Pearl Collection from Classic Car Aficionado Fritz Burkard.
From the early years of the car era to the present, Burkard's astoundingly diversified Pearl Collection covers the years. The collection, which is housed in Switzerland, is continually growing and includes everything from retro Grand Prix cars to oddball one-offs from the 1960s and cutting-edge hypercars.
Burkard is passionate about all his acquisitions, firmly believing that a love of such machinery comes from the heart. In fact, he doesn’t even think of himself as a collector, in the traditional sense: “I see myself more as a custodian, as somebody who has fun for myself and the people around me,” he told film-maker Luca Pieri Pilotti. “I get very emotional around my cars, especially when I can see their history and smell it.”
1936 Bugatti T57S Atalante - TIM SCOTT FLUID IMAGES
The Pearl Collection is known for using its vehicles enthusiastically, rather than just leaving them on static display, as Burkard explains: “Cars combine several passions: history, design, innovation, the feeling when you drive them, the sound... a car has its own aura. You feel it or you don’t. We at the Pearl Collection love quirky and unusual models. We show them, we race them and we use them.”
With a focus on a diverse selection of Fritz's vehicles ranging in age from 1897 to 2022, the Concours of Elegance will honor such a commendably open-minded approach this year.
1897 Prinetti & Stucchi Tricycle
Prinetti & Stucchi, an Italian company founded in Milan in 1883, was well-known for its sewing machines, bicycles, and finally, motorized vehicles thanks to the manufacture of DeDion tricycles under license. Yet, it served as Ettore Bugatti's starting point as a young apprentice who would go on to achieve greatness in the automotive industry.
At the request of the Automobile Club of Italy, Bugatti created the first Bugatti Type 1, a two-engine racing version of the tricycle, demonstrating creativity and technical aptitude beyond his years. It defeated exceptionally tough opposition to win its inaugural race at Reggio Emili in 1899, averaging a world-record 64 km/h over a distance of 90 km. This was a spectacular accomplishment that laid the stage for Ettore to build many more amazing vehicles and win many more races.
1933 Alfa Romeo 8C Monza
The 1933 8C 2300 Monza, which is the following exhibition vehicle from the Pearl Collection, is powered by a 2866 cc straight-eight engine. This supercharged, Brianza-bodied race car was created by the illustrious Vittorio Jano and registered to Scuderia Ferrari. Tazio Nuvolari rode it at the Monaco Grand Prix, and it later won the Sweden GP in August 1933. It also participated in the hill climbs at Mount Ventoux and San Sebastian.
It competed in the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio, as well as at the Circuito di Varese, after receiving mechanical improvements and receiving the new moniker SF28. The Alfa was owned by a number of people throughout the ensuing decades before undergoing a complete repair. It has participated regularly in historical racing ever since, and in 2012 it was transported from Germany to the Goodwood Revival. After winning its race, it was driven back to Germany.
1934 Bugatti Type 59
The Type 59 from the Pearl Collection, which brings us back to the Bugatti saga, was built in 1934 in response to growing rivalries between Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz. It is regarded as a technological marvel as well as a masterpiece of industrial design because of its lowered body, lower center of gravity, larger wheelbase, and supercharged straight-eight. There were only six made, and this one won both the overall race in Belgium and the Grand Prix in Monaco. The T59, which served as Bugatti's final Grand Prix vehicle, is regarded as the most exquisite of all pre-war racing automobiles.
The supercharger was subsequently removed, a dry-sump gearbox was added, and the chassis and bodywork were drastically altered in order to create this model for sports car racing. It rose to the position of quickest sports vehicle in France after a string of victories. Even Belgian King Leopold III owned it for a short while. This unique, historic vehicle is exhibited in pristine condition and represents the legendary charm of the Bugatti brand, often known as "le pur-sang des autos."
1939 Maserati 4CL Monoposto
Even though the Maserati brand was still quite young when the 4CL debuted in 1939, it had already established itself in the world of competition. Only seven of the type's four-valves-per-cylinder straight-four engines were produced before World War Two began. The model made its debut at the Tripoli Grand Prix. Chassis 1564 of this specific 4CL Monoposto served as the original model. At Naples, Abbazia, and Livorno, the "Works" squad would compete, with drivers such as Carlo Felice Trossi, Franco Cortese, and Luigi Villoresi behind the wheel.
After the war, it continued to compete in races under the direction of drivers like "Raph" and Maurice Trintignant before beginning a less hectic career as a hillclimber, VSCC trials vehicle, and museum display, among other things. It ultimately returned to its proper spot on the circuit around the turn of the millennium, and in 2019, it entered the Pearl Collection.
1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental
The Phantom II Continental shifts the emphasis of the exhibition cars in the collection from continental Europe to Great Britain. This remarkable wind-tunnel-honed Streamlined Saloon coachwork by Park Ward, coupled with the legendary six-cylinder side-valve engine from Rolls-Royce, proves to be the engine's beautiful farewell song. The car's 7668-cc engine's high-lift camshaft and increased compression ratio allowed it to accelerate to 92 mph in a short amount of time.
The Phantom II had an illustrious ownership career after taking center stage on Park Ward's exhibit at the 1934 Olympia Motor Show, finally settling across the Atlantic. Following a thorough repair, it made an appearance at the Pebble Beach and Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance events in the early 2000s.
During the 2023 Concours of Elegance, the Pearl Collection will also display the exquisite 1936 Bugatti T57S Atalante and the incredibly slippery 1960s Abarth 1000 record vehicle, "La Principessa," which Pininfarina created. The limited-edition 2022 Bugatti Centodieci, created to honor 110 years of the marque's extraordinary design and performance, brings the collection up to date.
James Brooks-Ward, Concours of Elegance CEO, said: “The diversity and quality of the Pearl Collection, along with Fritz Burkard’s clear passion for the subject and enjoyment of ownership, exemplify all that is great about classic cars."
“From Ettore Bugatti’s first-ever racing machine to its 2022 Centodieci spiritual successor, the selection of vehicles Fritz has chosen to exhibit at the Concours of Elegance embodies British and European automotive history both on-road and on-track. We are delighted to play host to such a wonderful display for this year’s The Collector feature."
“Britain’s ultimate automotive extravaganza will take place at Hampton Court Palace in September. We look forward to welcoming guests from around the world to the show in just over a month’s time.”
Discover More: Concours of Elegance 2023