In the picturesque setting of Lake Maggiore on the Italian-Swiss border, the tale of the 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia has fascinated locals and tourists alike for decades. This car’s journey from a prestigious racing vehicle to a lakebed curiosity, and finally to a museum exhibit, encapsulates a remarkable narrative of history, loss, and recovery.
The Bugatti’s story began with its original owner, Grand Prix driver René Dreyfus, who lost the car in a poker game in 1934 to Swiss playboy Adalbert Bodé. Bodé’s triumph, however, was short-lived. While attempting to cross into Switzerland, he was halted for failing to pay import duties and, lacking the funds, he was forced to abandon the car. Swiss officials, deeming the decade-old Bugatti as having little value, decided to dispose of it by submerging it in Lake Maggiore, where it lay hidden beneath 173 feet of water.
The legend of the submerged Bugatti remained just that—a story—until 1967, when advancements in diving technology allowed the local diving club to locate and view the car for the first time. For over four decades, it became a submerged treasure that drew divers from around the world to Lake Maggiore, each eager to catch a glimpse of this piece of automotive history resting silently in the cold, dark waters.
The car’s fate took a pivotal turn in 2009, sparked by a tragic incident—the brutal killing of a local boy at a street fair. Motivated by a desire to contribute to the community in the wake of this violence, the local diving club decided to retrieve the Bugatti from its watery grave. The proceeds from its recovery were donated to a nonprofit foundation established in the victim’s name to combat youth violence. This act of retrieving the Bugatti transformed it from a mere relic to a symbol of community healing and remembrance. When the Type 22 was finally raised from the lake on July 12, 2009, thousands gathered to witness the poignant moment. Remarkably, the tires still contained air, a testament to the car’s enduring construction.
The Bugatti was auctioned at Bonhams during the Retromobile event in Paris in January 2010. It fetched approximately $370,000, with Peter Mullin of the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California, securing the winning bid. Today, the car is displayed in a specially designed room within the museum, created to mimic the minimal light levels of its underwater tomb, enhancing the intimacy and solemnity of the exhibit.
Museum curator Andrew Reilly remarks on the car’s multifaceted history, noting, “This is a car that’s had many different lives.” Each phase of its existence—from a racing vehicle to a gambling prize, and then a lakebed inhabitant to a museum artifact—offers a different layer of appreciation and interpretation. Its story is one of faded grandeur, a somber reminder of the young life lost that led to its resurfacing, and the quiet dignity it maintained through decades underwater.
The Bugatti Type 22 Brescia’s story is more than just about a car; it’s about the cultural and historical imprints it has left behind. Now, as a centerpiece at the Mullin Automotive Museum, it continues to captivate visitors, drawing them into its deep and storied past, inviting them to ponder the profound impacts of time, nature, and human intervention on objects of beauty and innovation.