1949 LIUZZI MONOCOQUE FL Rex II Type : Runabout... Lot 4

1949 LIUZZI MONOCOQUE FL Rex II Type : Runabout Class III Length : 5,68 m Width : 1,72 m Weight : 960 kg Number of seat(s) : 2 Engine : BPM Type : 4 cylinders in line Displacement : 2,8 l. Power : approx. 145 hp. Frantz Liuzzi has often been photographed surrounded by dozens of prestigious trophies, won with great difficulty on the most varied bodies of water, in France and in Europe. The sport runabout, his great specialty, has been the spearhead of his shipyard throughout his years of activity. By producing hulls intended for racing, and first of all for himself, he worked with talent to lead them to victory while strengthening the reputation of his small company. He obviously attracted the loyal clientele of pilots wishing to have the best hull available on the market, while conferring on the models in his "production" catalog an aura that also favoured their success with wealthy sports boat enthusiasts. In just a few years, the small workshop in Neuilly-sur-Seine set more than twenty world records aboard a BPM-powered FL Monohull driven by Liuzzi or one of his regular customers. In this respect, the unique destiny of the Rex II is exemplary, being at the same time the serial head of a successful model and the holder of a fine record before being at the heart, four decades after its launch, of a moving act of filial love. Rex II was Frantz Liuzzi's personal boat, built especially to carry out record attempts and to win in competition, piloted from the second cockpit located aft, in front of the engine. From 1949 to 1951, it was number 5 and was powered by a 4-cylinder BPM 2800 with Zenith carburetors placed longitudinally as on the racers of the same period. Charles Van Praet, an important harbour works contractor, a racing driver (he took part in the Monte Carlo rally), an intrepid long-distance airplane pilot qualified in twin-engine aircraft, also competes in outboard motorboats since 1950. Deciding to move up a gear, "Carlo" Van Praet managed to convince Liuzzi to give him his Rex II, which he kept under its original name. The runabout was given the race number 2 and began a successful career. Its hull, specially made for its builder in double mahogany planking riveted to the frame, is still powered by a 4-cylinder BPM but prepared with two Weber double-sided carburetors. The rounded rear end typical of the Liuzzi of the time obliges the shipyard to place the steering mechanism in an original way on the competition versions. Here, the rudder is not mounted on a plate outside the structure as on the three-point hulls, but on an ingenious cylindrical box machined especially for this boat, a discreet but interesting technical feature. We also notice that Rex II has no windscreen, a characteristic wanted by Frantz Liuzzi for his own runabouts and often maintained on his "competition-client" units. Charles Van Praet, who never does things by halves, in business as in life, quickly began to make his mark at the wheel of his Rex II, breaking a first world record in November 1952. Over the next five seasons, he accumulated a long series of successes, including a victory at the Grand-Prix de Paris in 1955 and the European Championship title in Monaco in 1957. His first place at the 1956 Monaco Meeting also earned him an invitation to the wedding of Rainier III and Grace Kelly. The prince is a great fan of Liuzzi and will even give his name to one of the models of the yard. Rex II's last race took place in Cannes in 1958 during the traditional week of the Motor Yacht Club of the French Riviera (MYCCA). While leading at full speed, Van Praet could not avoid a glass ball of fishing net that pierced his hull. In front of the Martinez Hotel, the boat took on water but the rescue team managed to avoid the worst and the boat was towed to the Palm Beach. Rex II is then summarily cleaned before being permanently stored. Thirty years later, Jean Van Praet, who has taken over the family business, is looking for an original idea for an unlikely present to really move his father. The restoration and re-launch of Rex II will allow him to create an incredible surprise and to relive the best of his sporting youth. The hull of the boat still bears, voluntarily, the marks of its repair insofar as most of the original wood could be kept. The original aluminum having suffered too much from the salt during the 1958 accident, a similar example of 4-cylinder BPM from the same years was found in Italy with double-body Webers and then carefully revised by the historical workshops of BPM in Verona. This piece of history of the word