bugatti Atlantic (i.e. the car that is widely known as “La voiture noire” because of its initial black color, and as “the 57453” because of the first of three chassis numbers that it subsequently received from the factory) was left by Mr. Gabriel Duhoux next to Le Berger Hotel with its keys in the ignition. An American soldier took the car for a joyride and crashed it into a street car near Rue d’Or

(https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1082321568508194&id=843159335757753&set=a.1082301645176853). We have learned that the street cars bearing the numbers 4, 5, 6, 17, 34, 48, 98 had been used in that region.

Mr. Duhoux might have taken some legal action against the G.I. Thanks to Ante Furač’s great work we know about two judiciary cases dated 8th November 1945:

  • n° 30736 in Ixelles
  • n° 30770 in Uccle.

Unfortunately, the dossiers have not been accessible for us. They are not kept in the Belgian state archives.

After the accident the Bugatti was taken to a garage in Chaussée d’Alsemberg. Here is the description of the location (written in French).

The way from Rue Cervantès 47 to Place Albert can be seen on these maps:

https://www.waze.com/fr/live-map/directions/place-albert-forest-or-vorst?to=place.w.2818556.28447706.4542969&from=place.ChIJa74Fd0XEw0cREiKTwRz7VWE

https://www.google.pl/maps/dir/Rue+Cervantes+47,+1190+Forest,+Belgia/Chauss%C3%A9e+d’Alsemberg+305,+Forest,+Belgia/Place+Albert,+Avenue+Besme,+Forest,+Belgia/@50.8193755,4.3360913,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x47c3c4457705be6b:0x6155fb1cc1932212!2m2!1d4.3385522!2d50.8179737!1m5!1m1!1s0x47c3c44558bc9687:0xa84c93c61c830dad!2m2!1d4.3402364!2d50.8171639!1m5!1m1!1s0x47c3c5fb2e4e1d49:0xe44c484c591ad8d9!2m2!1d4.3423851!2d50.8216115!3e2

The garage at 305 was, indeed, on the left side of the street. Although the address seems not to have been on the direct route form Rue Cervantès, 47 to Place Albert, it may be good to realize that it was probably possible to take the path to Chaussée d’Alsemberg through the yard (instead of walking through the Rue Cervantès to its crossing with Chaussée d’Alsemberg). If I remember well, the parking of the Intermarche at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 303-309, can still be accessed from the yard of Rue Cervantès, 47.

A careful look into the Brussels Trade Almanac does not reveal more garages that could fit the criteria. The only thing that may cause doubts is the presence of the name Lays at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 207. In 1930s, some Mr. Lays (maybe the cyclist named Joseph Lays) participated in Liège-Rome-Liège together with Mr. Gabriel Duhoux (https://www.ewrc-results.com/final/43613-liege-rome-liege-1933/ ). However, we have not found any trace of a garage managed by Mr. Lays under that address.

Another argument supporting the thesis that the Atlantic was stored in the Garage Métro is that the building at Chaussée d’Alsemberg 303-309 was multi-storey. Here is the mail from a person from the Goyvaerts family:

and a mail from a relative of Mr. Phillipe Henricot (Mr. Ph. Henricot bought the showroom in 1952 and created a car dealership together with Mr. Roomans- https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1954/AC_1954_RUES%20STRATEN#page/20):

The family of Mr. Gabriel Duhoux’s life partner says that there was a point in time when Duhoux siblings ceased to keep in contact. It may have happened some years after 1945. Nevertheless, it seems somewhat odd that Mr. Gabriel, who had created his own network of “Red Star” garages (first mentioned in a newspaper from 25th of February 1928, present in Brussels Trade Almanac since 1929- https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1929/AC_1929_RUES%20STRATEN#page/10), has probably entrusted his Bugatti to a company owned by his brother.

The nearness of Garage Métro might have been just one of the arguments why the place was chosen. Another reason may lie in the history of the “Garage Red Star”. While Garage Métro, owned by Mr. Norbert Duhoux, was a single showroom, Mr. Gabriel’s enterprise rapidly became a network. It started in 1929 as a “garage” at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 102. However, Mr. Gabriel was a really go-ahead person so, in 1931 “Garage Red Star” had two addresses- in Saint-Gilles at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 102 and in Schaerbeek at Rue Josaphat, 150. In newspapers from 1930 the Garage Red Star is mentioned as a sub-agent of the official Chevrolet trucks dealer “C.F. Wismeyer and co.”.

According to the Brussels Trade Almanac, since 1932 the facility in Schaerbeek was managed by Mr. V. Parmentier who remained in charge until 1939. In 1933 the Saint-Gilles location became the “Grand Garage Central de Saint-Gilles” managed by Mr. G. Vertommen. In 1939 it was still a “garage”, under Mr. Mondet’s supervision (https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1939/AC_1939_RUES%20STRATEN#page/16).
However, after the World War II, both addresses are absent in the Trade Almanac.
Another facility of the “Garage Red Star” began functioning on the 14th of July 1948 at rue de Mérode, 278/rue de Serbie, 83.

Ironically (or logically- we can only guess), it was about one month after Mr. Dupont’s departure from Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 305-307. I say “departure from Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 305-307” instead of “departure from Garage Métro” because the commercial court documents (once again: Thanks, Ante Furač! Great job!) inform that the company changed its address to Rue Longue Haie, 81 in Linkebeek. This is where Mr. Dupont moved. Some citizens of Linkebeek have memories of the mechanic. They say that his real estate at Rue Longue Haie, 81 is not remembered as a location of an automotive enterprise.

However, the commercial tribunal documents seem to register Mr. Dupont’s moving from Forest to Linkebeek as a change of the address of the Garage Métro.

Mr. Dupont died on the 3rd of January 1981. We managed to get the document that lists his heirs. The document mentions:

  • Mr. Louis Vandenhove- a carbons trader who died in Uccle on the 17th of May 2009
  • Mr. Jean Mauroy- a mechanic who died in 1981.

We know that Mr. Mauroy bought a Chevrolet from the Garage Métro during a notarial sale in 1947 (great job, Valentin Gentil, thank You very much). Unfortunately, the children of Mr. Mauroy have never heard of the Bugatti. Moreover, they are not willing to give any clue as they seem to consider our research a possible threat to their privacy.

What we have been told is that Mr. Jean Mauroy left his uncle’s garage in 1945. Then, he co-created a new enterprise called Garage Mathy together with Mr. Guilielmus (Willy) Thysmans. The address of the enterprise can be seen in the Trade Almanac from 1948 (https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1948/AC_1948_NOMS%20NAMEN#page/218). It was Chaussée de Mons, 369. Then, the Garage Mathy moved to Rue du Collecteur, 35. Finally it became Établissements Mauroy et Thysmans at Rue Bolinckx, 49.

(source: https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1969/AC_1969_RUES%20STRATEN#page/44)

23rd of April 1948 is the date of the first ad published by the Garage Mathy in a newspaper.

It is near the time when Garage Métro actually ceased to function. The last mention seems to come from the 17th of January 1948 but it is really hard to find it on a page.
Despite possible controversies about Mr. Dupont’s ownership of the name, the Trade Almanacs from 1948 and 1952 still describe the showroom at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 305-307 as “Garage Métro”.

