Exotic Vise & Bench!!! (You can't afford it (probably))

[1cargarage]

"Exotic" means different things to different people. Here I'm not talking about exotic birds, or exotic flowers or even exotic dancers. Sorry. Rather, exotic cars, specifically the European (German/ French/ Italian) car company BUGATTI.

Recently, an article came through my feed informing of a BUGATTI FACTORY WORKBENCH + VISE that is headed to auction.



According to the article, the vise was "molded" (I assume he meant "cast") from the old molds at the factory.

As you can see, the vise and bench bear few features that could be called spectacular or even remarkable except for their pedigree and provenance. That notwithstanding, I'd wager that few, if anyone, who found him or herself on this thread wouldn't happily make room for this beauty in their shop.

The bench and vise go up for auction on Feb.3.2022 in Paris and are expected to fetch a price between $18,600 ~ $22,600

Some features/details that I noticed - some noteworthy, mostly just objective observations:

• Wood appears to be an open-grain hardwood - probably oak, as radial flaking (consistent with quarter-sawn milling) is visible on some of the facets
• Work surface is not a butcher-block style construction - rather tongue-and-groove mixture of quarter-sawn and plain-sawn ~4/4 stock
• Work surface is attached to the bench's frame via slotted head brass screws located in the center of each board. What is noteworthy (to me) is that each of the screws was tightened such that all of the screws' slotted heads are clocked in a uniform direction/position.
• The vise seems to be mounted to the bench from the underside, as no holes or bolts/bolt heads can be seen on the vise base (definitely peculiar)
• Judging from the vise location (assuming that's where it lives), it appears to be mounted to the bench via the bolt that also mounts the bench leg to the bottom of the work surface.
• Since the vise is rotationally oriented differently in the photos, maybe it's not even mounted to the bench? Not enough to be sure.
• The knurled brass 'knob' behind the fixed jaw appears to be (to me) an access cover for an oil port (not a common feature)
• The vise "anvil" is a different piece of material (probably) silver brazed to the part of the vise that most consider its "anvil"
• The Bugatti logo on the vise appears to be part of the casting - not just a badge that was added later. Definitely a cool feature

What is not clear is the vise/bench's vintage and which department it came from (suspension, interior, engine, etc)
I would love to know when this was put into service and how many were made at once. I always love looking at old factory photos that show stuff like that.

If anybody knows anything more about the Bugatti factory or has pertinent content, please share!

You can read the article here
HERE

Happy bidding

 

[will335i]

When people wonder why Bugattis are so expensive they can just look at this. The amount of detail that they put into a simple work bench should tell you that the effort they put into their cars is likely unmatched.

It looks like the emblem is cast into the legs as well. They really wanted there to be no mistaking where this bench was at.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Vise arousal.... I predict it will sell for way over estimate.

 

[paulsomlo]

Gee, maybe those Wilton Bullets aren't so overpriced after all. This is just what I need, though, for working on my Bugatti - it's too bad I'll bidding against people like Ralph Lauren, who won't know what to do with it, but they'll admire it for it's beauty.

 

[The Cobbler]

I agree, while the bench looks cool, it wouldn't be hard at all to duplicate it. it's nothing special .lnfact it's really quite crudely made

 

[Vwpower]

The article makes it sound like it’s a replica

 

[slowtwitch73]

The article makes it sound like it’s a replica

Legs are original.

 

[Dave455]

The original Bugatti Vice’s sell for big money.

There is a company in the U.K. called Tula Engineering who produce a (very good) reproduction. They are not made in huge numbers, and they are very expensive (but not $20k expensive). Here is one.
With regard to the bench in question, it’s clearly not original.

The article states “built to the specifications laid out in the original plans” and refers to a vice “melted from the molds of the factory” which, if you can get past the dodgy terminology, means this is what the antiques trade call “reproduction”.

It has some value to some people.

But a lot ends up being purchased by the unwary…!

And I’m not seeing $20k’s worth of repro here.

