You’d have to edit a few old sayings when applying them to the work of master class model builder Alain Bouissou; “Good things come in small packages”, for instance, would need a touch up. You might start by replacing “good” with “amazing”.

Bouissou hails from Toulouse, France, and he only models in 1:43; a scale and a craft he’s been contributing much to since 1982. Seeing as this is Alain’s vocation, that’s a remarkable streak - even more so as he’s had no formal training, starting, like many of us, by building model kits of cars, boats, airplanes and motorcycles.

He also had a passing knowledge of Bugatti cars, like the Royale, and the Type 35. In 1977, Bouissou bought his first book about that marque, and here, another old rub: “The rest is history” gets rewritten as, “And then history started being made”. As he pored over the photos and read the text, Alain fell in love with Bugattis - all of them. He quickly translated that passion into three dimensions; deciding to work in 1:43, and completely hand shaping all the masters, and each individual part, himself.

Some models were built with no engine detail, and thus, no opening hoods. Not so with the two 1:43 scale masterpieces shown in the photos; these are among his deepest works, with complete exteriors, interiors, and engines. The bodies, which are partially cast, have opening panels made of incredibly thin hand formed brass; the hoods also feature punched, open louvers and tiny, perfectly functioning piano hinges. The steering wheel rims are made of wood, the seats and door panels are trimmed in leather, and the plated parts are metal; usually copper. Other metal wire is often used, depending on the task at hand, with many components made of hand-shaped, soldered brass. On some Bouissou models, the dashboards and firewalls are aluminum, with a machine turned finish. The attention to fine detail and correctness for each type of Bugatti is extensive.

The blue Type 37A is one of a series of different 1926 and ’27 race and road variants, which Alain started making in 1985. Some (not all) can still be ordered from Bouissou today. The detail is astounding from the hand-laced wire wheels to the wooden handles in the cockpit. Equally impressive is the wire used to simulate that which attached the car’s body to its chassis. The leather straps have working buckles; undo them to flip the feather-light louvered hood panel, and you’ll find a gem of an engine, noticeably different from the one shown in the silver and red Type 43A. That later model is one of thirteen Alain Bouissou has built in various two-tone color combinations; aside from the fully realized engine, both doors open, as does the rear rumble seat and, incredibly, the golf club door at the model’s side. There’s some undercarriage detail, and the cars are signed; the display bases for these works of art were commissioned by Stan Siller.

So far, Bouissou has made around thirteen various “Types”, with numerous differences in engines, road versus race configurations, colors, and so on. And he’s also produced detailed rolling chassis along the way. When Bouissou first started, you could buy one of his fully detailed pieces at prices that ranged from about $300.00 to $750.00. Those days are long gone; prices (depending on currency fluctuations) now run from $1,300.00 to around $4,500.00, each. The cars take from seventy to one hundred forty hours to construct; tooling a new model requires well over 200 hours.

Currently, Bouissou only builds around ten models per year (depending on the complexity of the chosen cars) and there’s a constant waiting list. I may have to join those ranks, someday soon; in a moment of weakness many years ago I sold my Bouissou Type 37A.

What’s that old saying about hindsight? - CRM

Models from the collection of Stan Siller. For more information on Alain Bouissou and his models, visit www.bouissoumodels.com.

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