There is some confusion about Mr. “P. Duhoux” mentioned in the Trade Almanac. As I have written before (http://motofiction.eu/gabriel-duhoux/), Mr. Gabriel’s brother’s birth certificate contains three names in the order “Pierre Joseph Norbert”, but “Norbert” is underlined. The Trade Almanacs tend to mention that person as “N. Duhoux”. Such notation can be found in 1931-1932 Almanacs alongside the Garage Métro’s name (https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1932/AC_1932_RUES%20STRATEN#page/10, https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1932/AC_1932_NOMS%20NAMEN#page/136). The surname and the initial of the first name “N. Duhoux” appear also in the Almanacs from 1954 and 1956 at Mr. Gabriel’s brother’s last address- a flat at Boulevard du Jardin Botanique, 2.
Therefore, Mr. “P. Duhoux” could have been a cousin of Mr. Gabriel and Mr. Norbert, Pierre Joseph Duhoux born on the 22nd of May 1902 in Braine l’Alleud and deceased on the 8th of November 1980. Mr. Pierre Joseph Duhoux was a father of Mr. François Duhoux who inherited Mr. Gabriel’s 1952 Mercedes A 220 (he received the car as a gift from Mrs. Thérèse Goyvaerts who forbid using it in the Brussels Capital Region to avoid a crash).

Mr. Norbert’s appearance at Boulevard du Jardin Botanique, 2 in the Almanac from 1954 has also another meaning. It may be a sign that Mr. Norbert lived at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 303-309 before that year.

Ante Furač did a great job of retrieving a letter which documents that Mr. Norbert Duhoux had asked for another permission to build a garage at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 303-309 in 1948. The letter was written by an advocate who represented Mr. Philippe Henricot. According to the letter, dated 9th of January 1959, Mr. Henricot had been owning the showroom since July 1952.

The Trade Almanac from 1953 still attributes the address Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 305-307 to the Garage Métro managed by Mr. P. Duhoux. Mr. Philippe Henricot (https://www.b-all.be/genealogie/getperson.php?personID=I3310&tree=tree1) appears in 1954 as a co-owner of a Panhard dealership, together with Mr. Roomans. Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 303-309 was one of its addresses, alongside avenue Louise 22a.

Around 1960 the showroom at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 303-309 became a Škoda dealership (https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1960/AC_1960_RUES%20STRATEN#page/25).

It is almost safe to assume that the lost Atlantic either stayed in the Garage Métro till the end of the Henricot era or was moved to one of the Garage Red Star locations. A big argument against the hypothesis of a 1951-1954 sale is that such transaction would have been noticed by Mr. Jean De Dobbeleer as he bought the 57562 from Mr. Gabriel Duhoux in 1952.

Around 1958 (due to Mr. Gabriel Duhoux’s illness) the facilities which had belonged to the Garage Red Star network changed their names:

  • the one at rue de Mérode, 278/rue de Serbie, 83 became Garage Warlotte (functioned at the beginning of 1958, therefore the new owner or manager appeared before Mr. Duhoux’s death),
  • the one at rue Josaphat, 150 became garage Aux Quatre Rampes (the same story as with Warlotte),
  • the one at Chaussée d’Alsemberg, 102 became Etabl. J. Demain (the same story as with the two mentioned above).

However, the possibility that Mr. Philippe Henricot bought the Bugatti with the Garage Métro can not be ruled out.

To be continued…

Andrzej Szczodrak

Many thanks to:

  • Uwe, Ante and Valentin
  • The Goyvaerts family
  • Mrs. Martine Mauroy
  • CBAC Asbl
  • The inhabitants of Linkebeek
  • Mrs. Danielle Hoslet who introduced me to the Almanac
  • Mrs. Françoise Quatrus
  • Mr. Paul Grant
  • The inhabitants of Braine-l’Alleud, especially the members of the group “Braine-l’Alleud d’hier à aujourd’hui”
  • The members of the groups : “Le Vieux Bruxelles”, “Le vieux Bxl“, “Anderlechtensia”, “FOREST, de hier, d’aujourd’hui et de demain !”, “I Love Forest – I Love Vorst”, “UCCLE FOREST histoire”

Gabriel Duhoux- a short biography

Gabriel Duhoux
Gabriel Duhoux

Mr. Gabriel Guillaume Duhoux was born on the 29th of May 1897 in Saint-Gilles (a municipality in Brussels-Capital Region). He was a son of Mr. Hilaire Louis Duhoux from Braine-l’Alleud (https://gw.geneanet.org/a259?lang=en&pz=annick&nz=duhoux&p=hilaire+louis&n=duhoux) and Mrs. Emma Flore Dewaet from Brussels. The couple had married on the 28th of January 1896 in Wauthier-Braine. It is still not verified if Mr. Duhoux’s mother was a relative of Mr. Dewaet who bought a Stoewer license and, during the years 1934-1935, built several Stettin-designed cars in Brussels.

Mr. Gabriel Duhoux was a member of a well known family of builders, architects and entrepreneurs strongly linked to Braine-l’Alleud (https://www.wiki-braine-lalleud.be/index.php5?title=Rue_du_Hautmont). He had a brother whose names were Pierre Joseph Norbert (born on the 7th of April 1896). The word “Norbert” appears on the third position on the birth certificate, but it is underlined. There are some sources showing that Mr. Gabriel’s brother tended to use it as his first name. For example, he is listed as Norbert, alongside his brother Gabriel, in a press note about a cross country run organized by the Commission Centrale de L’Athlétisme de l’Union Belge des Sociétés de Sports Athlétiques on the 24th of December 1911 (https://uurl.kbr.be/1257104)- the Duhoux brothers were 14 and 15 years old at that time.
Messrs. Gabriel and Norbert had a sister named Hélène Léocadie (born on the 15th of February 1900).

Mr. Gabriel was an architect and an entrepreneur. The site called “Monument.heritage.brussels” contains a mention about his architectural heritage (https://monument.heritage.brussels/fr/Saint-Gilles/Chaussee_d_Alsemberg/10601005). There is also a record about a building designed by Mr. Gabriel’s brother, Mr. Norbert (https://monument.heritage.brussels/fr/Saint-Gilles/Avenue_Adolphe_Demeur/49/39). Mr. Gabriel’s grandfather, Mr. Pierre Joseph seems to have been the first person from the Duhoux family who started investing in that field (https://monument.heritage.brussels/fr/Saint-Gilles/Rue_d_Andenne/75/606, https://gw.geneanet.org/a259?lang=en&pz=annick&nz=duhoux&p=pierre+joseph&n=duhoux&oc=7 ). Nevertheless, it is the father of Mr. Gabriel and Mr. Norbert, Mr. Hilaire Louis whose activity in the domain of real estate in Brussels-Capital Region seems to be the most documented (https://monument.heritage.brussels/fr/Saint-Gilles/Rue_Antoine_Breart/123/842).

Shortly after the death of their father (09.06.1929 in Uccle), in the early 1930s, the Duhoux brothers (Mr. Gabriel and Mr. Norbert) created two automotive showroom companies (such showroom is called “garage” in French). The first enterprise, which belonged solely to Mr. Gabriel, was named “Red Star”. It had two showrooms- at 100-102, Chaussée d’Alsemberg and at 150, Rue Josaphat (https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1931/AC_1931_RUES%20STRATEN#page/11, https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1931/AC_1931_RUES%20STRATEN#page/170).

