1919 Bugatti AVIO 8C

B1919roadFrance

Engine: 14,718cc SOHC straight-eight, dual Schebler updraft carburetors, dry sump lubrication, ~200 bhp

The 1919 Bugatti Avio 8C (chassis B1919) is a remarkable surviving example of Ettore Bugatti's WWI-era aero-engine engineering, displacing nearly 14,719cc from a straight-eight single-overhead-camshaft unit that passed both French and Italian military running tests in 1916. One of only two prototypes built, it was never produced commercially nor used in aviation. The engine passed through the hands of several distinguished custodians — including the Biscaretti family, Bugatti hunter Antoine Raffaëlli, art dealer Adrien Maeght, and collector Uwe Hucke — before being assembled into running form with period-appropriate chassis components. It stands as one of the most extraordinary surviving artefacts of early 20th-century automotive and aviation engineering.

Ownership

2025-08-15Auction sale
Sold US$255,000
Bonhams catalogue lot →
→ 1959Inheritance
Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia
partial documentation
Continued his father Roberto's passion for Italian automotive heritage; upon his death in 1959 parts of the family collection were dispersed.
1959 →Private sale
Antoine Raffaëlli
partial documentation
Renowned as a dedicated pursuer of Bugatti automobiles and artefacts; acquired the engine following the dispersal of the Biscaretti collection.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Roberto Biscaretti Count di Ruffia
partial documentation
Founder of the Turin Automobile Club and one of the founders of FIAT, he was a dedicated preservationist who later established the Turin automobile museum. The engine remained in his collection until his son Carlo continued the family's custodianship.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Adrien Maeght
partial documentation
Art dealer and associate of Raffaëlli; the engine was displayed at his Musee de l'Automobiliste in Mougins on the French Riviera until that collection closed.
Date unknownPrivate sale
Uwe Hucke
partial documentation
Businessman and noted Bugatti enthusiast, author of several Bugatti books; acquired the engine from the Mougins museum in largely neglected, as-found state with ancillary chassis components. He died before completing the intended restoration.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Claude Teisen-Simony
partial documentation
Architect who took ownership while the car was held in storage at the Bicester Heritage site in the UK; aimed to complete the realization of a running vehicle as his predecessors had intended.

Competition

No competition history extracted from the catalogue.

Maintenance & restoration

1916Inspection
Automobiles Diatto
Engine successfully completed a rigorous 50-hour endurance running test at the Diatto facility in Turin, recording 217hp on the dynamometer.
This followed an earlier 10-hour test completed at Bugatti's Paris workshop as required by the French aviation procurement authority.

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