1925 Brescia Bugatti Found in Swiss Lake

It’s amazing what one can find underwater, worthless or priceless objects, pieces of history long forgotten, the possibilities are endless. A diving club from the Swiss city of Ascona (Centro sport subacquei salvataggio Ascona) went on a routine on the Verbano Lake last weekend and what they found left them speechless.

A Brescia Bugatti model was resting peacefully on the lake's bed for more than 70 years.

There are about 3000 Bugattis worldwide, from which only 160 are in Switzerland, TopSpeed found out. Nobody knows how this classic car ended in the lake, but details will emerge as soon as the vehicle is brought to surface and studied.

From the number of the car, this Brescia Bugatti has been put in circulation on April 11, 1925, in Nancy, France, Mr Hans Matti, an expert in the Bugatti history could only tell so far. So, we have a car built by an Italian manufacturer, first registered in France, found in a Swiss lake. That car travelled a lot!

Hopefully, when the team of divers who found the car get it back on land on July 12, we will find out more of the vehicle’s complicated history.

Needless to say, that car is not restorable. However, it will go on sale later on, at a charity event in favor of Fondazione Damiano Tamagni.

There were different versions of the Bugatti Brescia built, and once the car is studied by experts, we will find exactly what model it was.

The Type 13 Brescia cars were the only Bugatti models to locate the carburettor on the left hand side of the engine and the exhaust on the right. As for the Type 23 Brescia Tourer, the model was the first full-production multi-valve car ever made.