The other company, called Garage Métro, located at 305-307 Chaussée d’Alsemberg, was reportedly created by Mr. Norbert Duhoux (https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AC/AC_1932/AC_1932_RUES%20STRATEN#page/10 ). However, it was very close to Mr. Gabriel’s home at 47, Rue Cervantès (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Rue+Cervantes+47,+Forest,+Belgia/Chauss%C3%A9e+d’Alsemberg+305,+Forest,+Belgia/@50.817622,4.337032,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x47c3c4457705be6b:0x6155fb1cc1932212!2m2!1d4.3385522!2d50.8179737!1m5!1m1!1s0x47c3c44558bc9687:0xa84c93c61c830dad!2m2!1d4.3402364!2d50.8171639!3e0?entry=ttu ). According to my sources, Mr. René Dupont who was the manager of the Garage Métro from 1936 to 1948 was Mr. Gabriel’s friend.

Mr. Gabriel Duhoux seems to be a bit forgotten in the automotive world, but he participated in some important events. He finished 18. in 1932 Monte Carlo Rally (https://www.ewrc-results.com/profile/139696-g-duhoux/ ). Year later, he started from Athens (https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/february-1933/5/the-complete-list-of-entries-of-monte-carlo-rally/ ). It seems that he did not finish that rally. In 1933 and 1934 he took part in the Liège-Rome-Liège Road Marathon (https://www.ewrc-results.com/entries/43613-liege-rome-liege-1933/, https://www.ewrc-results.com/entries/43614-liege-rome-liege-1934/). In 1933 he finished 4th (https://www.ewrc-results.com/final/43613-liege-rome-liege-1933/). The result is described as a “place of honor” in a newspaper article covering the Brondeel expedition.

From the 17th of January 1934 to 9th of May 1934 Mr. Gabriel Duhoux was involved in a Trans-Saharan journey from Brussels to Kitega in Kongo (currently Gitega, Burundi) and back (https://www.memoiresducongo.be/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/MDC-42.pdf). The articles covering the start of the event describe Mr. Duhoux as a technician and as a high class driver.
The leader of the expedition was Commandant Louis Brondeel- a war hero, but also an entrepreneur. Mr. Brondeel owned a Dodge dealership in Brussels at 94, rue Joseph II. He was also the president of FEBIAC (Fédération Belge de l’Indsutrie de l’Automobile et du Cycle) and the originator of the Brussels Motor Show. Mr. Duhoux and Mr. Brondeel seem to have been good friends as Mr. Duhoux had been a Dodge driver in the Monte Carlo Rally and in the Liège-Rome-Liège Road Marathon.

The journey to Congo has been documented in several newspapers including “La Nation Belge” (as Paul Neuray, the editorial secretary of “La Nation Belge”, had participated in the expedition). It is also reflected in the award-winning movie entitled “Terres brûlées” (https://archive.org/details/terres-brulees-un-film-sur-le-congo-belge-1934) filmed by two other members of the expedition- Mr. Charles Dekeukeleire and his camera operator Mr. François Rents.

It is not well known who invited Mr. Duhoux into the Bugatti world. He could have been inspired by the winners of the Liège-Rome-Liège Road Marathon. Another inspiration might have come from Mr. Louis Chiron as Mr. Duhoux and Mr. Chiron had both participated in the same edition of the Monte Carlo Rally. The Chiron hypothesis is supported by the fact that Mr. Duhoux chose Mr. Ernest Friderich (a patron of Mr. Chiron) as his Bugatti dealer. On the other hand, Mr. Duhoux had some other links to French Riviera. According to my sources, he had a restaurant in that area.

Among the people who live in the Brussels-Capital Region, Mr. Gabriel Duhoux is known as the founder and the designer of Le Berger Hotel (https://www.lebergerhotel.be/). The hotel de rendez-vous was built from 1933 to 1935. It was meant for illicit couples, but the ladies of easy virtue could not enter it. Mr. Duhoux designed both the exterior and the interior of the hotel. The monograph entitled “Le Berger : Souvenirs d’une maison de rendez-vous”, written by Mrs. Isabelle Léonard and illustrated with the photos by Mrs. Marie-Françoise Plissart contains a chapter about the founder of the hotel. Mr. Duhoux is described as a very ingenious person who filled Le Berger with a lot of inventions like:

  • a system of pipes delivering drinks orders to the staff,
  • round magnifying glasses placed around the hotel, letting its owner observe its key parts from his office
    and
  • a double lift system protecting the guests from embarrassing meetings.

Having designed Le Berger and expanded it (after buying and demolishing a convent of nuns that neighbored with it), Mr. Duhoux took the job of its head cook. He was very good at it. Despite the character of the hotel, people came there just to eat.

Mr. Duhoux was in a relationship with Mrs. Thérèse Goyvaerts. A niece of Mrs. Thérèse, Mrs. Denise, who died on the 26th of January 2016, is quoted by Mrs. Isabelle Léonard in the “Le Berger” book. In a conversation between Mrs. Léonard and Mrs. Denise Goyvaerts, Mr. Duhoux is described as “authoritarian”. He was definitely very goal-oriented, but at the same time he remained a free spirited person who showed a great love of life, pursued hobbies like painting and hated to wear a tie.

On the 29th of September 1937 Mr. Gabriel Duhoux took the delivery of his Bugatti 57S Atalante with the chassis number 57562 (the car’s factory date was 28.09.1937) in Ernest Friderich’s agency in Nice. The authors of the “Bugatti Type 57S. Evolution, prototypes, racing cars, production” book, Messrs. Bernhard Simon and Julius Kruta point out that the 57562’s color scheme is different from other Type 57S Bugattis. It resembles a color scheme of a Type 57 car. This may suggest that Mr. Duhoux was a demanding customer who wanted to have an impact on the style of his automobiles. It can be considered as one of the hypotheses concerning the origin of the name “Belg. Coupé”.

The 57562 was not the only Bugatti of Mr. Duhoux. There is a factory document, quoted in the “Bugatti Type 57S. Evolution, prototypes, racing cars, production” book (page 67), saying that the “Belg. Coupé” with the chassis number 57454 was ordered by Mr. Gabriele (sic!) Duhoux (http://www.bugattibuilder.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1831 ). In the “Bugatti : les 57 Sport” book, Mr. Pierre-Yves Laugier clearly identifies the label “Belg. Coupé” as another name of the car with the “2SC” engine i.e. of the 57453/57222/57454 Atlantic known as La Voiture Noire.
There are good reasons to believe that Mr. Duhoux was not only the person who ordered the 57453/57222/57454 Atlantic. He was also, very likely, the one who actually took the delivery of the car.
Le Berger research done by Mrs. Isabelle Léonard (including her talks with Mrs. Denise Goyvaerts) inspired the article in “Humo” (https://www.humo.be/nieuws/het-leven-zoals-het-was-rendez-voushotel~b9cbe9a9/ ).
Although Mrs. Denise Goyvaerts might have not been much aware of car brands (the “Le Berger : Souvenirs d’une maison de rendez-vous” book contains a photo of a Dodge described as Bugatti), the phrase “En Duhoux hád geld, genoeg om in één van zijn Bugatti’s deel te nemen aan de Rally van Monte Carlo” (Mr. Duhoux had much money, enough to participate regularly in the Monte Carlo Rally with one of his Bugattis) strongly suggests that Mr. Duhoux had more than one Bugatti.
The book by Messrs. Bernhard Simon and Julius Kruta contains a story which is attributed to the Holzschuch couple, but which could actually apply to Mr. Duhoux. In the “Chassis No.: 57473” chapter, there is a speculation about the Holzschuchs: “Apparently they returned the car at short notice in 1937 and took another Type 57, although there is no further entry concerning this in the factory reports”. The return of the first car to the factory and the order placed for another type 57S may be what Mr. Duhoux did with the 57453/57222/57454 and the 57562. But it is more than probable that the initial rejection of the Atlantic was not the end of the story.

