Tag Archives: Geoffrey Horton

Campbell’s Supercharged Short Stroke – Bugatti Type 39A #4810

There are said to be more than one way to skin a cat and using this philosophy Ettoire Bugatti devised more than one way to build a motor to meet the 1.5 litre / 91.5 cui Voiturette regulations for Grand Prix cars in 1926.

Last week I looked at a Type 37A featuring a motor with a 4 cylinder motor while today’s featured type 39A has an 8 cylinder motor of similar swept volume which was achieved by using a short stroke crankshaft in a motor originally designed to be of 2 litre / 122 cui capacity.

Bugatti Type 39A, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Today’s featured car chassis #4810 was built for British Speed King Malcolm Campbell, later Sir, of Bluebird fame who bought this car in 1926 to compete in the inaugural British Grand Prix run at Brooklands.

Campbell was worried the original alloy wheels would not be up to withstanding the pounding of the remorseless Brooklands, broken, concrete track and so had wire wheels fitted.

Bugatti Type 39A, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Driving #4810 solo Campbell came home second splitting two Delages, 10 mins behind the winners Robert Sénéchal and Louis Wagner.

Jules Goux driving a Type 39A won both the 1926 French Grand Prix and 1926 European Grand Prix run at San Sebastián in Spain while later in 1926 Louis Charavel driving a Type 39A became the first man since Jules Goux, driving a Ballot in 1921, to win the Italian Grand Prix in a non Italian car and clinch the 1926 World Manufacturers Championship for Bugatti.

In 1927 Malcolm Campbell won the Grand Prix de Boulogne driving #4810.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing these photographs of #4810 seen at Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance in 2011.

Thanks for joining me on this “Campbell’s Supercharged Short Stroke” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I shall be revisiting Oulton Park for the 2014 Gold Cup meeting. Don’t forget to come back now !

Uhlik ‘Praha’ Roadster – Bugatti Type 54 #BC-70

It is said that the first two Bugatti Type 54s were put together in just 13 days, using Type 45 chassis frames and Type 50 motors, prior to the 1931 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Bugatti Type 54, Quail Councours d'Elegance, Geoffrey Horton.

The Type 50 straight 8 motor has a capacity of 4.972 litre / 303 cui and is fitted with twin carburetors and a supercharger to produce around 300hp.

Bugatti Type 54, Quail Councours d'Elegance, Geoffrey Horton.

Archille Varzi drove chassis #54201 to a third place finish in that event and it was later sold to Czech Republic Prince Jiri Lobcowicz.

Bugatti Type 54, Quail Councours d'Elegance, Geoffrey Horton.

The Prince was killed racing #54201 at Avus Germany in 1932 and the remains of #54201 were acquired by his friend and fellow competitor Zdenek Pohl.

Bugatti Type 54, Quail Councours d'Elegance, Geoffrey Horton.

Zdenek had Prague coach builder O Uhlik fit the Roadster ‘Praha’ body seen here, to the repaired chassis #54201.

Bugatti Type 54, Quail Councours d'Elegance, Geoffrey Horton.

In the 1970’s the ‘Praha’ body was removed from #54201 in favour of a body better suited to competition on the track.

Bugatti Type 54, Quail Councours d'Elegance, Geoffrey Horton.

Skip Berg a California car dealer later still found the Uhlik ‘Praha’ roadster body, and had it fitted to a chassis built up by Uwe Hucke given the chassis number BC-70 by the Bugatti Owners Club.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for kindly sharing today’s photographs taken at last years Quail Concours d’Elegance.

Thanks for joining me on this “Uhlik ‘Praha’ Roadster” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

San Diego Pride – San Diego Jaguar Club 51st Concours d’Elegance

At the end of July the San Diego Jaguar Club convened a pride of cars to celebrate it’s 51st Concours d’Elegance and Geoffrey Horton kindly sent us these photographs to share.

Jaguar Mark 2,SDJC, 51st, C d'E, San Diego,

Above the slim bumpers on the Jaguar Mark 2 above tell us this is a post 1967 example, it could be a 240, or a 340, but is unlikely to be one of just 12 non standard 380s.
SS 100, SDJC, 51st, C d'E, San Diego,

The SS Jaguar 100 was in production from 1936 to 1940, the 100 name derived from it’s capability to exceed 100 mph, though there would have been few places on British roads where one might have cared to put that stat to the test.

Jaguar 3 1/2 litre, SDJC, 51st, C d'E, San Diego,

This SS Jaguar 3 1/2 litre was built in the same time frame as the ‘100’ model above, unfortunately the British License plates attached to the back of both of these cars have long since been removed from the DVLA data base.

