The 1932 Bucciali that appeared at the 2006 Pebble Beach Concours will make its debut at the Michigan Modernism Exposition April 27th to April 29th. The classic one of its kind automobile was created under the direction of two brothers, Angelo and Paul Albert Bucciali, who claimed to have made 36 cars of various specifications.
This unique automobile utilizes front wheel drive engineered and patented by the Albert Bucciali. With no engine powerful enough in France to propel their creation, the Bucciali brothers ordered a straight eight Continental engine from the United States. Albert continually worked on improving the performance of the Fletche d'Or" and at one point, created a sixteen-cylinder engine by fitting two Continental blocks on a single crankshaft.
In April of 1932, Georges Roure became the first customer to take delivery of a Bucciali TAV. Roures was impressed with the mock-up sixteen-cyclinder engine but when told that it would delay delivery at least one year, he changed his mind and requested a Voisin V12 engine to be fitted instead.
Unfortunately, Roure was the only one to buy a Bucciali automobile. The worldwide depression was close to its peak and the Bucciali brothers with their investors soon ran out of money. Their newly engineered front wheel drive was too risky for any company to invest in it when the rear wheel drive system was working just fine. The Bucciali brothers were forced to close down at the end of 1932 and the Bucciali TAV 12 was the only creation they ever sold.
Sadly not a single Bucciali automobile survived over the years, although many parts of the TAV projects are still around. In the 1970s many of those parts were gathered once more in the United States, including the very rare Voisin engine, the bodywork and the drive train. From the original drawings, the chassis, front bulkhead and the rear axle were created and the Buccialli TAV 12 was restored to its former glory. The elaborate project was completed in 1997 and was immediately offered by Christie's at their Pebble Beach auction. It was hard to find a buyer since a true value was difficult to place on such an important car. In 1998, a Swiss collector saw the automobile on display at Christie's stand at the Retromobile show in Paris and bought it. The car has returned to the United States and with the help of the people at the Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance will be showcased in the center of the Southfield Pavilion during the Michigan Modernism show.