Jean De Dobbeleer, who bought the 57562 in 1952, was informed that the Atalante had been kept in some hideout. The information sounds very credible as Mr. Duhoux was good at hiding people and things. For example, during the WWII two floors of Le Berger (the first and the second) were at disposition of the officers of the German Army (which took over many hotels in the Brussels-Capital Region). However, Mr. Duhoux had created a hideaway in the cellars beneath the hotel, to keep papers and a few vintage bottles of wine. So, while keeping the members of the occupation forces in his hotel, he used the hideaway to help parachutists and escapees.

Nevertheless, the 57562 story told by Mr. Jean De Dobbeleer in Bugantics vol. 17 No.1 from February 1954 seems to be only partially true. It is hard to believe that the engine was impossible to start in 1945 as in 1946 Mr. Duhoux participated in two Concours d’Élégance with his Bugatti … or Bugattis. The first Concours is well documented. It was held on Sunday, the 26th of May 1946 in Parc de Bruxelles (Parc Royal), organized by the Syndicat d’Initiative de la Ville de Bruxelles with the support from the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium and the newspaper entitled “Le Soir”. There are photos of the 57562 Atalante from that Concours.

Mr. Duhoux’s participation in the second Concours has been announced in “La Meuse” on the 14th of August 1946. The Concours was due to be held the next day in Parc de la Boverie in Liège. It was organized by Royal Automobile Club Liegeois and by La Meuse.

A member of Mr. Duhoux’s life partner’s family claims that the architect drove a blue Bugatti similar to the 57473 Reconstruction/Replica in 1945. The testimony plays well with an excerpt from Lester G. Matthews’ book “Bugatti Yesterday and Today: The Atlantic and Other Articles” which says “It has been suggested that, originally, in 1937, this chassis was used for a tank for the Le Mans race and that it was later used in an Atlantic sold to a Belgian named Du Houx of Brussels, color Bugatti blue”. Therefore, there are two independent sources claiming that La Voiture Noire (the black car) has become blue and that it was delivered to Mr. Duhoux.

It is still more probable that the car brought by Mr. Duhoux to the Liège Concours d’Élégance was the 57562 Atalante, but photos have not been found yet.

According to a French automotive enthusiast, Mr. Duhoux sold the 57562 to Mr. Jean De Dobbeleer through the intermediary of Mr. Charles Henri “Carlos” Hubené (https://forum-auto.caradisiac.com/topic/373076-il-%C3%A9tait-une-foisbugatti/page/436/, https://gw.geneanet.org/raulguti?lang=en&pz=gauthier&nz=walravens&p=carlos&n=hubene). The question how much did Mr. De Dobbeleer know about Mr. Duhoux has no simple answer. Mr. Duhoux’s life partner’s family keeps a photo of the 57562 from Mr. De Dobbeleer’s era. On the other hand Mr. De Dobbeleer commissioned some Atlantic replicas (the most accurate one was done by Mr. Jean Bats) and none of them seems to be a result of a consultation with Mr. Duhoux. Moreover, Mr. Duhoux has been confused for a pilot in the “Bugatti Type 57S. Evolution, prototypes, racing cars, production” book. The mistake may originate from American customers of Mr. De Dobbeleer who misunderstood the French word “pilote” which means “a rally driver”. The family of Mr. Duhoux’s life partner denies his links to aviation.

Ironically, the man taken for a “pilot” could have become a seaman. The “Berger” book by Mrs. Isabelle Léonard contains a nice anecdote told by Mr. Fredy Mertens (the manager of Le Berger): Mr. Duhoux and his friends planned to buy a boat or a ship in order to be able to enter the extraterritorial sea between Ostend and England and express themselves freely, without concerns about the legislation which was being tightened up at that time.

Mr. Duhoux had a pulmonary disease which he tried to cure in Grasse, in the French Riviera. He died on the 29 of December 1958. He bequeathed all his fortune, including 11 houses, multiple terrains and at least one automobile, a blue 1952 Mercedes 220 A cabrio, to Mrs. Thérèse Goyvaerts (according to the documents the Mercedes was the only car, but it does not rule out the possibility that Mr. Duhoux kept the ownership of the 57453/57222/57454- the Bugatti could have been overlooked as it had been damaged).

According to Mr. Fredy Martens, after the death of Mr. Duhoux, Mrs. Thérèse Goyvaerts took care of that car as if she waited for a return of her partner. Every year she had the car checked in the Mercedes Europa showroom.

Besides the Bugatti Atalante 57562, the 220 A became another classic car with Mr. Gabriel Duhoux in its owners history which has been acclaimed in the community of the automotive enthusiasts. With the license plate “GFD 012”, owned by Mr. Francois Duhoux (a nephew of Mr. Gabriel), it has been shown during the “Semaine Auto” in Charleroi in 1995.
Although the club article covering that event does not mention Mr. Gabriel as the first owner of the Mercedes, one can not say that the memory about the Belgian architect who loved cars was not kept alive at that time. Till her death in 1998, Mrs. Thérèse Goyvaerts published a note of remembrance in “Le Soir” every year on the 29th of December.

  • Why am I convinced that Mr. Duhoux ordered the “57453” Atlantic?
  • Because it is well known that the number 57454 was assigned to that car (that is why I call it “the 57453/57222/57454” instead of just using the initial number).
    On the list that has been published in the “Bugatti Type 57S. Evolution, prototypes, racing cars, production” book by Messrs. Bernhad Simon and Julius Kruta and posted on the BugattiBuilder forum by “GCL Wales” (
    http://www.bugattibuilder.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1831 ) the “Belg. Coupé” is the only position which has not been identified as a specific model. The list contains no explicit mention about the Atlantic. Therefore it is logical to assign the Atlantic to that name. It is consistent with a finding made by Mr. Pierre-Yves Laugier- the note saying that the “Belg. Coupé” had the 2SC engine.
  • Why am I convinced that Mr. Duhoux actually received the “57453” Atlantic?
  • I am almost sure that The Lady from Mr. Duhoux’s life partner family did not know about the testimony quoted by Mr. Lester G. Matthews (I tend to attribute that testimony to Mr. Noel Domboy who was pretty credible). As the claim made by The Lady and the suggestion quoted by Mr. Matthews are consistent with each other and inconsistent with the legend of “La Voiture Noire”, they seem to tell the truth about the post-war fate of the Atlantic.

