They Never Come Out at Night:
Bauer’s 1:18 Bugatti Type 41 Royale “Esders”

If you’re ever seeking a good kick in the pants, stroll into the Schlumpf Museum in Mulhouse, France, locate the Bugatti Type 41 Royale “Esders” roadster, and pronounce to the throngs of adoring Bugattiste that the car isn’t a “real” Royale. You may or may not actually get punted, but you can count on being shown l’épaule froide. That’s “the cold shoulder” - and the reason for the treatment goes back to the pride and passion of the Schlumpf brothers.

First, the prelude: The original design for the Esders roadster was penned by Jean Bugatti and built for one obviously wealthy Dr. Armand Esders, on the second of six Type 41 “Royale” chassis to emerge from Ettore Bugatti’s factory. These enormous automobiles were Ettore Bugatti’s throwdown to the likes of Rolls Royce, Hispano-Suiza, and the finer marques of the world. They weren’t cheap, with a rolling chassis going for around twenty thou in 1930’s dollars - and coachwork that could cost half that again. Kings were turned away from ownership, according to Bugatti’s whim. Esders, a Parisian, must have pleased the boss; when his turn came, he proved not only cash fixed to do the deal, but a bit of an eccentrique - while specifying the overall layout of the car, the good doctor also demanded that there be no headlights, as he never drove at night. Apparently, he hardly drove at all; the spectacular machine got sold in the late ‘thirties and the second owner had the chassis - number 41.111 - re-shod with a more formal coach by Binder.

Though Esders’ roadster was gone, it wasn’t forgotten. Enter Fritz and Hans Schlumpf, textile merchants who used their company accounts to finance an exquisite collection of cars - and who loved the original car so much that they used leftover original parts, Bugatti plans, photos, factory tools, and purportedly the expertise of a handful of surviving Bugatti employees to have the roadster recreated in its entirety for their then-secret private collection. When the textile company went bust, the cover was blown - and the collection, including the reborn Esders, was made public for the first time.

Given that the real car was Royale number two, it’s interesting that Bauer Models has chosen the Esders as a follow-up to their model of the first Royale, the Coupe Napoleon, of just over a year and a half ago. Like that first model, this advance industry-demo copy’s fourteen and a half inch length and 1,300-plus parts count make for an impressive piece, with all of the imposing presence of the roadster’s five-foot high cowl line and 24” cast wheels. Though the model’s colors aren’t yet dialed in, pressed metal and diecast pieces make up the huge Bug’s bigger parts; smaller details, like the working hood latches, operating door handles, and the windshield frames and bumpers are done in cast and polished white metal and pressed, folded steel. 

There’s truly nothing missing below. Every note of the Type 41’s running gear is replicated in a multimedia riot of pieces and assemblies, with a working suspension and steering, rotating drive shafts, and even a replication of the car’s metal brake cables. Steel, copper, diecast and plastic are all here in an amazing visual made all the better by the black painted chassis rails and braces - sort of a relief, as the first Bauer Royale rode on an incorrect red frame. Follow those forward to an astonishing engine; a machine-turned steel-clad homage to the 765cid, 300-horsepower straight eight that’s got every cable and linkage in place, including a quintet of steel rods running to the Bugatti-designed carburetor. There’s a bound carpet on the cabin floor, and white leather seats in both the driver’s compartment and the jump seat out back. Another organic element is the dash - it’s real wood, with readable gauges and a quadrant of “ivory” knobs. It takes a little doing, but the cozy rear bench sports a now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t folding windscreen and backrest.

All of this spectacle comes at a cost - as yet unconfirmed, but most likely north of six hundred fifty dollars. That number gets you an included wooden mirror-topped base, and, in the U.S. market, an included dust cover, as well as a spare set of headlights (which the Schlumpf Esders wore at least once in its life). Given the number of bodies the original sextet of Type 41 chassis were graced with, it’ a good bet we’ll be seeing more Bauer Royales as the years go by.

Now, isn’t that a kick in the pants?

Bauer 1932 Bugatti Type 41 Royale Esders Roadster, item BAU-19-90TZ, price TBD. www.minichampsna.com

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