ModernArt - Campogalliano

ModernArt - B Engineering workshop
Campogalliano (It)

Second visit to B-Engineering in Campogalliano, after the one in 2019, but this time it is welcomed by the master of the place, Jean Marc Borel, former President of Bugatti International.
The B-Engineering workshop is specialized in the maintenance of EB110 but it is not the subject of today. Jean Marc Borel has decided to revive the art of Italian bodywork by asking 4 renowned master coachbuilder, Giancarlo Guerra, Afro Gibellini, Oriello Leonardi and Fernando Baccarini, to rework the "skins" of the most beautiful Italian classics of the 50's and 60's.
Not only the aluminum sheet is honored, but also all the mythical techniques of the bodywork: wooden template, metal tube skeleton (the filone, invented by Giancarlo Guerra) and of course the forming of aluminum, whether for the car's bodywork or the construction of specific technical parts, such as the fuel tank. All these pieces have been showed in Modena, during an exhibition called ModernArt, but also in other events dedicated to the automobile. One of the key points of these re-creations is the fact of having chosen not only mythical models such as the Ferrari 250 GTO 62 and 64 or the AC Cobra Daytona, but also bodies of prototypes that have disappeared, such as the prototype of the GTO version 1960 or the Maserati 151/3. A discovery!

Welcome by Jean Marc Borel, former president of the Bugatti International holding, who founded later B-Engineering. Pleasant visit of the premises with the discover the very first engine of the Bugatti revival, the 3.5L V12, still naturally aspirated at this stage of development, with the cylinder head stamped with the N°001. In the storerooms, there are still some bare EB110 chassis, manufactured by Composite Aquitaine in France. Many parts, mainly development ones, are lined up on numerous shelves.

Of course, there are some Bugatti EB110, including the famous C6 prototype, the very first EB110 manufactured and the C7 prototype undercovered, the first EB110 used for development. The former factory demo model, the GT080, is also present as well as the Supersport chassis SS11, undergoing revision before going to the Zoute Grand Prix 2021 auction.

After this Bugatti interlude, let's move on to JM Borel's new activities, with the ModernArt exhibition. I must admit that I was subjugated and challenged by the technicality of the art of bodywork, which highlights the beauty of this profession and its achievements. Each piece is a work of art in itself, no matter how advanced the bodywork is. The wooden templates are a magnificent feat of design but also a breathtaking work of carpentry and precision.

Giancarlo Guerra will innovate by designing a metal tube frame which will be nicknamed the "filone". Here again, the precision and the realization of the structure gives the whole a beauty that makes you want to exhibit the piece in your living room. Ferrari 250 GTO, 250 GT California, 250 Testa Rossa, 500 Mondial, 250 GT Nembo Spider, Maserati 151/3, Cobra Daytona, 250 Short wheel base... just to see their dressing makes an effect.

Many thanks to JM Borel and the B-Engineering team for their hospitality and availability.