Andrzej Szczodrak

What could and what could not have happened to the 57453/57222/57454?



We all would like to know what has happened to the car that we know as La Voiture Noire or Belg. Coupé. I have listed the scenarios that I consider probable and the ones that I find impossible.

Possibilities :

  • the car was repaired and then
    • Mr. Duhoux brought the 57453/57222/57454 to the hideout in which he had kept the 57562 (Braine-l’Alleud seems to be the first candidate for a region in which such hideout could exist)
    • Mr. Duhoux drove the Atlantic to the French Riviera
    • Mr. Duhoux brought it to Africa
  • the car has been scrapped by Mr. René Dupont, the owner of the Garage Métro (the showroom in which the car was, most probably, held)
  • Mr. Pierre Joseph Norbert Duhoux (Mr. Gabriel’s brother) did not return the car to Mr. Gabriel after taking over the Garage Métro from Mr. Dupont about 1948
  • Mr. Gabriel Duhoux knew many people from the high society and he could have actually been a proxy for some official person (maybe even for the King). The car has been finally given to that person.

Excluded scenarios:

  • Mr. Jean De Dobbeleer has seen the car and helped Mr. Gabriel Duhoux with selling it. Almost impossible because:
    • Mr. De Dobbeleer would have made a note about it
    • Mr. De Dobbeleer would have commissioned different looking replicas. A replica created by Mr. Jean Bats seems to be a proof that Mr. De Dobbeleer had not seen any of the 57453/57222/57454 and 57473 Atlantics
    • Mr. De Dobbeleer would probably have re-registered the car in Belgium before selling it
  • The car has been sold by Mr. Duhoux in Belgium. Very, very improbable as the car would figure in the Belgian license plates database. The reform of the Belgian license plates (their centralization) has been introduced in 1954. The number 57454 does not figure in the database, therefore the car has not been sold in Belgium after that date
  • The car has been sold by Mr. Duhoux in France. Rather impossible. The blue Bugatti Type 101 would not have been registered by the factory as the 57454

In memory of Mr. Paul Kestler

Andrzej Szczodrak

Confused or merged? The 57453/57222/57454 and the 57473 after the war



Most Bugatti fans know that the pre-war history of the 57473 and 57453/57222/57454 Atlantics used to be filled with confusion. Thanks to the great work of Mr. Pierre-Yves Laugier we learned that in 1937 both the 57453 and the 57473 had visited the French Riviera. But may some more photos or testimonies attributed to the 57473 (maybe even from the period after the WWII) be actually linked to the 57453/57222/57454?

A Bugatti Atlantic replica. But can the original 57453/57222/57454 still be found?
A replica. But can the original 57453/57222/57454 still be found?

The 57473’s body changes can be considered one of the most mysterious episodes of the history of Bugatti Atlantics. Yes, as mysterious as the whereabouts of the “La Voiture Noire” (or rather “Belg. Coupé”). The truth about the 57473’s redesign could even turn out to be the key to learning the true fate of the 57453/57222/57454.
Mr. Pierre-Yves Laugier believes that the modification has not been carried out during the Holzschuch era. The great historian is convinced that Mr. Jacques Holzschuch, who ordered the car as an elderly person, was unlikely to change his taste.
If we stick to this belief, we automatically assume that Mr. Jean Bugatti has not modified the 57473 directly.

This assumption may be true, but it leads into a difficult path of thinking. There is a convincing testimony, given by Mr. Pierre Marco to Mr. Gaston Garino, that Mr. Jean Bugatti had actually modified a body of an Atlantic. Moreover, an old article by Mr. Christian Huet (written before the rediscovery of the 57453/57222/57454) contains a strong suggestion that the redesign of an Atlantic had been commissioned by Mr. Robert Benoist (now, Mr. Huet believes that it was the 57473 that was directly modified, and therefore, that the operation was commissioned by Mr. Jacques Holzschuch).

As Mr. Jean Bugatti died on the 11 of August 1939, there are five possible scenarios:

  • What most of Bugattists used to believe: The 57453/57222/57454 was not modified and the modifications of the 57473 were carried out outside the Bugatti factory. But by whom? No proof of reported Figoni et Falaschi’s authorship can be found,
  • Mr. Jean made the body changes to the 57453/57222/57454. The carrosserie was put on the chassis of the 57473 by Mr. Jules Boichard (less likely) or by Mr. Robert Verkerke who, according to cartes grises, seems to have installed a compressor in the 57473,
  • Mr. Jean modified the 57473 when the car was owned by Mr. Jacques Holzschuch. Before or after, he probably did the same to the 57453/57222/57454,
  • Mr. Jean redesigned the 57453/57222/57454. After the war, the 57473’s body was modified accordingly,
  • Mr. Antoine “René” Chatard actually owned two Atlantics. The 57473 (it this case, Mr. Chatard’s ownership is indirectly reflected in documents- with Mrs. Marguerite Schneider as proxy) and the modified 57453/57222/57454. The cars were confused.

The last hypothesis seems easy to be eliminated as the photos of the Atlantic which was held at Mr. Francis Mortarini’s place clearly show the license plate- 1610 AV 75. The car shown in the photos is, almost surely, the 57473.
Therefore, a “conspiracy theory” assuming that the 57453/57222/57454 was hit by the train instead of the 57473 can not be true. It would require a scenario with Mr. Chatard owning two Atlantics and using the same set of documents for them. The Bugatti history contains an episode of a chassis number that was duplicated for tax reasons. But in the case of the Atlantics it would have been done outside the factory. And it sounds more than unlikely.
So, it is sure that the 57473 had been modified. Either by direct changes to its carrosserie or by putting the 57453/57222/57454’s body on its chassis.

The hypothesis that the factory copied a redesign of the 57453/57222/57454, done by Mr. Jean Bugatti, to the 57473 during the post-war era seems weak. The 57374 was brought to Molsheim in early 1950s and its rear part remained unchanged. If the factory had modified the 57374 according to Mr. Jean’s design, the same would have happened to the 57374.

On the other hand, Mr. Pierre Marco’s testimony sounds pretty credible. Yes, Mr. Marco had had a “difficult financial history” with the Bugatti family, but still he had no reason to lie to Mr. Gaston Garion about the Atlantic.
Mr. Ante Furač has done a great job of contacting a Figoni et Falaschi expert, Mr. Richard Adatto and asking him to research the documents in order to check if a contract for the Atlantic’s modification has been preserved. The only trace of Figoni et Falaschi’s possible intervention is that the archives of the coach-builder contain a photo of the 57473 with Mrs. Yvonne Pinder known as Yvonne Holzschuch (in fact, it is not sure that Mr. Holzschuch and Mr. Pinder were married- https://gw.geneanet.org/gelizabeth2?lang=en&iz=0&p=jacques&n=holzschuch, https://gw.geneanet.org/gelizabeth2?n=pinder&oc=&p=yvonne+rebecca).

