The Other Bugatti: Related Stories and Resources
The Related Stories and Resources page is where you can find additional material related to the essay The Other Bugatti, by Terence C. Gannon. You can also listen to the original essay on your favourite podcasting platform where it appeared as part of the Not There Yet podcast read by the author.
Bugatti PSS Glider Plans RC Groups, April 6th, 2020 by Craig Clarkstone. Now you, too, can own and fly the mythical Bugatti 100P! While these plans were originally published in November 3rd, 2017, they only recently came to our attention. The plans and builders notes are referenced in a post to RC Groups. It looks like a complex build but well within the reach of a builder with intermediate model building and flying skills. To see the finished product in the air, we posted a video here back on March 27th, 2019.
Bell & Ross Racing Bird Behance, July 1st, 2019 by Thierry Fischer. We are in awe of the creativity possessed by some people. In this case, the brilliant work of Designer and CG Artist Thierry Fischer who is based in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He recently turned his prodigious talent to an ultramodern interpretation of the 100P for his watchmaker client Bell & Ross. We really get the sense that if Bugatti and de Monge were alive today, this is the plane they would have designed. Fischer skillfully balances originality while also taking design cues from the original aircraft. Thierry has posted a number of beautiful renderings on his web site which you really have to see to believe. Here is just one example.
Bugatti PSS Glider (Designed by Craig Clarkstone) YouTube, March 27th, 2019. The original Bugatti 100P never flew and the late Scotty Wilson’s replica flew only briefly. So it stands to reason the only way the 100P could be seen in the air was in the imagination. Until now. The prolific aeromodeller John Woodfield built a model of the 100P from plans drawn up by Craig Clarkstone. An interesting note: the model has no motors and no means of propulsion. It’s what’s known as a Power Scale Slope (PSS) glider, flown here in the rising air blowing off the sea and up the ridge at the sea shore. It’s a testament to the efficiency of de Monge’s original design, the creativeness of Clarkstone in creating a model faithful to de Monge’s work and to Woodfield’s outstanding building and flying skills. For all of us, it’s a rare opporunity to see what the Bugatti 100P would have looked like in the air.
