Model Baby Bootlegger 85cm
This 85 cm-long model has been built to 1/10th scale. A faithful replica of the famous "speed boat", this model is entirely handcrafted from noble materials: genuine wood and marine upholstery. All fittings are in chromed brass, custom-made by jewelers. More than a thousand brass nails are hand-laid on the hull. Finally, 10 coats of varnish are applied to achieve excellent gloss and varnish depth.
The model is delivered in suitable packaging for safe transport.
Numbered certificate of authenticity and one-year warranty.
Information about this model :
Article number: R BABY 82
Length: 85 cm / Width: 20 cm / Height: 18 cm
1312,50 €
History of this model :
In February 1924, Georges Crouch began designing Baby Bootlegger for Caleb Bragg, a wealthy New Yorker and former motor racing champion and seaplane pilot. Caleb Bragg had already taken part in the Gold Cup once, and as a member of the exclusive Columbia Yacht Club, he vowed to reclaim the lost trophy, which since 1915 had been held by East Coast yachtsmen for the benefit of Detroit industrialists.
Built by the Nevins shipyard on City Island, New York, Baby Bootlegger created a real aesthetic shock from the outset, with its original styling and exceptional forms. Equipped with a Hispano -Wright V8 engine, its marinization was very promising. In 1924, the Wright company, licensed to manufacture Hispano Suiza engines, took a keen interest in the link between aircraft and motorboats. Not surprisingly, the Baby Bootlegger's shape and sailing behavior place it on a subtle borderline between air and water, akin to a seaplane float. The careful construction is in double Honduran mahogany planking, assembled with thousands of countersunk screws.
In 1924, the Gold Cup, held over 3 rounds, saw 3 competitors stand out from the rest: Rainbow IV, Baby Bootlegger and Miss Columbia, all 3 designed by Georges Crouch.
These 3 boats finished in the above order, but a competitor not concerned by these 3 first places lodged a complaint against the winner Rainbow IV on the illegality of its hull. In the end, Rainbow IV was diqualified in favor of Baby Bootlegger, which won this Gold Cup.
Not content with this victory by default, Caleb Bragg won again on Manhasset Bay in 1925, ahead of Miss Columbia. Baby Bootlegger's best recorded speed was 73.5 Km/h. In 1927, Baby Bootlegger stopped racing and was sold to the Timberlake family, who kept it until 1947, leaving it almost abandoned. It was later restored by Mr Mason.
