Although I have not been able to inspect the car myself I see no reason to doubt the information provided on the car already in 1973 by Conway in W3 and repeated ever since that it concerns 37350 with engine ex 51134.
Also the official Museum Catalog lists the car as such.
Nobody claims 51134 for this car.
Bugwrench

If I read the posting of "onebugatti" I get the impression that he is talking about #51134 with #37350 considered as possibility.

1. Who is assuming the Braillard owned the T51, 51134 ?
I stated he just raced it.

2. "delivered to Escher a Swiss Bugatti Driver on May 21, 1932"
and RACED LATER.
I didn't pull that from my hat, those are from the factory records.

3. Ed E. Jurist was a WELL traveled historic car dealer and sold cars from everywhere, sometimes not taking them into his New York shop. I am not sure the car was in fact in the USA prior to it selling to Schlumpf.

4. The Museum records state that Schlumpf calls the T51 monoposto 51134, but Hugh Conway - for some reason unknown - thought there was a possiblity that this car was 37350.

Whether Braillard owned or raced it has no real influence on the item as such. In fact it seems that all his cars had been owned by his sister who had the money.

And if Conway, who also based his lists on factory data, says "July 1932" the question may be allowed.

I'm trying to find answers, to close gaps, and to exchange information in a friendly and cooperative manner. Not more and not not less.

MM, sure thing.

The May 21 date I posted on the delivery is from Hugh's dairy on his work on the T51's. In addition it is in the factory records.

Seyfried's records are varying, as well known, could be a reason, peut-être , if that date is an issue at all.

Be sure that I am open to the flow of info.

Did the Braillard sister own the car, or did he just race it, I am not sure on either....

what's next? Has anyone seen the car and recorded a review?

In the Musee schlumpf (officielle) catalogue , the 51A (museum code 0507) is nammed 37350. My book is in German, frenche edition not yet avaible.
Motor N° is 51134 (?).

Table of the technical data, Observation column : Ex 37350. New numbrer 51134. Transformation at the factory.
Schlumpf indication are not always exact… but those correspond to your investigations.
Much would be to say on the frames of the Schlumpf museum and especially on the correspondences N° motor/N° frame

The German text says that also engine number is #37350. Editing error or true?

Still a lot of controversal data. Although there are different opinions around, I for myself do not take information for proven only because they are repeated over and over again. But if we take the #37350 as fact we have following scenario.

Option 1:
It was Escher's T37A #37350 (or a car which he acquired from or through Karrer) which was converted at the factory to T51A #51134.
#37350 was delivered through Omnia to Germany. Unlikely but not impossible that the car found its way to Switzerland. Conway said it was a conversion from T39C, if this is correct it would imply that this T37A was first converted to 8C-1500, and then to DOHC. Even more unlikely but still not imposible.

Option 2:
It was Burggaller's T37A which was converted. Also unlikely, because the factory records show Escher as customer. And more important, the country is a different one. Additionally Burggaller's first appearance with this car was as early as May 5, 1932.
I have no real confirmation that Burggaller's T37A was indeed #37350. It's in my list like that, but no idea what the source was. I also have no confirmation that he sold the T37A when acquiring Bremme's T35B. But Burggaller was not really wealthy, so I doubt that he could afford a 2nd Bugatti by keeping the old one completely unraced in his garage for 2 years.

Option 3:
#37350 was neither owned by Escher nor by Burggaller, but a German T37A owned or acquired by Troeltsch, Joa, or Martin, and then converted with the Escher engine of #51134 to T51A, including conversion to monoplace. This would mean that #51134 has nothing to do with the Burggaller T51A monoplace. Not really surprising, because the Burggaller monoplace was different, and even no monoplace anymore when he sold it to Steinweg. It is even not impossible that Burggaller's T37A WAS #37350, which through one or more intermediate stations found the way to Troeltsch, Joa, or Martin.

Each option has pros and contras, but as summary it can be said that part of the existing information must be wrong, as all bits and pieces do not fit together. The best fitting theory would be option 3, which of course does not mean it is true. If Escher's #51134 found indeed its way to Ecurie Braillard as 2.3 litre T51 then the 8C-1500 engine was surplus, and could have found its way to Germany. Not to Burggaller, but to anybody else in the line of owners of #37350/51134 (or better said the "Martin-Jurist-Schlumpf" car). Which of course leaves open the question about the origin of Burggaller's T51A engine.

Only for completion some photos of Braillard with the T51 at the GP Montreux in 1934.

To the following correspondents:
Michael Muller
Bugwrench
onebugatti
Aravis
Bugatti69
Uwe
GCL-Wales

Thank you, not only for what has been posted so far, but for everything still to come.

With Much Gratitude
Johan

-

The car is the picture might have started life as a type 35C but the position of the blow-off hole indicates it has grown into a type 51.

Here are my brief notes on the car :

4936
A type 35C with order no. 334 and engine no. 116. On 31st May, 1929 the car, driven by Swiss agent Karrer, left Molsheim carrying the temporary reg. no. 1660 WW 5 bound for Zurich. The car was destined for Escher and was registered in his name as 695 - L. A picture of him competing in the car appears on page 194 of “Memoirs of a Bugatti Hunter”. On 6th April, 1933, the identical car (no. 25) was pictured in the paddock of La Turbie hill-climb (near Nice, France) together with the other cars of “Ecurie Braillard”. It carried full road equipment. The photograph is in the Hans Matti collection and was published in "Bugantics" in Spring 2006 (p.32/3). The car was subsequently fitted with a crankcase from car 51125 and has remained in Switzerland.

So it seems that the relation between Escher (or better said Escher-Karrer) to Braillard is not #51134, but #4936, which later was converted to T51. Does that mean that the Ecurie Braillard's T51 in 1933/34 is the same car which Louis Braillard already drove in 1932/33 as SOHC? But #4936 afaik was a T35C, but the Braillard car a T35B. Or not?

Of course we cannot exclude that Braillard also raced #51134, on loan or whatever. Possibly at hillclimbs which are not documented in the same accuracy as circuit races. Any information about Braillard starting somewhere in the 1.5 litre class is welcome.

Hmm, something is wrong.
#4936 was a T35C, it was used by Willi Escher for the Klausenrennen 1929, and in 1930 by his partner/friend Josef Karrer. Some reports say that in 1932 at the Klausen it was driven by Braillard. This must be wrong, because Braillard drove a T35B in the sports car class. #4936 acc. to my files was driven in the 2 litre race car class by Miss E, Munz, a protegé of the Karrer-Escher ecurie.

Escher in 1929:



Munz in 1932:



A car with only single petrol filler, not the double version seen at Braillard's car at Montreux. So in the whole Karrer-Escher-Braillard mixup also a T35B must be included...

Not editing error but perhaps an author error.
37350 is never a MOTOR N° but a châssis N°…

I know, but I wanted the confirmation for motor no. 51134....