Bugatti dreams come true at Marc Vogel's Gubsø Garage in Denmark

Some weeks ago, our photo reporter Rémi Dargegen was invited by Gubsø Garage to Denmark to drive a rather special, faithfully recreated Bugatti Type 59. It was a revelatory experience! Luckily, we caught the rather transformative drive on video. After some hot laps on the track and an extensive tour of the collection and restoration workshop, Rémi sat down with Marc Vogel to speak about his collection as well as his passion for Bugattis and, more generally, the world's most beautiful cars.

Marc, what is your oldest memory about cars, maybe from your childhood or teenage years?

I read a lot of books about old cars as long as I can remember. The oldest car magazine I have is from 1982. I was 9 years old back then – that’s when my passion started.

What was your first classic car?

My first car was a Porsche 912 from 1967, I bought it when I was 17 years old. I still have that car!

Your collection is mostly dedicated to Bugatti. How did the passion, if not the obsession, for this very special brand start?

It was when I read the Bugatti book by Hugh Conway in 1989. I was 16 then and fascinated by the story of Ettore Bugatti from beginning to end. He was a great entrepreneur, and always considered workmanship and quality over profit.

How and when did you buy your first Bugatti?

It was in 2012. I had saved enough money to buy a Bugatti Type 40 with a Gangloff body, a very nice car. I sold the car this year, because I did not use it anymore. Once you drive an 8 cylinder Bugatti, it becomes harder to go back.

What were your criteria to buy and select the next cars?

For some time I bought just about every Bugatti that was for sale. The last two years I have been more focused on selling some of the cars I don’t use. Essentially, I ended up with five or six Bugattis that I use every year.

Between the cars driving and the ones in restoration, how many Bugattis do you own now?

I have three Bugatti’s under restauration: A Type 43, a Type 54 and a Type 57. Ready for the road I have nine Bugattis. So 12 cars in total.

You also own a few other cars – like a stunning Maserati A6 GCS Berlinetta Pininfarina replica, as well as a Cisitalias, a Delage and a Delahaye. What attracts you to an automobile?

Sometimes I just fall for a beautiful car together with its history and performance. I think all my cars are good looking – that’s important to me.

Your collection is a collection in movement, in many ways. You frequently drive your cars on rallies and tours – especially the ones organized by the Bugatti Clubs – and you also sell some cars in partnership with Century Limited. Do you have an ownership philosophy?

I like to see my cars being used – by myself, my friends, or the crew in my workshop. And I am always curious to try new things. I don’t want to get stuck in one collection, so I work with Century Limited to help sell some of the cars. This way, the collection can evolve.

The range of Bugatti cars that you own is quite broad – from Brescia to Type 59, from Type 37 to Type 57C Stelvio. So, very early ones to late pre-war and from racing to luxury. Do you want to experience as many types of car as possible to understand the philosophy behind every model, every era?

Yes, I like the variation. Not two cars are the same, and a Brescia gives equal driving pleasure, if not very different, to a later Type 57C.

With such a rich collection, it's very hard to choose. But: If you had to keep just one car, which one would it be?

No question, it would be the first car that I ever owned, my Porsche 912. But my favorite driving car still is the Bugatti Type 51.

Is there a car that you are still dreaming about?

There are several cars I would like to own someday. I think the first I would buy is a Lamborghini Miura.

What is your opinion about replicas?

I think replicas are ok – the passion is still the same driving them as if it was an original. It helps to bring alive cars that are otherwise impossible to find or not existing anymore. As long as the cars are beautifully crafted and not pretending to be anything else, I think it is perfectly fine. The more people who can enjoy this great passion, the better.

Gubsø Garage Garage is not only a collection of very nice cars, it's also a workshop that maintains all the cars, and that restores some projects. Can you tell us more?

I wanted to have facilities that could embrace the whole aspect of collecting classic cars, not only maintenance, but also restoring, parts manufacturing and so on. So in 2021 we opened up the doors to this purpose-built location. It is extremely pleasing being able to restore and maintain cars almost entirely in-house.

You're also producing your own parts, mostly engine components, with an ultra sophisticated machine. So, can we say that Gubsø Garage is the place where tradition meets modernity and high technology? Are these new parts only for your cars, or you're also selling them?

Quality parts are not always easy to come by, so we started producing parts we could’t get or parts we think we can do better. Not only for our own use but also being sold to Bugatti owners around the world. We just didn’t market it too much yet.

You also reproduced Bugatti workbenches and vices, first for your workshop, so that you can work in the most stylish way. Are you selling them, too?

Yes we are also selling Bugatti vices, work benches, hinges for the gates etc. But also, spare parts for Bugattis. Pistons, starter units, all of that.