French/English translation by babelfish:

According to does Eaglesfield it there have two 51138 or is this the same one?



to see whether the information specified on wiki is exact?

http://www.bugattibuilder.com/wiki/inde ... le=51138-a

http://www.bugattibuilder.com/wiki/inde ... le=51138-b

FWP 556 (GB), Brighton Speed Trials (UK) 1947, G.N. Richardson

T51A or T37A ????







T51A GP (#51138) GR 8894 (GB), Powderhamshow (UK) 2006

What a delicious mystery! As soon as I get home this afternoon, trust me, Conway shall be studied. Just one question : Are there two existing cars currently claiming this number, or is this a search for the exact provenance of a single T51? An interesting aside; if memory serve correctly, Pierre-Yves Laugier's work on the T51 is being released at Retromobile 2009. I yield to no-one in my admiration for Laugier, but his masterpieces do not come cheap!

Till later then.
Johan

Here are some garbled notes from my personal data-base.

51138

Thought to have started life as the second-last type 35 4964 converted to type 51 specifications with a new chassis no. and supplied by Boucher of Limoges to Wimille in 1932.

The car was imported into the UK by Lemon Burton and passed through the hands of Bachelier, Ian Craig and Geoff Richardson.

In “The Bugatti Book” (3rd edition, 1958. p. 136) the car was listed as a 51A in the ownership of Robert Day of Brentwood, California (with reg. no. GR 8894). The car was said to have originally been a 2 litre type 51C with its original engine rebuilt to 51A specifications after a blow-up by incorporating parts from the engine from the late Michael Chorlton’s special. 1983 Collier USA. (KKT 328).

2000 British Bugatti Register; listed as having the UK registrations no. GPE 230 and FWP 556.

The 2004 edition of “Grand Prix Bugatti” states “4964 converted to T51A” . It does not list a current owner but gives the car's location as “(UK)” sic.

P.S. I think Richardson (who lived in Malvern, near Prescott, UK) died a couple of months ago.

Further thoughts.

The top picture is correctly described as Brighton. Could the lady talking to Richardson be Monica Whincop (née Strain) ?

However, the two below are from the Dacre Stubbs collection and show the car at Madresfield sprint in the grounds of a stately pile set in the soft underbelly of rural England (Worcestershire ?). The venue is still used by the Vintage Sports Car Club for driving tests.

The car had been rebuilt after being the victim of a German bombing raid which might explain the narrow radiator.

Did Wimille actually race the car ? According to my records the only time he drove a type the 51 in 1932 was in a Formula Libre race in Casablanca where a 1500cc car would have been completely outclassed.

After several hours of diligent research, I can now confirm : I have nothing to add. Please keep this thread going, at least until I know how much of 51138 lives on in the car now carrying this number. And how did a second car end up with this chassis number?

On a more philosophical note : What is the difference between identity and provenance? And does history mean something else again?

In Conway's Magnum I count 17 numbers matching T51's, in his Grand Prix (2004 ed), 14. How many T51's are there now and how many of these were built in Molsheim between 1931 and 1936?

Goodnight.
Johan Buchner

Identity - Quite often a dodgy history physically attached to a car in the form of a chassis plate/number. Normally created by someone over 50 who should know better, but who knows that they do know better than the average punter.

Provenance - Quite often a dodgy history in the form of a letter you got your Aunt Mabel to write with a fountain pen on tea stained paper that is then put in an oven to age it and/or photographs created by an 18 year old geek in Photoshop. The end result insinuates your vehicle is something special - normally something vague, unprovable and impressive such as Madame Bugatti's personal car.

History - Quite often an opportunist's imagination running riot.

Czaykowski never was a works driver. He ordered his cars through Friderich’s agency at Nice. He owned #4957 which in 1932 was converted to T51C #51152, and the T51 #51126. And of course #54209, which is off-topic here.