 

[haveissues]

The vise is nice, the bench does nothing for me. Only a sucker would pay 20k for a repop.

 

[paulsomlo]

There is a company in the U.K. called Tula Engineering who produce a (very good) reproduction. They are not made in huge numbers, and they are very expensive (but not $20k expensive).

https://tula-bug.co.uk/for_sale/large-bugatti-vice/

"Retailing for 1/8th of the price of original Bugatti vices at £5500 plus VAT, we also offer the bench leg in Ali and cast iron, machined and painted in a chemical resistant hi spec paint. Seen here with its little sister, the bebé vice."

That's only about $7500 USD - all you vise collectors, step right up!

 

[neophyte]

https://tula-bug.co.uk/for_sale/large-bugatti-vice/

"Retailing for 1/8th of the price of original Bugatti vices at £5500 plus VAT, we also offer the bench leg in Ali and cast iron, machined and painted in a chemical resistant hi spec paint. Seen here with its little sister, the bebé vice."

That's only about $7500 USD - all you vise collectors, step right up!

It’s about 4-5x the cost of a US made Wilton Machinist vise of an equivalent size.
The Bugatti vises though are small production, with possibly more complicated machining and parts, and added features like the steel anvil plate.
The price might be high, but it seems to fall into average markup territory over mainstream production prices.

 

[LOW1]

It seems to me that a collector would want an original and it’s way too pretty and expensive to be a user.

It’s like a photocopy of the Mona Lisa in a very good frame. Nice but still fake.

 

[Dave455]

Just to flesh out the details a bit folks, you should know that the original Bugatti Vices have something of an air of mystique about them.

Like many people running companies that produce “the best”, Ettore Bugatti also wanted “the best”. This is where a lot of todays companies go wrong. They try to produce something top end, but don’t understand the product, and try to cut costs.

Ettore Bugatti just didn’t do that. It is said that he designed everything in his workshops, including the benches and the vices. I don’t know this for sure, but can believe it.

Anything that can be verified as being from the original Bugatti factory at Molsheim commands an incredible price. I know of original vices, and I know of one being sold. I can’t recall the exact price, but I have a feeling it was six figures (Pounds Sterling).

I was told that the new vices, produced by Tula Engineering, were originally commissioned by the Bugatti Owners Club. I suspect that most of the commissioning purchasers own an original Bugatti, possibly an original vice that they don’t want to devalue, and probably have no concerns about spending £5500 on a vice.

Understand that, while these sums seem incredible to most of us, Bugatti owners have made very sound investments, and generally continue to do so. I’m not inclined to question their strategies!

But… bear in mind the subject of this post. It’s a reproduction vice, on a reproduction bench. It was commented that it’s unremarkable except for it’s pedigree and provenance, but it hasn’t got any!

It’s a new vice that somebody has added a few dinks to, and put on a new bench. I can’t see any reputable auction house accepting it without making it absolutely clear that it’s repro. Given that I can’t see it making anything like the estimate without the purchaser being fooled to a degree, I can see a lot of auction houses simply not prepared to sell it.

 

[neophyte]

It seems to me that a collector would want an original and it’s way too pretty and expensive to be a user.

It’s like a photocopy of the Mona Lisa in a very good frame. Nice but still fake.

It’s more like a hand painted copy of the Mona Lisa,
Painted using as close to the original materials and techniques as possible,
Possibly even using a studio setup to look like the original painting set.
And then mounted in a reproduction frame, also made using as close to the original techniques as possible.

A quality reproduction like this can easily sell for thousands of dollars.

 

[The Frisco Kid]

Those legs are nice looking... I think I'd be super interested in old tool works cast iron legs on a big bench in the shop!

 

[Jayman17]

Delete

 

[Maui]

The Bugatti work bench sold for $18,900.

 

[paulsomlo]

The Bugatti work bench sold for $18,900.

For that kind of money, I could buy a Bridgeport in very nice shape and have money left over for a lathe - a real one, not a toy like my little 9" South Bend. I guess my priorities are all screwed up.