25th Jul, 2001 0:00
The Pavilion Gardens
1927 Bugatti Type 37A Grand Prix Car
Estimated at £85,000 - £100,000
Lot details
Registration No: BJJ 651
Chassis No: BC77
Mot Expiry: Oct 2001
Ettore Bugatti was born in September 1881 and lived for sixty-six wonderfully creative years. He came from a talented family with his brother Rembrandt being a most accomplished sculptor using bronze and various other metals and his exceptionally natural figurines, mainly animals, now fetch several hundred thousand of pounds, or indeed, more than some of his brother's cars.
The Type 37 four-cylinder 1.5 litre Grand Prix car was introduced in 1926 with the 37A, the same car with a compressor, being introduced a year later. Richard Twelvetrees observed in the September 1926 edition of Motor Sport that 'a glance at the 1500cc Grand Prix Bugatti you would notice a distinct advance on any of its forerunners. The manufacturers had introduced a new era for the sporting motorist; one can purchase a machine, drive it away and without any need of 'hotting up' you can drive it to the circuit, win races and then drive it home.
That is exactly what you can do with this model we are offering you today.
This particular car, which has a Bugatti Owners Club chassis number of BC77, emerged from a meticulous build in the early 1990's and a set of original Bugatti parts was employed which was obtained from the estate of a Belgian enthusiast and this was completed around the replacement chassis. (To clarify the position of a vintage car in VSCC racing, it must have three out of a possible five original parts to be acceptable). This car has the original front axle, the original back axle, the original gearbox, the original engine and upper crank case, the original steering wheel and steering box as well as the original eight-cylinder magneto which is factory geared to half speed and fires 4 and 4.
All the detailing is extremely good and correct and is indeed a credit to its restorers, Longland and Hart, and indeed to the present owner himself. It combines all the delectable Bugatti visual details including the full period instrument cockpit, the extremely rare Bosch FH8/4 magneto, the original steering wheel, the original wire wheels with large diameter brakes and it is highly reminiscent in appearance of the 37A that was raced extensively before the war by Eileen Ellison and T. Cholmondley-Tapper which is featured on page 79 in the second edition of Hugh Conway's excellent book entitled Grand Prix Bugatti.
It runs on petrol and will do 100 mph as quick as you can change gear and indeed Ivan Dutton believes that it has a very good cam-profile and would potentially be an outright class winner if run on methanol. It has full race performance with the Brineton crankshaft and rods, the Allen race profile camshaft and the Dutton competition clutch and since then has had the throttle linkages, the steering couplings and joints and the water pump re-built.
Simon Diffey, a very accomplished racer, has done about 500 road miles in the car and attended the HGPCA test day at Silverstone when he drove it there, competed and then drove it home - just as a good vintage racer should be. Photographs in the history file prove its invitation to the Goodwood Festival of Speed last year and it went to Rockingham this year as well. It finished 10th overall in the GP Italia VSCC meeting at Silverstone last year and came 7th in the Seaman Trophy race at the same venue this year. It came 2nd in the 1500cc class at Prescott last year and it currently holds the second fastest time ever in its class at Prescott.
This wonderful car comes with the UK road registration, a full set of FIA historic papers the VSCC buff form and acceptance papers and the Bugatti Owners Club chassis registration and is one of those few cars that goes as well as it looks. Indeed if the mechanics are able to resist the forcefulness of a Diffey drive then we can truly say that this is a fully sorted Bugatti.
Please note: We are informed that this vehicle won the Best Overseas Entry in the concours at Prescott Hill Climb last Sunday. Also note that Mr David Sewell from the Bugatti Owners Club will be here on Wednesday to answer any queries anyone may have about this car.
Please also note: This car now has a current MOT certificate until October 2001.
Registration No: BJJ 651
Chassis No: BC77
Mot Expiry: Oct 2001
Ettore Bugatti was born in September 1881 and lived for sixty-six wonderfully creative years. He came from a talented family with his brother Rembrandt being a most accomplished sculptor using bronze and various other metals and his exceptionally natural figurines, mainly animals, now fetch several hundred thousand of pounds, or indeed, more than some of his brother's cars.
The Type 37 four-cylinder 1.5 litre Grand Prix car was introduced in 1926 with the 37A, the same car with a compressor, being introduced a year later. Richard Twelvetrees observed in the September 1926 edition of Motor Sport that 'a glance at the 1500cc Grand Prix Bugatti you would notice a distinct advance on any of its forerunners. The manufacturers had introduced a new era for the sporting motorist; one can purchase a machine, drive it away and without any need of 'hotting up' you can drive it to the circuit, win races and then drive it home.
That is exactly what you can do with this model we are offering you today.
This particular car, which has a Bugatti Owners Club chassis number of BC77, emerged from a meticulous build in the early 1990's and a set of original Bugatti parts was employed which was obtained from the estate of a Belgian enthusiast and this was completed around the replacement chassis. (To clarify the position of a vintage car in VSCC racing, it must have three out of a possible five original parts to be acceptable). This car has the original front axle, the original back axle, the original gearbox, the original engine and upper crank case, the original steering wheel and steering box as well as the original eight-cylinder magneto which is factory geared to half speed and fires 4 and 4.
All the detailing is extremely good and correct and is indeed a credit to its restorers, Longland and Hart, and indeed to the present owner himself. It combines all the delectable Bugatti visual details including the full period instrument cockpit, the extremely rare Bosch FH8/4 magneto, the original steering wheel, the original wire wheels with large diameter brakes and it is highly reminiscent in appearance of the 37A that was raced extensively before the war by Eileen Ellison and T. Cholmondley-Tapper which is featured on page 79 in the second edition of Hugh Conway's excellent book entitled Grand Prix Bugatti.
It runs on petrol and will do 100 mph as quick as you can change gear and indeed Ivan Dutton believes that it has a very good cam-profile and would potentially be an outright class winner if run on methanol. It has full race performance with the Brineton crankshaft and rods, the Allen race profile camshaft and the Dutton competition clutch and since then has had the throttle linkages, the steering couplings and joints and the water pump re-built.
Simon Diffey, a very accomplished racer, has done about 500 road miles in the car and attended the HGPCA test day at Silverstone when he drove it there, competed and then drove it home - just as a good vintage racer should be. Photographs in the history file prove its invitation to the Goodwood Festival of Speed last year and it went to Rockingham this year as well. It finished 10th overall in the GP Italia VSCC meeting at Silverstone last year and came 7th in the Seaman Trophy race at the same venue this year. It came 2nd in the 1500cc class at Prescott last year and it currently holds the second fastest time ever in its class at Prescott.
This wonderful car comes with the UK road registration, a full set of FIA historic papers the VSCC buff form and acceptance papers and the Bugatti Owners Club chassis registration and is one of those few cars that goes as well as it looks. Indeed if the mechanics are able to resist the forcefulness of a Diffey drive then we can truly say that this is a fully sorted Bugatti.
Please note: We are informed that this vehicle won the Best Overseas Entry in the concours at Prescott Hill Climb last Sunday. Also note that Mr David Sewell from the Bugatti Owners Club will be here on Wednesday to answer any queries anyone may have about this car.
Please also note: This car now has a current MOT certificate until October 2001.
Auction: The Pavilion Gardens, 25th Jul, 2001
All successful bids must be paid in full by midday the day after the auction at the latest.
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