P'art of the day: Bugatti Aerolithe Bodywork

Today's p'art isn't actually a single part however it's the first featured that epitomises all 3 properties that define p'art; exotic material, brilliant craftsmanship and aesthetic beauty, so we'll have to let it slide.

The Bugatti Aerolithe was first unveiled in 1935 at the Paris motor show. While the aerodynamic swoops and 3.25 litre straight 8 engine drew admiration, the real talking point was Bugatti's choice of material for the bodywork. The body was entirely handmade from Elektron, a Magnesium-Aluminium alloy which at the time was so advanced and expensive as to be reserved for critical aeronautical components. The thought of using it for a production car body was beyond belief.

Elektron is 90% magnesium which is the lightest structural metal. However magnesium is also extremely volatile, it will react with water at room temperature, so the other 10% of the alloy consists of aluminium for chemical stability. For this reason welding was out of the question so an alternative joining technique had to be used. 

This led to the prominent dorsal flange, which was riveted along its entirety, a construction method borrowed from aviation. these flanges also feature on the bonnet and along the front and rear wings. The aerodynamic rear wheel spats were bolted on for convenient wheel removal.

This necessity for unconventional construction led to the car being the pioneer for longitudinal fins in car design, inspiring post war icons most notably in america. It also augmented the cars high speed stability

Unfortunately the the Aerolithe's greatest strength was the reason for its downfall. The elektron bodywork was deemed too expensive and too unstable, when it was realised that a crash could lead to instant 1300°C immolation, potential customers feared that the Aerolithe might live up to its latin derived name meaning meteorite. The design and construction techniques weren't wasted however as they were adopted by the conventional aluminum bodied Atlantique Type 57 (shown above) arguably one of the most graceful cars of all time.

The only Aerolithe ever produced disappeared in 1939 during the onset of the war. This rarest and most influential of cars was never seen again.