Collectors & Aficionados
Nicola Bulgari, the Italian who saved the America of the automobile
Nicola Bulgari, a great jeweler and car enthusiast, decided to collect and restore the great American cars of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. His collection, called "The NB Center for American Automotive Heritage," is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The motorization of the world as we know it commenced with the magnificent American cars of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Why? Because they were produced in large numbers, therefore with all the precision of modern industries, and came with great quality and refinement even if they were intended for the general public.
Left to right four of Nicola Bulgari's cars: 1936 Packard 120B Touring Sedan, 1937 Studebaker J5 Coupe Express, 1934 Buick McLaughlin Model 96C Convertible Coupe
If you take a look at the important collections, however, you soon realize that these cars are missing. Everyone is busy chasing rarities, forgetting the beginning of the great car adventure entirely. Combining an acute sensitivity for beauty and culture derived from his profession of a great jeweller and a passion for automobiles, Nicola Bulgari – who does not know the magnificent shop on Via Condotti in Rome? – decided to collect the great American cars of those years, restoring them with a team of technicians who, over time, became a sort of “academy”.
