Bugatti 37

Iain Cheyne alerted me in 1992 to an advertisement in Motor Sport:

1926 BUGATTI TYPE 37. All automatic and in first class condition. Present owner 20 years. Best offer over £100,000. Day (0706) 213770 or eves (0262) 72101.

Extract from a published Bugatti history:

TYPE 37

Chas. No.: 37214. Eng No.:66. Date of Reg.: May 8th, 1936 (1927 model). Reg. No.: CXW 128. Cwk.: Grand Prix.

Owner: Dr. Joseph Bayley, 109 Victoria Way, Charlton, London SE7.

History: Probably purchased direct from the works by Mr.Smith of Lever Brothers. Sp. Comments: Owner purchased car from Mr. J. Lemon Burton in April, 1936. It was the unblown sister of the car owned at that time by Mrs. Averill Scott-Moncrieff, both cars having been the property of a Mr. Smith, a leading engineer of Lever Brothers at Port Sunlight. Here, too, Mr.Smith had equipped the car with a special cylinder block of his own design, with two plugs per cylinder fired by twin Scintilla magnetos, and with improved cooling around the exhaust valves. Crankshaft, connecting rods, valves and pistons were all of his manufacture, and to regard these merely as modifications would be quite wrong. As with Mrs. Scott-Moncrieff’s car, the workmanship and attention to detail were superb. The net result was a most exceptional Type 37, the metals used being of the finest obtainable in Britain at the time and certainly superior to anything at Bugatti’s disposal. A nice touch was the whale-bone grip on the starting handle. Car has never been raced. After the war Mr. Jack Playford completely stripped and rebuilt it, and it has not covered 600 miles during the last 10 years. Total mileage is estimated at 4,000m.”

I went to see it, with not really serious intentions, but fell in love with it. I offered £110,000 (I'm no good at bargaining). On 24 March 1992 I went up to Simonstone to hand over the cheque to John Tattersall, and supervise loading by Mr Gresty, who trailered it to London.

This is the car as it was with Stanley Smith at a race meeting at Brooklands race track in 1933.

Note the special fuel filler cap, the ivory brake lever knob, the chrome strip along the lower body and bonnet join, and the non-standard Brooklands type aero screen, which are just as the car is today. The colour is black, but it was repainted blue in the 1940s (though the black was still present on the chassis parts during the 2010s rebuild).

Events

Klausenrennen hill climb

George

Mille Miglia 1999

Iain

Mille Miglia 2000

George

Brooklands receipt of loan on car

Bugatti 37214 User Notes

From Michael F

Before starting engine at the start of an event:

Disconnect any battery charger, and switch on isolator beneath passenger seat support.

Remove filler cap locks and stow them in the toolbox under driver’s seat support.

Check oil level – between centre and upper marks on dipstick recommended. Be careful to ensure dipstick is fully home. For 2018 use 20-50 classic oil.

Check coolant – if there is any coolant in the “catch tank”, remove the bottle and discard it. If there is any sediment in the bottle, rinse it out with water. Remember to put the hose back in the bottle. Top up radiator with coolant mixture, which is two parts distilled or de-ionised water to one part glycol antifreeze. Be careful as only a drop is likely to be neede. If any significant amount can be added, look for leaks. Note that any coolant spilled while filling will stain the radiator surround and should be removed immediately.

Check fuel level with a clean dipstick. Tetraboost must be added to petrol at the rate of 100ml to 2½ gallons of unleaded or 3 gallons of Shell Vpower. Add the Tetraboost to the tank before adding petrol. There is a glass bottle which will hold 300ml of Tetraboost in the toolbox. Do not use plastic containers for Tetraboost.

Before driving:

Check tyre pressures – 27 psi is about right, perhaps less in the wet.

Check wheel spinners are tight – note offside spinners are left-hand thread.

For sprints and hillclimbs, leave charging switch on throughout event.

If fitting the Decibel Devil, push in almost to the tail pipe bracket, and tighten the clamp with the 10mm spanner in the leather pouch.

To start engine:

Ensure handbrake is set, and gear lever is in neutral.

Pump up fuel pressure to approx. first line on gauge. Both pumps work, but the passenger side one is easier to use.

If starting from cold, move hand throttle to first notch.

Ensure ignition advance control is in one of the retarded (upper) positions marked.

NEVER OPERATE THE STARTER WITH THE IGNITION AT FULL ADVANCE.

Switch on “ignition”.

Switch on both magnetos (down position).

Move fuel tap to “on” position (horizontal). Wait a few seconds for the float chambers to fill.

Pull out choke fully and hold. Depress accelerator, perhaps halfway. Press starter. Immediately engine fires push choke half way in (turn clockwise to lock) if engine cold, or fully in if hot, release accelerator. If engine is not fully up to temperature, it may be necessary to use accelerator or hand throttle to prevent stalling.

Gavin: it may be necessary to push he choke plates against the carburettors to make a tight seal until it fires.

Once engine is running, move ignition control to full advance, and check oil pressure – around mid-position of gauge is OK (engine hot or cold). Check oil pressure again before moving to start line.

If engine was started from cold, close hand throttle and choke as engine warms up.

After engine has warmed up, it is a good idea to switch each mag off, then on again, in turn. Revs will drop a bit, but each mag should be running on 4 cylinders.

Note: if starter jams, turn the hexagon at centre of the rear end of the starter with the 10mm spanner in the leather pouch.

It is not really necessary to warm up engine much in the paddock, as it will likely warm up enough in the assembly area. Keep an eye on the gauge. Ideally, water temp. should be about 70°C at the start of a run. Switch off engine if it starts to creep up. It is a good idea to check oil pressure and water temp. gauges at the end of a run. Temp. should not be more than about 80-85°, 90° at most.

End oj user notes