1.5 Euro Autorail Bugatti 2 - WR

Reverse

Series and face value inside a central circle. Outside the central circle, an image of a railway track.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
HISTORIA DEL FERROCARRIL
1,5 EURO
M

Translation: History of railways

Edge

Plain

Comment

For the year 2021, since the European Year of the Rail and the 80th Anniversary of Renfe are celebrated, the FNMT-RCM issues a collection of 20 coins dedicated to the History of the Railways. This series reproduces a selection of trains and locomotives that have been relevant throughout its history.
Aurorail Bugatti 2 - WR: After the First World War, European railway companies found themselves facing competition from road transport, along with greater demand for urban mobility. To meet this challenge, they developed vehicles better adapted to the new situation, such as thermal railcars.
The French State Railway Network (Réseau de l´Etat) commissioned one of its regular collaborators, Ettore Bugatti, an Italian racing car designer and manufacturer, to come up with a railcar. In 1933, Bugatti’s first railcar was delivered from his plant in Alsace. It was equipped with four Bugatti Royale engines with a maximum 200 hp each. Fuelled with a mixture of alcohol and benzole, the engines were situated transversally in the middle so as to drive the bogies, in turn made up of eight wheels of which only the intermediate ones were drivers. Its main characteristics were the absence of a gear box; its hydraulic clutch; and suspension capable of absorbing the negative forces of movement whilst enabling the bogies to shift laterally at bends.
The streamlined Bugatti Autorail could carry up to 48 passengers distributed between two saloon cars. With a total 800 hp, it could reach a top speed of 159 km/h. Because of these features and its first-rate performance, it became a highly sought-after vehicle, synonymous with speed. Unsurprisingly, Bugatti Autorails remained in service until1958. One of them is on display at the Cité du Train in Mulhouse.

Interesting fact

Price

Date	Mintage	VG	F	VF	XF	AU	UNC
2021 M	7000	-	-	-	-	-	-

Values in the table are based on evaluations by sales realized on Internet platforms. They serve as an indication only for 1.5 Euro (Autorail Bugatti 2 - WR) 2021 coin.