The BUGL engines which were designed and produced by the noted Austrian-born enthusiast Paul Bugl (1930 - 1978) are among that select group of model engines which have acquired a mystique and associated monetary value in a league of their own. Genuine examples of these masterpieces command extremely high prices on the collector market, particularly the very rare ones which remain unmodifiied.

Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, this has led to a distressing number of attempts to pass off replicas and spin-offs which were not made by Paul Bugl as the genuine items. The Profi replicas made in the 1990's have often been claimed as originals, as have the later Bugl-based BG engines which were made in Denmark by others after Paul Bugl's death. 

Fortunately, there's an easy way to check on the authenticity of any engine which is being offered as a genuine Bugl - just ask my valued Danish friend and colleague Luis Petersen, who worked directly with Paul Bugl during the mid 1970's and remains today in possession of all the original Bugl records, including serial numbers, sales figures and drawings as well as some original components. If in any doubt about the provenance of a particular Bugl offering, just contact Luis at lup@image.dk.

The attached images show a genuine Bugl Mk. II no. 141, a genuine Bugl Mk. III no. 003A (of which only 8 were made) and a Danish-made BG Mk. I which was based on the Bugl design and bears the BUGL name on its case out of respect for the designer upon whose work it is based, but is not in any sense a genuine Bugl. It is this engine which has been offered for sale as a Bugl Mk. III, although the differences are very obvious. Buyer beware!!  

A detailed article by Luis Petersen on the development of the Bugl and BG engines may be found elsewhere on this website.