“I never try and understand why we do this, it’s just natural,” says Jean Novo, “and driving a Bugatti is as natural as driving a modern car, for me it is exactly the same.”
What began as the fascinating sight of Bugatti cars thundering around the streets of Paris, Henri Novo became determined to work for the famed French automaker. Now, his son Jean keeps the family business running-as well as a number of very special Bugatti models.
What began as the fascinating sight of Bugatti cars thundering around the streets of Paris, Henri Novo became determined to work for the famed French automaker. Now, his son Jean keeps the family business running-as well as a number of very special Bugatti models.
Completely self-taught, Jean says his father Henri founded Garage Novo with an incredible instinct for mechanical devices. This is helpful because many Bugattis were essentially designed by only a few people, and for many years the only way to conduct repairs-without the original blueprints-was to re-design and rebuild parts from scratch.
Working through a time when these big old Bugattis were practically worthless, being junked or sold for scrap, Garage Novo was also depending on a handful customers who understood the importance of these machines-even though they may be a bit difficult sometimes.
“It’s a tricky car, Bugatti,” Jean says, “You’ve got to live with them, [and] you’ve got to be extremely humble.”
Live with them they do, with Jean saying his Bugatti Type-38 has covered some 200,000 km (125,000 miles) while in his care!
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