With the emergence of automotrices and autorails — self-propelled railcars and railbuses — around 1930, car manufacturers started to focus on railways. After all, they had first-hand experience with combustion engines and single-piece coachwork, while car sales were declining because of the economic crisis.

In Italy, Fiat was building Littorinas. In France, Renault had introduced the autorail, originally for narrow gauge only. Tire manufacturer Michelin conceived the Micheline, a rail vehicle with rubber tires.

Bugatti — an Alsace-based carmaker of Italian descent — presented its autorail in 1933. It stood apart because of its streamlined design and a very high speed.

by Arjan den Boer