So, there are three reasons to consider the hypothesis that Mr. Robert Verkerke has merged the 57453/57222/57454 and the 57473:

  • the reported installation of a compressor in the 57473. The car was registered as a “57SC” in the “cartes grises” during Mr. Bouteaux’s ownership (and Mr. Bouteaux was Mr. Verkerke’s successor). Therefore, the compressor seems to have been installed for Mr. Verkerke who has also made the first appearance with the modified body. Then, the engine upgrade could have been an element of broader modifications.
  • The changes that have been made to the body. All the answers to the question what happened between the Holzschuch photo from Juan-les-Pins and the Verkerke photo from the « 3ème Circuit international de vitesse pour voitures particulières de série » are still more of hypotheses than of proven facts
  • the story of the Delahaye axle:
    Mr. Alfred Barraquet, who was the mechanic of Mr. Pierre Boncompagni, mounted a Delahaye’s axle in a single Bugatti (the fact is confirmed by Mr. Alfred’s son). Messrs. Barraquet and Boncompagni lived in Nice before the WWII. This is one of the reasons why Mr. Jess Pourret links the Boncompagni story with Mr. Ernest Friderich, who was a Bugatti dealer in Nice and who exposed the 57453/57222/57454 at a salon in that city. Moreover, Mr. Friderich is likely to have been the agent who attempted to sell an Atlantic (the 57453/57222/57454) to Mr. Gabriel Duhoux (as it was Mr. Friderich who sold the 57562 to the Belgian). Therefore, Mr. Barraquet is much more likely to have had an access to the 57453/57222/57454 than to the 57473. However, according to Mr. Lester G. Matthews, Mr. Gaston Garino, a “close collaborator of Francis Mortarini”, claimed that Mr. Mortarini had removed such axle from the 57473. The question is if Mr. Garino witnessed a removal or just noticed that the axle was not there. Mr. Christian Huet opts for the second response. He is also convinced that it was Mr. Jacques Holzschuch who had commissioned the modifications of the 57473.

Basically:

  • A direct proof that Mr. Mortarini removed a Delahaye axle from the 57473 would be a strong argument for (I would even say “an indirect proof of”) the hypothesis that the cars have been merged.
  • A photo of the 57473 from the Boichard era showing the car without modifications could also be considered a proof of the merged cars hypothesis.
  • On the other hand, a direct proof that Mr. Holzschuch commissioned the body modifications of the 57473 would mean that the post-war stories of the 57453/57222/57454 and the 57473 are, most probably, separate.

Mr. Christian Huet, who says that Mr. Gaston Garino was his friend, denies that Mr. Garino had been a close collaborator of Mr. Mortarini. It means that Mr. Garino’s claims concerning the removal of the Delahaye axle probably resulted from his deduction and not from an eyewitness experience.

Therefore, the Belg. Coupé was probably not merged with the 57473. So, it is likely that the car can still be found.

Andrzej Szczodrak

Three Atlantics? Four Atlantics! What if it’s not that simple?

An Atlantic replica shown in Katowice

The answer for the question “How many Bugatti Atlantics left the factory?” is rather clear. “Bugatti produced four such cars. And there is a strong reason to believe that all of them found buyers” (http://motofiction.eu/gabriel-duhoux-confirmed-as-the-first-owner-of-la-voiture-noire/).

However, if we pose a less precise question, i.e. “How many Bugatti Atlantics there were?”, things may become really complicated.

At first, I should answer another question: “Does the Bugatti teaser campaign announce the finding of the 57453/57222/57454”. My reply is “I don’t believe so. It suggests that the car never got to Bordeaux, contrary to the knowledge presented by historians and confirmed by an eyewitness testimony provided by Mr. Jean Paul Brassler”.

The 57453/57222/57454- “the fourth” (or rather “the second”, in the order of production) Atlantic rose to fame thanks to Mr. Pierre-Yves Laugier. Before his magnificent work was published in 2004, most of Bugattists had believed that there were just three Atlantics and that „La Voiture Noire” was a factory name of the Holzschuch car- the 57473. “The Bugatti Type 57S” book by Mr. Bernhard Simon and Mr. Julius Kruta, which was published in 2003, also separates the 57453/57222/57454 from the 57473, but it was Mr. Laugier’s book that provided a proof and raised the interest in the forgotten Atlantic.

Currently, when we talk about „La Voiture Noire”, we behave as if the confusion between the two (initially black) Atlantics had never been widespread.

Now that we know the truth about the Bugatti production figures, we recognize the 57453/5722/57454 as the real “La Voiture Noire”. The only “La Voiture Noire”, because the Holzschuch Atlantic, however black, was at the factory for too short time to get a nickname. Some of us even realize that the 57453/57222/57454 had two such names, as it appears in the documents as “Belg. Coupé”. Therefore, that old confusion is no longer a problem. Or is it?

Well, it may still be.

The fact that La Voiture Noire (the 57453/5722/57454) was hidden in the shadow of the Holzschuch car (the 57473) meant that every piece of information about a Bugatti Type 57S Atlantic which was not related to the Rotshild Atlantic (the 57374) or to the EXK 6 (the 57591) was automatically attributed to the 57473.

The mystery of the modified body

For example, the chapter entitled “The Second Atlantic: The Black Car” in Mr. Lester G. Matthews’ book “Bugatti yesterday and today. The Atlantic and other articles” actually tells the story of two cars perceived as one. We tend to draw the line between the combined story and the chronicle of the 57473 somewhere near the photos of Mr. Alphonse Meyer working on the 57453/57222/57454 on Sunday and of the same car driven on the test track in the Vosges mountains. These photos are published on pages 37 and 38. They are also commented on page 39. Then, there is the following fragment:

Garino explained that Marco* told him that Jean had certain changes made to the car in 1938 or 1939: extension of the rear fenders, pontoon style; substitution of louvered ventilation on the sides and top of the hood; the louvers on this example are unique”.

Let’s take a closer look: “extension of the rear fenders, pontoon style”? That sounds pretty much like the 57473 that we know from its photos with Mr. René Chatard.

Nothing special yet.

Nothing special, until we realize that

  • Mr. Matthews might have misinterpreted some facts (he expressed the belief in existence of just three Atlantics), but a testimony from Mr. Pierre Marco, who was a close collaborator of the Bugatti family (http://www.bugattibuilder.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=655), should be considered as credible, despite Mr. Marco’s story of being dishonest with the Bugatti company. Mr. Marco couldn’t have profited from lying to Mr. Gaston Garino,
  • according to Mr. Pierre-Yves Laugier, the Holzschuch car was probably not available for Mr. Jean Bugatti in 1938 and 1939. The famous author formulates a hypothesis that the 57473 has been modified just after the war or during the Robert Verkerke era. This hypothesis has a strong basis as Mr. Laugier talked with the relatives of a photographer from the city of Arcachon, regularly visited by the Holzschuch couple.
    Then, the only body which could have been modified by Mr. Jean Bugatti before his death was the body of the car now known as “La Voiture Noire”- i.e. the 57453/57222/57454.
    The authors of “The Bugatti Type 57S” book may say the opposite, as their chapter on the 57473 includes the following mention about Mr. Jacques Holzschuch and his wife: “Apparently they returned the car at short notice in 1937 and took another Type 57, although there is no further entry concerning this in the factory reports”. However, this description may fit Mr. Gabriel Duhoux who took delivery of a Type 57S, I.e. the 57562, on 29.09.1937
  • Moreover, the article entitled “Une Bugatti de légende… Les mystères d’Atlantic”, written by Mr. Christian Huet, contains a mention that the modifications of an Atlantic were commissioned by Robert Benoist. The famous driver, who is known to have used the 57453/57222/57454, “had the body modified in the factory. Jean emphasized its dynamism and its class by lengthening some lines, adding volume to some others, changing some curves, however, with keeping the black paint”


It means that the car which had its body modified was probably the 57453/57222/57454. La Voiture Noire (“the black car”) which is also described as “Mr. Jean’s car”. So, how did the Holzschuch car receive the “pontoon style”? Mr. Ante Furač did a great job by contacting Mr. Richard Adatto, a Figoni specialist. A great work made by the best Figoni researchers leads to a conclusion that the only thing which could support the popular belief that the 57473 was modified by Figoni is the fact that the bodybuilder kept a photo of Mrs. Holzschuch standing next to the car. Even Mr. Pierre Marco’s testimony seems to be much stronger.

