1935 Bugatti T57 Cabriolet Build; Part 1
We recently did an article on Chalfant Motor Company and told you about the work James (Jim) Hery has been doing to bring back some valuable cars from the 20s and 30s. He continues to use his artistic mechanical skills to save and create some of the World’s most beautiful cars. He is truly an artist and master of metal shapes. James is not only restoring a 1935 Bugatti T57 Cabriolet, he is also constructing a prototype plus five exact replicas of the car! The first one, the prototype, will not be exact; it will feature a Jaguar engine. James hopes to sell the prototype to help fund the construction of the five exact replicas with the correct Bugatti engines. All of the cars will be for sale!
James has agreed to allow us to follow along and show you his progress on the prototype. We won’t go into a lot of descriptive detail but will provide you with some interesting photos of the process.
The first step was for James to build a massive table on which to construct the frame. Its weight and size ensure that the jig for the frames will be precise.
Here is the first series of photos on the construction of the Bugatti’s frame.
Next up we will bring you the progress of the skeleton for the the body.
