Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix Replica

Quite possibly the most famous and evocative racing car of all time, the Bugatti Type 51 was the ultimate evolution of the legendary Type 35 Grand Prix which won perhaps more races than any other pre-war model and remains to this day the archetypal 1920s track weapon. Although visually almost indistinguishable from the Type 35 (the wider radiator and twin fuel fillers being the most obvious clue), the Type 51 had a much improved engine with a twin-cam overhead valve arrangement inspired by the contemporary US-built Miller. 

The 2.3-litre supercharged straight-eight engine transmitted its power through a 4-speed gearbox and gave the car phenomemal performance for its day with some 185bhp on tap and a top speed of over 140mph. A 2-litre version, the Type 51C, was also made with approximately 160bhp and also a small number of 1500cc Type 51A models.

Only 40 Type 51s were ever made between 1931 and 1935. As with all Bugattis they were a masterful blend of flawless aesthetics and supreme engineering and prices for genuine survivors are now correspondingly stratospheric – in the region of £2 million plus for a well-historied example. This combination of high price and extreme rarity has inspired a number of replicas and recreations to be built over the years, some from a mix of original Molsheim parts and others as perfect tool-room copies.

Offered here for sale is a facsimile of a Type 51 – although not a genuine Grand Prix car it is a superbly executed assembly with some original Bugatti parts and a most intriguing historical link to a period Type 51. It was acquired in 1987 by Alan Riley of Birmingham who kept it right up until his death earlier this year. Alan spent most of his life working as a test engineer in the experimental department at the BMC works in Longbridge and was well known on the vintage car scene, being immensely knowledgeable and owning a string of exotic models.

As Alan recounted in a January 1995 interview in Classic & Sportscar magazine (a copy of which is retained in the history file), he acquired his first Bugatti, the ex-Captain Eyston Type 35, in 1954 at a time when such cars could still be picked up for just a few hundred pounds. He also went on to own a Type 37 and a Type 57 not to mention a succession of Bentleys, a Lagonda and a Delahaye.

Alan was on good terms with the staff at the Bugatti factory in Molsheim and would always call in when he was sent to Europe on business: “I always needed parts [and] struck up a good friendship with a director at the firm. I’d give him a list of what I needed and he just used to get them off the shelves.” Conveniently, Alan was never given a bill for any of these spares, ideal for a man trying to run his Bugattis on a budget!

By the mid-1980s Alan had done a string of deals and was running the ex-Carroll Shelby Maserati 250S (“one hell of a car – the exhaust note was beautiful!”) and the 1931 Mille Miglia Alfa Romeo 8C2600 Spider (“my wife’s favourite”). For once though, he had no Bugatti in his garage and, knowing of his passion for the marque, he was approached by a dealer who proposed what seemed like a very tempting swap.

In exchange for both the Maserati and the Alfa (both exceedingly desirable cars even then), the dealer would give Alan what he claimed was the Bugatti Type 51 that had won the 1931 Casablanca Grand Prix driven by the Polish aristocrat racer, Count Czaykowski, and had been subsequently modified and raced by London film producer and Bugattiste, Michael Chorlton. A handshake later and the deal was done.

Alan set about renovating the car using his many contacts and it was soon back on the road and in virtually daily use for the next couple of years, much to the astonishment of other road users, no doubt! It remained a regular sight at shows and events over the next decade or more, always being driven to each venue in exuberant style with wife Yvonne in the passenger seat, furiously pressurising the fuel tank with the manual pump.

“Exhilarating” was how Alan described the performance to Classic & Sportscar. “There’s not much machinery around here that can keep up. Get some speed up and the steering’s pretty good. Handling is supreme, the tail hangs out nicely and you can steer it round fast corners with the accelerator pedal. The power is electrifying and on hand instantly – 90’s grunt, 50 years ahead of its time.”

Alan continued to use the car regularly until about eight years ago when health problems led him to park it up in his garage where it was to remain, untouched, until his death just a few months ago. On the instructions of his widow, Brightwells staff recovered the car in June and contracted independent Bugatti historian, David Sewell, to carry out a detailed appraisal of the car which he did in conjunction with fellow Bugatti expert, Mark Morris. The ensuing report is contained in the history file and can be sent to prospective bidders on request.

The findings are far too detailed to list in full here but can be summarised as follows: the car is substantially an extraordinarily well-executed replica, correct in almost every detail and with a very convincing patina. The available evidence suggests that it was probably made in the mid-1980s in the workshops of Keith Butti who ran a restoration firm called Tomkyns in Upminster, London. Butti is known to have worked on various Bugattis including the Alta-engined Chorlton Special which he returned to full Type 51 specification. He is also thought to have been involved with the creation of various specials and replicas, often using a mixture of genuine and reproduction parts.

Without completely dismantling HSU 410 and subjecting key parts to scientific testing, it was impossible to prove just which parts may be genuine but in all probability they are restricted to the rear chassis cross-member (stamped 639); the fuel tank; the steering wheel; the pair of eleven-leaf rear springs; the stub axles and the Brevette radiator cap. The engine, supercharger and gearbox are thought to be replicas although the engine internals may have some original parts and all the mechanical components are at least of the correct type.

The report concludes: “The car was used regularly on the road, including attending numerous vintage car meetings, over a period of about 15 years. It remains registered with the DVLA although it has not been driven or licensed for about the last eight years. During this time it was stored in a garage open to the elements, as a result of which there is a considerable amount of corrosion on the surfaces of all its component parts. Nevertheless it is essentially complete in all respects, and needs no more than an enormous amount of tender loving care to return it to fully road-worthy condition.”

Whatever the precise composition and provenance of the car may be, one thing is for certain: it remains a magnificent creation in its own right and is, in its own unique way, an outstanding testament to the skill of its creators. While it may fool 90% of the people 90% of the time, it is being sold here strictly as the replica that it undoubtedly is. Supplied with a current V5C, it will eventually make a thrilling road car for someone and would undoubtedly prove a huge attraction in any collection or museum.