I agree with GCL, the T51A #51138 seems to have been sold to Wimille, as conversion of #4964. The ownership of Jack Lemon Burton afaik is proven by period documents, if my notes are correct he sold #51138 in 1938 to C.I.G. Limited of Wimbledon.
The photos with Richardson show clearly the single tank filler and the conversion from central magneto to leftsided one, which would confirm the conversion from SOHC car. However, dash is not original.

Wimille also owned the T51 #51132 (ex # 4961 T35C), which most probably he used at Casablanca and the Grand Prix d'Oranie before he switched to an Alfa Monza. No entries for the T51A #51138.

Strange that the “history splitting” of #51138 happened already in the 50’s, at a time where these cars had been worth little money only.

CZAIKOWSKI, Count (le Comte) Stanislas. (Czaykowski).

A rich and popular Polish émigré who appears to have remained loyal to Bugatti throughout his five year racing career. He was never an official member of the works team but was rumoured to have paid Molshiem generously to ensure his cars, which were maintained as works cars, were the best available. He was born in 1899 in the Hague, Holland, and fought with the French army in WW1. His career started with a type 37A in 1929 and he acquired a type 35B (4957) in August 1930 from Paul Friderich in Nice. The car (order no. 355) was fitted with engine no. 201TC and registered 187 NM 1 in the name of “Compte Stanislas Czaykowski, Basses-Pyrénées”. He still had this car in 1932 and competed in the Boulevard Michelet event in Marseilles accompanied by mechanic Jean Georgenthum. The latter was again with Czaykowski when he won the 1932 Grand Prix of Casablanca. (Photo with Friderich and the Comtesse Czaikowski* B.42/1/16). He subsequently purchased a 2 litre type 51 (later owned by Esson-Scott in the UK). On 5th May he drove his type 54 at the Avus and established several speed records including the World One Hour record with a speed of 132.87mph (213.842 kph) and in the same car he won the British Empire Trophy race at Brooklands. He shared a 2 litre (or 1500cc) GP ( the type 51A?) with Gaupillat at Le Mans in 1933 (comp. no.23) carrying the registration no. 3153-NV2 and rather crude road-equipment (see VB175 p.14 and GPB p.162) but retired at 10pm whilst in 9th place due to a flat battery. On the 20th August, 1933 he competed at the IXth Comminges Grand Prix (photo : MBH p. 227) but, at Monza on 10th September, again driving the type 54, he crashed fatally whilst leading the final of the Gran Premio d’Italia. News of his death was heard by radio at Molshiem and he was said to have been deeply mourned by the Bugatti family and factory workers. His one hour world record was broken by George Eyston in a Panhard on 6th February 1934 and in the afternoon he drove to Houville-la-Branch near Chatres and placed a wreath on Czaikowski’s grave.

I suspect that C.I.G. Ltd. was connected with Bachelier. See below.

BACHELIER, L.G.

A UK enthusiast who acquired his first Bugatti around 1929 and joined, and was elected to the Council of, the UK BOC, in 1931. He was the proprietor of the Wimbledon Park Engineering Co. at 400, Durmsford Road, which was said to be spotlessly clean and equipped with the latest labour-saving devices. In 1931 the firm was overhauling and fitting a streamlined body to a “sixteen valver” and recontructing “a ball bearing Brescia” with a new body. He competed in speed events with a type 43 and was the official timekeeper at Prescott for several years having developed the timing system with his brother. He owned a variety of Bugattis including a type 23 with chassis no. 2533 which subsequently passed to J.Ogle who rebuilt it on a type 13 frame. He also owned the ex-Junek type 35 (4613 with engine no.44). The car originally carried the UK reg. no.YM 3412 and was supplied by Sorel’s London agency. He bought the car from D.C. Tanner and sold it to P.F. Norton. The type 43 (43179 with UK reg. no. AGP 8.) is the car which has been owned by Cecil Mitchell in the UK since 1958 and he also appears to have owned another type 43 (GJ 53) which was later owned by B.Wyatt. He purchased it new in 1928 and carried out various small modifications such as a 6” tachometer. He eventually sold it to B.H.Wickins (Wickens ?)* but later took it back and sold it for a second time to Malcolmson. He also owned another type 43 (43175 with engine no. 25 and a 1927 UK reg. no. TR 4451). The car, which was first registered on 5th November, 1927 was previously owned by V. Emmanuelle and, after Bachelier, was owned by Baring, A.C.Whincop, and, from 1959, by D.H.L.Brown in Sussex, UK. In 1935 he competed with a type 57 but retired from the Welsh Trial due to illness. He was reported to have been suffering from internal problems for many years causing him to give up long distance motoring. He carried on with a type 50 used for short runs and in January 1936 he was offering for sale a practically new type 55 for £750. His address was given as 66, The Crescent, London S.W.19 (i.e. Wimbledon). He died suddenly on 23rd June 1937. See “Bugatti types I have owned” in B.5/5/19 and his obituary in B.6/4/3.