Jaguar, XK120, SDJC, 51st, C d'E, San Diego,

The 120mph+ Jaguar XK120 like the Roadster above were in production from 1948 to 1954.

Jaguar XK140,SDJC, 51st, C d'E, San Diego,

The most famous, on this blog at least, Geoffrey Horton owned ’55 Jaguar XK140 above is soon to go up a notch in authenticity when Geoffrey fits a period correct otter switch to the carburetor that he has managed to locate with help from John James of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club in Wales.

Tempero, XJ13, SDJC, 51st, C d'E, San Diego,

Finally a neat Jaguar XJ13 Replica, I believe this one may be one of a handful built by Tempero in the 1990’s going on nothing more concrete than the mirrors.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “San Diego Pride” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again for Maserati Monday tomorrow.

A Season At Cannes – Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder #3195GT

Sharing the same short wheel base (SWB) chassis as the Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta first seen in 1959, a 280 hp version of the Ferrari 250 V12 motor and disc brakes the first of 54 or possibly 55 250 GT SWB California Spyders was shown to the public by Scaglietti at the 1960 Geneva motor show.

In 1962 the 32nd SWB California Spyder #3195GT painted green with a black interior was delivered to Jan de Vroom. de Vroom was a young man from Dutch Indonesia who was one of two men vying for the attentions of the much older Margaret de Cuevas.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder, Concours on the Avenue, Carmel by the Sea

Born Margret Strong in New York de Cuevas’s grandfather was oil billionaire John D Rockefeller.

Of the two men competing for Margret de Cuevas, de Vroom is painted as a roguish subterranean adventurer who walked on the wild side leading the increasingly eccentric Margret into a “pit of vipers” characterised as “male and uninterested in women”.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder, Concours on the Avenue, Carmel by the Sea

Margret set de Vroom up in the business of importing Italian glass and lamps, it is believed that having raced a variety of Ferrari’s from 1956 to 1958 which included making an appearance at Le Mans, de Vroom may have been one of a number of backers of US Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART).

#3195GT is said to have been purchased for “a season at Cannes” and later in the 1960’s it was imported to the USA. During the 1970’s after a change in ownership the car was reported as having a dark blue with tan interior and later again as painted red.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder, Concours on the Avenue, Carmel by the Sea

de Vroom met an unpleasant end at the hands of a thug who demanded money. He was found with his throat cut and multiple stab wounds by a house guest in 1973, a crime for which the perpetrators were convicted and imprisoned. This left the way open to Margret’s other suitor to move in and marry her when she was eighty and allegedly relieve her of most of her remaining wealth.

Since the 1990’s #3195GT has been a regular on the Concours circuit with Robert Baker being awarded a first in class at the 1994 International Ferrari Concours at Monterey and I believe current owner Larry Carter took home another class award from the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing these photo’s taken at the 2012 Concours on the Avenue at Carmel by the Sea and to Jerry Entin, Willem Oosthoek, Richard ‘Vitesse2’ Armstrong, Arjan de Roos and Rob Semmeling at The Nostalgia Forum for their help with Jan de Vroom’s story.

Thanks for joining me on this “A Season At Cannes” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Continental Thirties Foursome – San Marino Motor Classic

Today’s “Continental Thirties Foursome” features a brace of Bugatti’s a Lago and a Peugeot, seen at last months San Marino Motor Classic, representing a high water mark of style and elegance from the European continental coach building industry between 1935 and 1937.

Bugatti Type 57 SC Electron Torpedo Competition, San Marino Motor Classic

The original Bugatti Type 57 Electron Torpedo Competition #57222 was shown alongside the original and similarly Electron bodied Bugatti Type 57 Aerolithe coupé at the Paris Salon 1935. Unlike the coupé the original Electron Torpedo body was never seen in public again.

Bugatti Type 57T Aravis, San Marino Motor Classic

The chassis for today’s featured car was built in 1934 with a ‘Galbiar’ 4 door saloon / sedan body, but in 1937 it was sent back to Bugatti for repairs which included upgrading the hydraulic brakes, engine mounts, differential and fitting a completely new exquisite Aravis 2 seat drop top body by Belgian Paul Nee who was allegedly chosen by Jean Bugatti as a personal favour to none other than the King of Belgium.

Lago T150 C SS, San Marino Motor Classic

Perhaps the apogee of the tear drop form were the three 1937 Lago 150C SS models with coachwork by Figoni & Falaschi whose ‘Goutte d’Eau’ bodies featured not only faired in rear wheels, but faired in front’s as well, which one might expect to interfere with the steering. The first owner of what I believe is chassis #90107 was the Princess Stella de Khapurthala who allegedly had the colour of the paintwork changed many times to match her numerous outfits.

