www.privateairny.com
Private Air New York | Summer 2014
24
DRIVE
etween the year's
1912 and 1914
French carmaker
Bugatti had a vision; or shall I say
created a vision. Her name was "Black
Bess." She was feminine, yet robust
and swift. Built from pure creativity
and passion, "Black Bess" today defines
luxury and speed from a pioneering
perspective.
In 1913, the first person to ever
parachute from an aircraft took place
in France, in Brooklyn, New York
a baseball field known as Ebbets Field
first opened, and in London the British
House of Commons rejected women
the right to vote. In 1913, Bugatti
Automobile manufacturer assembled
the first two-seat Type 18 "Black Bess."
In all her glory, "Black Bess" attracts
luxury automobile collectors from every
corner of the globe. Why? Because
there is only seven existing today—an
exceptional rare find for those luxury-
seekers with an appetite for possessing
the finest and rarest vehicles on the
planet. If you happen to be in South
Holland, be sure to witness her at the
Louwman Museum.
One hundred years after creation,
Bugatti again delivers (only three) the
2014 Type 18 "Black Bess" Vitesse
model as part of a six-model "legends
edition." "Black Bess" is number five
of six different models manufactured;
models 1-4 now belong to private
collectors.
Keep in mind that this vehicle, during
a time when the Titanic took its first
ever test run, was way ahead of its time.
Housing a five litre, straight 4-cylinder
engine, this mindboggling machine
consistently topped out at 160km/h
(100 mph)—in 1913! Simply put, it was
the fastest street auto in the world—an
absurd achievement in its time!