Czaykowski did win the 1931 Casablanca GP, in 1932 he was only 3rd. 1931 it must have been the T51 #51126 which he bought from Friderich in April 1931. Also for 1932 I believe he used #51126.
The "2 litre type 51" it seems was #4957 renumbered into #51152 which he used for some races in 1933 with separate 2 litre class.

T51 GP (# 51126) 2,3litres,Czaikowski:

#22 I Grand Prix de Casablanca 17 May 1931, 1st-
#39 I Grand Prix de Geneve 7 June 1931
III Grand Prix de Dieppe 26 July 1931, 2th
#8 II Circuit du Dauphiné 2 August 1931 - Grenoble, DNF
#8 VII Grand Prix du Comminges 16 August 1931, 2th
#12 IV Grand Prix de Tunisie 3 April 1932, 5th
#18 IV Grand Prix de Monaco 17 April 1932 DNF
#18 I Grand Prix de Nimes 16 May 1932 , 3th
II Grand Prix de Casablanca 22 May 1932, 3th
#8 I Grand Prix de Lorraine 25 June 1932,
#4 VIII Grand Prix du Comminges 14 August 1932
#2 II Grand Prix de Pau 19 February 1933,
#24 V Grand Prix de Tunisie 29 March 1933 DNF
#2 I Grand Prix d'Albi 27 August 1933 DNF

T51C GP (# 4957/#51152) 2litres, Czaikowski

#22 VIII Premio Reale di Roma 24 April 1932, 5th
I Circuit de Vitesse de Nice 31 July 1932
#60 VIII Grand Prix du Comminges 14 August 1932
#56 V Grand Prix de Dieppe 15 July 1933, 3th
#12 IX Grand Prix de la Baule 13 August 1933, 5th

T54 GP (54209), Czaikowski

#33 III Avusrennen 21 May 1933 - Avus
#22 XXVII Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France 11 June 1933 - Montlhéry DNF
#1 II British Empire Trophy 1 July 1933 - Brooklands, 1st
#26 IV Gran Premio de Penya Rhin 25 June 1933 DNS
#30 IX Grand Prix du Comminges 20 August 1933 DNF
#36 XI Gran Premio d'Italia 10 September 1933 - Monza, DNA
#20 VI Gran Premio di Monza 10 September 1933, 1st

T35B GP 1930 (ou C?) (# 4957),Czaikowski

#6 XXIV Grand Prix de l'A.C.F., Pau 21 September 1930, 4th
#18 III Grand Prix de Tunisie, Carthage 29 March 1931, 6th
#30 III Grand Prix de Monaco 19 April 1931 , 9th
#22 IV Gran Premio di Monza 6 September 1931
#26 I Grand Prix de Brignoles 27 September 1931, 3th
#52 I Trophee de Provence, Nîmes 16 May 1932, 1s
#50 Course du Boulevard Michelet, Marseille 1932,
#36 I Grand Prix de Lorraine 25 June 1932
#4 IV Grand Prix de Dieppe 24 July 1932, 4th