Carlton TV "The Motor Show"
History of Bugatti Type 50S recreation, registration FUF 700
$2600
The original Bugattti Type 50 was produced between 1931 and 1933, with a 4.9 litre DOHC straight-eight engine mated to a scaled-down version of the legendary Royale Chassis.
Vastly expensive, luxurious and complex, only around 65 are thought to have been made in total, - mainly coupes, and there were three (possibly four) Le Mans race cars.
However, drawings and brochures exist of another Type 50, the 'Grand Sport', which may not have been completed.
On page 11 of his book Bugatti T46 & 50, "THE BIG BUGATTIS" (by Veloce Publishing plc, 2nd Edition 2000), Barrie Price writes ...
"A further development concerned the design of a new super sports car known as the Type 50S. One such chassis was built at Molsheim but not completed as the project was abandoned. It was no doubt altogether too grand and expensive for the difficult market that existed in 1934"
Pictures of the original chassis inspired the construction of this magnificent recreation.
Work on the car started in 1985. Bob Lewis (then MD of Alcester-based Projects of Distinction) was commissioned to construct the chassis, using drawings and photographs of that original T50S chassis, featured in a Bugatti book, thought to have been written by Hugh Conway.
The ash frame was constructed by Bob Jones (later of Teal Cars fame) and is an exact copy of an original T49 Bugatti frame that he was restoring at the time.
Photos of the frame can be seen on this webpage:
http://www.skyblueteal.co.uk/page16.htm
The Bugatti T49 & T50 have similar structures; - T50 has a wider track and shorter wheelbase than T49.
The aluminium bodywork was made by Vintage Wings of Manchester, and over £40,000 was spent on the car during the first few years. The project was finally completed circa 1992, by Tim Perry of TJP Classic Services, after much additional expenditure. The car is powered by a fully rebuilt Nissan L20A straight-six engine, dating from 1976, and producing some 115bhp, mated to a four-speed manual gearbox.
The Nissan L series was the engine of the Datsun 240Z sports car, Datsun 510, Nissan Laurel, and the first Nissan Maxima. These engines are known for their reliability, durability, and parts inter-changeability. The L20A is a 2-valve per cylinder SOHC non-crossflow engine, with an iron block and aluminium head. Breaking is by disks at the front and drums to the rear.
Front suspension features friction dampers, with modern telescopics at the back. The engine has been cosmetically modified and the turned aluminium engine bay detailed, to add period flavour. A radiator fan assists cooling in heavy traffic.
The cockpit features blue leather seats and door-pockets, a rosewood and turned aluminium dashboard with brass-ringed instruments, map-reading light, and replica Bugatti foot pedals. Leather bonnet straps, P100 headlamps, monogrammed radiator cap and gear knob complete the period impression.
Only 3,000 miles have been recorded since completion. The vendor has owned the car since 1998, and is reluctantly selling, in order to spend more time with family in Australia.
Currently taxed, with an MOT until November 2013, the V5C records the car as a 'Bugatti two-axle rigid body sports', first registered in April 1985.
There is a large file of documents and photographs, charting the build process, together with a box of useful spares and a video produced by Carlton Television, featuring this car on programme no.26 of their 1999 series "The Motor Show":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10VxLqjTIik
The icing on the cake is a very distinctive (and transferable) FUF 700 number plate, originally issued in Brighton in 1939. Altogether a most appealing, useable, and beautifully built motorcar that is guaranteed to draw a crowd.