View source for Niniette

HISTORY OF THE CELLI SHIPYARD        
 

'''Historic events'''

Up to 1941 Marco Celli’s business “Celli shipyards” managed the shipyards on the island of St. Elena. From that year on, “Celli shipyards” public limited company took over Marco Celli’s business and Celli became its sole administrator. The goal of the society was to manage construction and reparation shipyards as well as acquiring and selling new and used ships.

Such activity continued until a natural disaster devastated the area of St. Elena. A tornado hit the island on September 11 1970 causing enormous damage, and in particular it destroyed the industrial hangars and the equipment of the Celli shipyards. After this event, shipyard activity was interrupted and the buildings, now reduced to debris, were completely knocked down to protect public safety.


'''Collaboration with Ettore Bugatti'''

The fame of the Celli shipyard workers’ technical capacity was such that in 1931 duke Armand de Gramont, a good friend of Ettore Bugatti, convinced his brother-in-law prince Carlo Maurizio Ruspoli to adopt the motors of the Alsatian house on his racer. In September ’31, these debuted in the Venice international races with a hull constructed in the Venetian shipyards of the Celli brothers. The motor boat – called Niniette, from the nickname of Ettore’s second daughter, Lidia –was recalled because of breakdown due to incomplete machine precision adjustment, but it already demonstrated being very competitive. So much so that, still in Venice, in November of the same year, and still driven by Ruspoli, it won – with 101.8 km/h - the world speed record of the 6 litre racer class.

Motor type 50 with 4.9cm3, eight in-line cylinders, DOHC (double overhead camshaft) activated by two pinions, Roots-Bugatti volumetric compressor, it boasts 200HP at 4000 rotations.

The hull, which offers completely original characteristics, has 5 redans, direct transmission and front rudder. The Niniette series evolved until 1934, the year that Ruspoli set the record of 86.9km/h for six litre racers, with the Niniette IV.


powered by a Type 50 Bugatti engine driven at speed in 1933 by Prince Maurizio Ruspoli, seen wearing a life jacket and no race helmet; signed by the driver in black pen to the lower part of the Photograph in flamboyant style To Rene Dreyfus, Ruspoli France 16 May 1933. powered by a Type 50 Bugatti engine driven at speed in 1933 by Prince Maurizio Ruspoli, seen wearing a life jacket and no race helmet; signed by the driver in black pen to the lower part of the Photograph in flamboyant style To Rene Dreyfus, Ruspoli France 16 May 1933. 61/4 x 83/4in ( 16 x 22cm) PROVENANCE Rene Dreyfus collection at his restaurant "Le Chanteclair". LITERATURE H.G. Conway; Bugatti "Le Pur-Sang des automobiles" pp392 Philippe Dejean; "Carlo-Rembrandt-Ettore-Jean Bugatti" pp298 Hugh Conway; "Bugatti Magnum" pp 498-499.