Bugatti Type 51 Esson-Scott monoposto (1935 conversion)

grobmotorix · February 24, 2011, 12:52:52 PM

Wild enough to be true!

LOCKED for you!

Which Bugatti type is it and who has initiated the conversion and drove it?

woodinsight · February 25, 2011, 06:57:13 AM

Quote from: grobmotorix on February 24, 2011, 12:52:52 PM
Wild enough to be true!

LOCKED for you!

Which Bugatti type is it and who has initiated the conversion and drove it?

Despite searching my library for this car I can't find it.
I would guess it's T35B or T51 based.

Please unlock the puzzle for others to have a guess.
In the meantime I'll keep looking (I'm certain I've seen it somewhere before)

grobmotorix · February 25, 2011, 07:34:27 AM

A Type 51 it is!

Still locked for you!

woodinsight · February 25, 2011, 12:31:59 PM

Believe it or not I still can't find any reference to it.
I've been through every Type 51 on various web sources but have drawn a blank.

Thanks for the lock Grob but I'll let others have a go now......

grobmotorix · February 26, 2011, 10:51:14 AM

O.K. open for all again!

Tackitt · February 27, 2011, 12:26:10 AM

You folks are not talking about R.O. Ayrton's 1949 Monaco-bodied T51 Special are you?

grobmotorix · March 26, 2011, 02:47:37 AM

Sorry for the late answer.

This car started life as a "stock" Bugatti 51C and has been converted into this car in the mid 30´s.
It had various owners, but not the one you´ve mentioned, I´m quite sure.

woodinsight · April 12, 2011, 10:23:56 AM

Perhaps this is the one that was modified by Allen Arnold

grobmotorix · April 12, 2011, 11:22:52 AM

I do not know Allen Arnold, but if he´s british, you´ve found the right country of the body conversion...

woodinsight · April 12, 2011, 12:41:02 PM

Quote from: grobmotorix on April 12, 2011, 11:22:52 AM
I do not know Allen Arnold, but if he´s british, you´ve found the right country of the body conversion...

I haven't come across a photo of the car that Allen Arnold (British) rebodied as a single-seater.
I'll keep searching.......

woodinsight · April 12, 2011, 01:13:11 PM

Quote from: woodinsight on April 12, 2011, 12:41:02 PM
Quote from: grobmotorix on April 12, 2011, 11:22:52 AM
I do not know Allen Arnold, but if he´s british, you´ve found the right country of the body conversion...
I haven't come across a photo of the car that Allen Arnold (British) rebodied as a single-seater.
I'll keep searching.......

My source was wrong regarding the name. It was J. Allan Arnold who owned and modified Bugatti Type 51 (c/n: 51153). The car had originally come from Jack Lemon-Burton.
Tackitt's suggestion that it may be R.O. Ayrton's car points to another rebodied Type 51 (c/n: 51155). This was originally owned by King Leopold and passed to Peter Monkhouse (a partner in Monaco Motors) during the war. He crashed the car badly in 1947 and it was later sold to E. Charles and then to R.O. Ayrton who had it rebodied by Monaco Motors in 1949.
Whether one of the above cars is the puzzle car I haven't been able to establish.

grobmotorix · April 12, 2011, 02:13:22 PM

There´s still no connection to the puzzle car so far... $:-\$

woodinsight · April 12, 2011, 02:37:26 PM

Quote from: grobmotorix on April 12, 2011, 02:13:22 PM
There´s still no connection to the puzzle car so far... $:-\$

I didn't think so - I was just trying to eliminate two Type 51s that were probably both rebodied post WWII.
The search continues.....

grobmotorix · April 14, 2011, 06:29:48 PM

Black hole?

grobmotorix · May 09, 2011, 02:27:24 PM

I thought this was solved two steps below - it is shown in a well known older (german) Bugatti book...

Let us wait in the vanity of the black hole until one puzzler will solve it.

woodinsight · May 16, 2011, 11:53:40 AM

Is the car pictured at a British hillclimb event?

grobmotorix · May 16, 2011, 12:25:08 PM

Most probably yes.

woodinsight · May 17, 2011, 01:59:18 PM

Any connection to Noel Carr?

grobmotorix · May 17, 2011, 02:45:25 PM

I´m quite sure - no...

woodinsight · May 17, 2011, 02:59:42 PM

The search continues - I'm determined to solve this but it may take quite a lot of digging.....

grobmotorix · May 17, 2011, 05:51:04 PM

O.K., I´ll help a little bit:

this car has been bought back from the Molsheim factory in 1933 after it has already been driven at several racing events.

It has been converted into a monoposto in 1935 for the person I´m looking for.

Allan L · May 18, 2011, 04:06:37 AM

Probably Aubrey Esson-Scott, but I can't prove it!
Parts of his car were incorporated in the rebuild of Fitzroy Raglan's T51 which was recently auctioned after Lord Raglan's death, so the car doesn't exist in the form pictured.

grobmotorix · May 18, 2011, 06:31:00 AM

Finally I can declare this puzzle to be SOLVED!!!

I´ll check the details when I´ll be back from work!

woodinsight · May 18, 2011, 07:20:45 AM

Well done Allan!

News:

Bugatti Type 51 Esson-Scott monoposto (1935 conversion)