Peugeot Darl'mat, San Marino Motor Classic

Finally, for today at least, above is a 1937 Peugeot 302DS Darl’Mat Cabriolet, Emile Darl’mat was a Parisian Peugeot dealer with his own coachworks whose cars included several Peugeot based Le Mans racers.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton and Paul McNabb once again for sharing their photographs from the San Marino Motor Classic.

Thanks for joining me on this “Continental Thirties Foursome” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be paying a visit to Castle Combe. Don’t forget to come back now !

Au Revoir Le Mans – Ferrari 275 GTB Copetizione #9015

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Last Ferrari Friday I left students of the marque a little challenge to find a photo of Ed Hugus driving a NART Ferrari 250 LM to victory in the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hour Race.

Ferrari 275 GTB/C, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Unsurprisingly none has shown up, so for the time being I will have to continue to surmise it never happened. If it did the Ferrari would have been disqualified because both Jochen Rindt and Marsten Gregory continued driving the car after the alleged incident and replacement drivers were allowed only if one of the two nominated drivers took no further driving duties. On the other hand it would have been quite a coup for NART owner Luigi Chinetti to pull one over the, at times particularly pedantic, race organisers.

Ferrari 275 GTB/C, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Ed had a driving career that spanned from the early ’50’s to 1969 that included a class win at Le Mans in 1957 when he was driving a Porsche. He competed as a driver in the Le Mans 24 hours in 1964 for the last, known, time driving a ’64 NART Ferrari 250 GTO, a race from which the car retired with differential issues.

Ferrari 275 GTB/C, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

In 1966 NART, Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team took delivery of today’s featured 275 GTB Competizione and appear to have entered it in the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours under Ed Hugus name for Giampiero Biscaldi and Michel de Bourbon-Parme to drive with Ed named as reserve.

Ferrari 275 GTB/C, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Giampiero and Michel qualified 35th and made it all the way to lap 218, about two thirds of the distance covered by the class winning 275 GTB/C driven by Mike Parkes and Roy Pike, before retiring with clutch and gearbox issues.

Ferrari 275 GTB/C, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

#9015 is only known to have been entered in one other event at Road Atlanta where Bill Harrahs Modern Classic Motors entered Bob Grossman and Denise McCluggage in the ’66 500 mile race in which they finished 12th.

Ferrari 275 GTB/C, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Ed continued racing another couple of years in the USA with a Porsche 906 and a fearsome Porsche powered device known as the ‘Tricor Special’ with which he won his last, known, race at Daytona in August 1968.

By 1980 #9015 had passed into the hands of New York collector Anthony Wang. John and Heather Mozart of Palo Alto acquired #9015 in 2011 and entered it into last years Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance where Geoffrey Horton took these photographs.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Au Revoir Le Mans” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at the first hybrid to win the Le Mans 24 Hour race. Don’t forget to come back now !

Weight Saving Pussycat – Jaguar E-Type Lightweight #S850659

Between 1963 and 1964 Jaguar built 12 Lightweight E-Type Jaguars with six cylinder engine blocks, monocoques and bodies all made from aluminium which saved 250 lbs / 114 kgs over the standard E-Type.

Today’s featured Ligthweight E-Type, chassis #S850659, is the seventh of the 12 to be built and was delivered to Briggs Cummingham in time for him to enter it into the Sebring 12 hours for Bruce McLaren and Walt Hansgen to drive.

Jaguar, XK-E, Lightweight, Blackhawk Museum

Bruce and Walt finished the race in 8th place one place and one lap down on the class winning Kjell Qvalle lightweight E-Type #S850660 driven by Ed Leslie and Frank Morrill.

The cars next appearance was at Le Mans in 1963, where Walt Augie Pabst replaced Bruce McLaren to share driving the #14 with Walt. By this time Briggs has acquired two more lightweight E-Types to make up an impressive 3 car team.

Jaguar, XK-E, Lightweight, Blackhawk Museum

After just 8 laps Walt retired the #14 with a broken four speed gearbox, the sister #16 manged just 40 laps before Paul Richards and Roy Salvadori retired with fire damage after an accident. Team Patron Briggs and Bob Grossman also had to pit after loosing it’s bonnet in an accident, but rejoined the race to finish 9th overall and second in class to the AC Cobra driven by Peter Bolton and Ninan Sanderson.

After Le Mans #S850659 was fitted with a 5 speed ZF gearbox by the factory and driven to a third place finish by Walt Hangsen in the 1963 Bridgehampton 500 kms.

The car seen in these photographs, by Geoffrey Horton at the Blackhawk Museum, last year was tested by Simon Taylor in 1996 when he described it as a “pussycat” to drive, a racing car one “could go shopping in”.

Thanks for joining me on this “Weight Saving Pussycat” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for “Ferrari Friday” tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !