A major Bugatti event is taking place at Cholmondeley Castle (near Chester) on July 18-19th. The Pageant of Power will focus attention of the close connection between Ettore and Jean and the Cholmondeley family. Cars not seen in the UK for several years will be on display and there will be an exhibition of photographs and artefcts never seen in public before. An article discussing the Cholmondely Bugattis will be posted on bugattibuilder.com and an expanded version will appear in the event's programme.

If any foreign visitors want to attend the Festival and want help with tickets or accommodation please contact me. I live close to the Castle and am in contact with organisers. Graham.

The cars discussed in the article will be

- 1914 8 valve car 777 with UK registration B-5166
- 35 - 4394
- 44879
- 49 with UK registration GP 847
- 50116
- 57612 Atlantic
- 57698 Atalante
- 57679 Stelvio
- 57739 Figoni

If you have any previously unpublished information about these cars please let me know !

Which car is that #50116?
It is unfortunate that you no private messages answers...

Here is an extract from my article which will be in the "Pageant of Power" official programme.



In the early thirties, Ettore’s eldest son, “Jean”, was becoming increasingly influential at Molsheim. He was more receptive to new ideas than his father and took the opportunity to acquire two American Miller track cars with significantly superior cylinder heads to anything Ettore had designed. The Miller engines were bench tested and then passed to the drawing office where their design was faithfully recorded. Before applying their two-valve hemi-head geometry to the Grand Prix range it was used for the new Type 50 which was basically an earlier 5 litre type 46 with the Miller-inspired twin-camshaft head replacing the obsolete three-valve design. All Type 50 cars were supercharged and produced in the region of 225 bhp. This was enormously powerful for its time and the London Bugatti agent, Colonel Sorel regarded the cars as unsuitable for importation into the UK. Customers for this model dealt with Jean or Ettore personally.

5 : A 1930 Type 50 “Fiacre” – chassis no. 50116 with engine no. 1.

The Cholmondeleys took delivery of the first type 50 on 12th December, 1930. This was possibly the most exotic Bugatti owned by the family. It was hugely expensive to buy, run and maintain : a top of the range car for one of the elite families of Europe. It is almost inconceivable that such a car should ever be scrapped, and indeed, it has survived in immaculate condition, albeit fitted with a new body by Peter Agg.


(The event is on the 18th and 19th July, 2009. I hope to be putting on a little exhibition of Bugatti parts and photographs from my archive).

Thank you for the information. Then the data are also again wrong in the Barrie Price book:

CH.: 50116
ENG.: 1
AGENT: Lamberjack, Paris
INV.: 11.10.30
OWNER:
STYLE:
COACHBUILDER:
REMARKS: Later owner: Stanley, USA New Roadster body Peter Agg 1991.

Could the car have been delivered to Paris and fitted with its body there ? It was quite usual for coachbuilders to do the work in less than two months. The Cholomondeleys had a villa in France and the car probably spent its life there, there are no pictures of it in England in the family photo albums.

As an aside, the family had, from memory, around thirty-four cars during the inter-war period (twenty one years). Most were top of the range models from prestigious manufacturers like Rolls Royce, Delage and Alfa. Most were fitted with extravagant bodies, often with bespoke modifications and paintwork.

Is this the website? http://www.cpop.co.uk/

_________________
Vive la Marque !!

Yes but I wasn't responsible for any of the Bugatti content !

It should be a wonderful event. Hope the Dutton organisation can finish my type 30 engine in time.

Why not come over. Its only a few minutes away from Liverpool (Speke - John Lennon) Airport.

Oh Thank You! Information on the T50 is scarce, accurate information even rarer. (And the Register updated already too - impressive) I'm delighted to hear that this car survived; was the original body scrapped, or does it survive somewhere?

Does the Gentleman from Wales perhaps have anything on this T50? Gorgeous innit?

The top picture undoubtedly shows the Cholmondeley's 50116. However, the other two show a different body.

There is an excellent double-page picture of the car on p.84/5 of Amaury Lot's "Bugatti - Sorcier de la Méchanique". The factory registration 1275 - NV 1 and the UK BOC badge suggest that this is probably a car being used by Jean or Ettore personally.

Ettore was The Patron of the club from 1931 onwards. I can't remember when Jean was given membership.

Could this be car 50124 ?

Yes, yes I know, a completely different car ; I was asking if you know anything about it. I found these two photos in the Register under unkown T50, so far I've not been able to locate even a chassis number.

Sorry, I should have made myself clearer.
Johan

i am attending this meeting, unfortunatly as a marshal, but i will endeavour to get some pictures of any bugattis present

Sounds like a fantastic event.

I have 2 negatives of 57698 sent from Hugh Conway, it's the 2 outside Houghton Hall, one has a litle dog in the picture. Hugh said they were taken 1935/1936 by Lord Cholmondley, prints from his original plates.

Claire

Claire, please repeat after me. CHOLMONDELEY WITH TWO "E"s.

My friend Keith Mountain and I spent a couple of days at Cholmondeley Castle going through the family photo albums and have written an article for the POP programme about the Bugattis and other cars owned by the family.

We offered it to "Bugantics" but they don't seem to be interested, so if you like Bugattibuilder.com can have it.

I would love to! Will contact you by mail.

_________________
Vive la Marque !!

Spelling lesson learnt.

I bet that it was amazing going through the old pictures, what a great day you will be having.

Claire