But what happened to the 57453/57222/57454 and how did the 57473 undergo the body changes?

To solve this mystery, it may be advisable to advance in the two books that I quoted.

Mr. Matthews mentions an article written by French historian Mr. Jess Pourret. Here is one more hat tip to the creator of a very thoughtful vision of the Belg. Coupé, the very talented Mr. Ante Furač, who asked the American Bugatti Club to retrieve Mr. Pourret’s article. While both mentioned books- the one by Mr. Matthews as well as the one by Mr. Kruta and Mr. Simon, refer to Mr. Pourret’s writing, the article itself was really worth finding and reanalysis.

Although it contains some mistakes, for example a misspelling of Mr. Gabriel Duhoux’s name (he’s mentioned as DuHoux, once again), it may be a missing link in the story of two Atlantics. Firstly, Mr. Pourret writes that La Voiture Noire (The Black Car, although painted “Bugatti Blue”) has been sold by Ernest Friderich. Not a big surprise, as another Bugatti bought by Mr. Gabriel Duhoux, the 57562 Atalante was also delivered by the agent from Nice. Mr. Duhoux and Mr. Friderich might have known each other for a long time, as Mr. Duhoux had competed with Mr. Friderich’s protégé, Mr. Luis Chiron in 1932 Monte Carlo Rally (http://rallyemontecarlo1932.unblog.fr/). As I have already suggested, Mr. Duhoux could have been the one who “returned the car at short notice in 1937 and took another Type 57”. If so, the initial return was certainly not a sign of a final resignation from buying the Atlantic.
The due date for the “Belg. Coupé” (which is a synonym of La Voiture Noire), the 31st of August 1939, as well as Paris as its destination, become more and more interesting. Especially when we realize that the line “Belg. Coupé, 454, 2S, Paris, 31.8.39”, which comes from a notebook called “Carnet No. 4”, is found on a page concerning October 1936.

Something must have happened with the car near the end of August 1939, because shortly afterwards (on the 2nd of September 1939) the chassis number 57454 was assigned to a Type 64 (http://www.bugattibuilder.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1831). Does the due date mark the day when Mr. Robert Benoist wanted to receive the modified Atlantic?

Or is it linked to Mr. Gabriel Duhoux? If it was so, it would mean that the Belgian racer returned the 57453/57222/57454 to the factory once again.
There is a document which confirms that the car was still black in July 1939. Moreover, a testimony of Mr. Jean-Paul Brassler, quoted in Mr. Matthews’ book, contains a mention about an Atlantic which was painted brown before the move to Bordeaux. As La Voiture Noire appears on the list of automotive material stored in Bordeaux (as the 57454), it’s very likely that it has been the car mentioned by Mr. Brassler.
Mr. Pourret stated that the color of the Atlantic received by Mr. Duhoux was actually Bugatti blue. Mr. Ante Furač coined a well-based hypothesis that this information might have come from Mr. Paul Friderich (https://gw.geneanet.org/agourrier?n=friderich&oc=1&p=paul)Mr. Lester G. Matthews gives a summary of the story of the “chassis 57454” (or rather “chassis number 57454”). He writes that “it has been suggested that (…) it was later used in an Atlantic sold to a Belgian named Du Houx, color Bugatti Blue”. The remarks about Mr. Noel Domboy’s great memory, made by Mr. Matthews in his book, lead me to a hypothesis that he might have been one of the sources.It all plays well with the memories ofThe Lady who remembers Mr. Duhoux and who belongs to the family of his life partner (http://motofiction.eu/gabriel-duhoux-confirmed-as-the-first-owner-of-la-voiture-noire/). Moreover, the Lady says that the car had the 57473 styling cues!
It means that:

  • it’s more than probable that the 57453/57222/57454 survived the war
  • Mr. Duhoux seems to have received the car after the war and to have used it in 1946.

The second of these statements is not directly proven, but it’s confirmed by at least two independent sources. The Lady from the Goyvaerts family is not very much interested in the automotive history, yet she spoke about a blue Atlantic, as mentioned in somewhat forgotten article written by Mr. Pourret. And it was when we were all stuck with the vision of the Black Car.
There are reasons to believe that she actually remembers an Atlantic, because:

  • There is no record of the 57562 being crashed and having its bodywork repaired
  • The Lady recalls a single-coloured car, painted in a rather light shade of blue. And, while Mr. Duhoux is also known to be an owner of at least one Mercedes, the car remembered by the Lady had a horseshoe grille

On the other hand, there is a not-so-strong reason to believe that the 57562 was the only Bugatti of Mr. Duhoux, as

  • the Lady can recall just one Bugatti.

A short digression concerning the Bordeaux bombings

On the other hand, the hypotheses about La Voiture Noire being destroyed in a bombing sound hard to believe. The only known bombing of the Bordeaux factory is described in testimonies by Mr. Noel Domboy (page 118 to 120 in the “Bugatti yesterday and today. The Atlantic and other articles” book) and by Mr. Adrian Paul. Mr. Domboy’s letter indicates that the bombing happened in November 1940.

Both testimonies mention three bombs:

  • the first:
    destroyed two cars of German officers (Mr. Paul) vs. burned “the hanger where the Germans held their cars” (Mr. Domboy)
  • the second:
    fell on an office, throwing the German documentation up into the air (Mr. Paul) vs. exploded on the wall surrounding the factory at a far end, pulverizing the locality where all of the Molsheim wooden foundry patterns were stored (Mr. Domboy)
  • the third:
    Didn’t explode, but it damaged a large rolling metal door that gave access to manufacturing buildings (Mr. Domboy) vs. not mentioned (Mr. Paul).

The car existed in February 1941, so the possibility that it was destroyed in a bombing is really little. The RAF attack described by Mr. Domboy doesn’t seem to have harmed it. The personnel of Bordeaux City Archives didn’t find any information about another bombings (http://motofiction.eu/the-57453-destroyed-in-bordeaux-forget-that-fiction/).

Again: what happened to the 57453/57222/57454 and how did the 57473 receive the modified body?

The key to the post-war traces of La Voiture Noire may lie in the half-legend of Mr. Pierre “Pagnibon” Boncompagni’s ownership of a Bugatti Atlantic in 1940. The story was often attributed to the 57473, however, the article written by Mr. Pourret links Mr. Boncompagni’s Atlantic with Mr. Friderich and Mr. Duhoux. It also gives an answer why does the “Barroquet”, or rather “Barraquet” name appear in the context of 57473. Mr. Alfred Barraquet (he changed his name from “Barraqué” to align with an erroneous spelling which appeared in media) was a mechanic of Mr. Pierre “Pagnibon” Boncompagni. Mr. Pierre “Pagnibon” Boncompagni did own several cars which could be confused with an Atlantic, for example a Talbot-Lago T150 C SS with a Pourtout body (https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/16133/lot/330/). The body of the Talbot was even named an Aéro Coupé, like the first Bugatti Atlantics.

However, it’s good to have a look at the map of Nice. The distance between the garages owned by Messrs. Boncompagni and Barraquet and Mr. Friderich’s agency is just a 6-minute walk:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/40+Rue+Verdi,+Nicea,+Francja/5+Rue+Berlioz,+Nice,+Francja/21+Rue+de+Rivoli,+Nicea,+Francja/@43.6963401,7.2580066,17z/data=!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x12cdd00e87c60cd3:0xaf21eeb426c5d901!2m2!1d7.2573155!2d43.6996802!1m5!1m1!1s0x1.

If Messrs. Boncompagni and Barraquet had some contact with a Bugatti Atlantic, it’s much more likely that it was the 57453/57222/57454. Neither the racer, nor the mechanic appears in the documents concerning the 57473. Moreover, their ownership is dated either somewhere near 1940 or 1950. During the war the 57473 was probably in Paris or (according some sources) in Monaco and not in French Riviera (Côte d’Azur). In 1950 it was in Cannes and not in Nice
Mr. Pourret tells a story of a Delahaye front axle and a steering box installed in the car, adding that these modifications were done by “Barroquet who still lives outside of Paris”.
And then, it may be good to skip the names “Bodel” “Robert Verkerke”, “André Bouteaux”, „Charles Bérard” and even „Dominique Lamberjack” to jump to the testimony of Mr. Gaston Garino who mentions Mr. Mortarini’s removal of a compressor and of the Delahaye axle. This statement is quoted by Mr. Lester G. Matthews who also informs that Mr. Garino was a close collaborator of Mr. Mortarini. It is compatible with the claims about Mr. Boncompagni found in Mr. Pourret’s article. The rest of the story is well known: Mr. Francis Mortarini was the person who sold an Atlantic to Mr. Antoine “René” Chatard.

I contacted the families of Mr. Barraquet and of Mr. Mortarini and:

  • Mr. Alfred “Fred” Barraquet has told the story of the Delahaye axle to his son. The axle was mounted in a black Bugatti, probably before the WWII
  • Mr. Mortarini’s son was born long after the Atlantic episode, however, he firmly believes that the Atlantic owned by his father was the same as the one which has been driven by Mr. William Grover-”Williams”. And that forms another link between the 57473 and the 57453/57222/57454.

To sum up:

  1. The half-legend about Mr. Pierre “Pagnibon” Boncompagni plays well with another piece of information provided by Mr. Garino: the one about Mr. Mortarini removing a compressor and the Delahaye axle. The 57453/57222/57454 had a factory compressor, in contrast to the 57473. The letter “C” near “57” appears in the documents of the 57473 just after it was owned by Mr. Verkerke.
  2. According to Mr. Gaston Garino, Mr. Pierre Marco said that it was Mr. Jean Bugatti who had made the styling modifications which are often attributed to Figoni. This testimony was confirmed by Mr. Christian Huet’s sources. As Mr. Holzschuch’s car was reportedly unavailable to Mr. Jean Bugatti since its sale, the only Atlantic that could have been modified in the factory was Belg. Coupé/La Voiture Noire. So, the rear part of the body, which is shown on Mr. Antoine “René” Chatard’s photos, would actually be a distinctive element of the real La Voiture Noire.
  3. Mr. Ante Furač contacted the Archives of the Bas-Rhin Department and discovered, that the Type 101 with the chassis number 57454 got its number plate 871 DA 67 on 28 of September 1955. About a month after the accident in which Mr. Antoine “René” Chatard and Mrs. Janine Vacheron had died. This would suggest that Pierre Marco believed that the car which had been destroyed in the crash while carrying Mr. René Chatard and Miss Janine Vacheron had the chassis number 57454 (i.e. that it was the real La Voiture Noire/Belg Coupé).

However, Mr. Pierre-Yves Laugier has examined the grey cards (cartes grises) concerning the 57473 and confirmed that the car had been owned by the following people:

  • Mr. Jacques Holzschuch
  • Mr. Jules Boichard
  • Mr. Robert Verkerke (a photo from a street circuit in Nice indicates that he drove a modified Atlantic),
  • Mr. André Bouteaux
  • Mr. Charles Bérard (used the same registration plate as Mr. Antoine “René” Chatard),
  • Mr. Dominique Lamberjack,
  • Mr. François (Francis) Mortarini,
  • Mrs. Marguerite Schneider in behalf of Antoine “René” Chatard.

It’s worth to add that Mr. Lester G. Matthews quotes Mr. Gaston Garino being “sure” that an Atlantic was owned by Mr. Bodel from Cannes in 1950. However, no trace of Mr. Bodel is found by Mr. Pierre-Yves Laugier in the documents concerning the 57473. According to Mr. Garino, Mr. Bodel sold the car to Mr. Lamberjack. Is “Bodel” (Baudel? Baudelle?) a name of Mr. Verkerke’s mechanic? It’s possible, because, despite the entry in the “carte grise”, Mr. Verkerke was not from Cannes. He lived near Paris.

Mr. Robert Verkerke had an access to good sources of information about both Atlantics.

  • He lived near Paris, like the Holzschuch family.
  • According to the documents he actually bought the 57473 from Mr. Jules Boichard who lived in Monaco
  • He was linked to Cannes and to the French Riviera in general. It’s proven that he participated in the “Circuit international de vitesse pour voitures particulières de série” in Nice on the 1st of April 1951, but as he is mentioned as a mechanic from Cannes in the “carte grise”, it is likely that he visited the French Riviera often.
  • So, he could have meet Mr. Ernest Friderich and/or Messrs. Boncompagni and Barraquet in Nice
  • Mr. Verkerke, who was also of Belgian origin, might even have contacted Mr. Duhoux, who cured his illness in Grasse (a city that is also located on the French Riviera)

The “cartes grises” confirm that Mr. Verkerke installed a compressor in the 57473. As a racer he also had a reason to mount the Delahaye axle. It could be easily imagined that he bought some parts from the 57453/57222/57454 and then decided to put its body on the 57473 chassis.

This may mean that a single car combined from two Atlantics could have been built in the French Riviera.

Would it mean that there is no automotive treasure to find? Not exactly. The 2SC engine is a gem in itself. Did it stay in Belgium? Was it brought to the French Riviera?

The idea that the cars could have been merged is still a hypothesis, but it is really worth checking. And we would not share such “automotive counterpart of the Fermat’s Last Theorem” if we were not doing our best to find a proof. Please stay tuned.

Andrzej Szczodrak