Made in China - Replica documentary tank
Vittore Bugatti first entry on the stage of the Grand Prix in 1922 after numerous successes over the previous two years with 1 -liter valve 16 carts racing 1922 to 1925, the regulations have imposed a maximum engine capacity of two liters if Bugatti designed a purpose built race straight-eight engine that made its debut in a team of three cars equipped body cigar-shaped for the french grand Prix this year held on July 15, ideally on routes between Strasbourg and Molsheim one car raced in the grand Prix of Italy later in the season and with five cars bodied modified participated in the Indianapolis 1923 500, but victories at this high level of racing eluded them ambitious creator.
At the end of 1922 passenger versions of the car race of two liters were used in the production and Bugatti REGULARLY his mind in the design of a new Grand Prix car for the next season he hopes to prove more successful this whole car was new, the underslung chassis with its quarter-elliptical suspension reversed at both ends of its five engine crankshaft bearing with rods connecting the roller-bearing, its three-speed transmission and contoured body wrap that it earned the nickname of the tank.
A prototype was built, followed by a team of four race cars, which debuted in 1923 French GPs in Tours The new cars were no doubt quick a later timed at 117 mph over a km, but their wheelbase remarkably short caused high-speed handling difficulties for their conductors, aggravated perhaps by their body generating aerodynamic lift may therefore two crushes tanks at the start of the race and one in the retirement, leaving Friderich to complete the 500-mile event a distant third some twenty-five minutes behind Sunbeam earn Segrave never the tanks ran into a grand Prix and at the end of the season held a Bugatti and sold three, the one has already been written off in Tours.
In the early 70s, Bob Sutherland became increasingly fascinated by tanks Bugatti He studied avidly all published information available until it became so addicted that he had to have one but he knew there was only one survivor, the one that the plant had stored, and it was hidden from view from the Schlumpf collection and certainly not available to most it was in private ownership England, but not for sale, engine, transmission and various other parts accordingly, he decided that was his desire, if he could not buy a tank so his only alternative was to make one.
But how there were no drawings, and not enough detailed pictures to allow the construction of a truly faithful replica with enough information to work from and no complete car to inspect and copy, the ambitious project seems to have locked before leaving the ground.
A year later, a fortuitous turn of events in France revived the project when the Schlumpf Collection doors were open to the public for the first time with his friend Peter Shaw renovator Bob went in Mulhouse in November 1978 to examine them in minute details tank and thus upgrade the viability of building a replica they crawled all over the car and took thousands of photos until they are convinced that they had all the information they need to keep the project was again, and celebrate the centenary Bugatti in Alsace in September 1981 was set as the deadline for completion.
Peter Shaw in England began construction of the chassis and bodywork of the photographs back in America, a Bugatti Type 35A full engine was purchased and exchanged against a housing of a Type 30 gun design a piece which almost resembled a s tank, outside the mounting details Meanwhile, Paul Foulkes-halberd, who owned the coin collection tank in England, had generously threw double its steering gear housing, transaxle housing and master cylinder brake many other essential items were provided by different Bugatti friends and suppliers.
Back in Colorado, Bob Seiffert worked on the engine, changing the type casing 30 for exactly the reservoir size and the reconstruction of the rest of the unit 30 the type of original design three crankshaft bearings has been retained, but equipped with modern paved rods connecting the early 1981 Shaw completed its work on the axles and started up the chassis finished engine was chartered in England, but time Seiffert and Shaw worked late into the night during a week before the start of the rally, and the car was finally started and briefly drove for the first time last afternoon, the next day they left the trailer to the car in Molsheim for the start of the rally.
During the rally the car was much admired by Elizabeth Junek who with her husband, bought one of Bugatti tanks in 1923 and led in several hillclimbs Czechoslovak Immediately after the gathering of a number of teething problems initial have been resolved before the tank was towed in Tours where, fifty-eight years after the event, he was trained at representative speeds around the course in 1923 large original price the following year, the car was delivered in Colorado, after which the two Bobs, Sutherland and Seiffert, competed in the car in a number of historical events on the West coast.
Over the years since the car has been exercised from time to time in the appropriate events, more recently, by a third Bob, the Antipodes authority Bugatti Dr. Bob King, first to 1997 Winton historic meeting of Australia and their Sandown and Phillip Island events and finally to Winton again in 1998, Bob wrote later in glowing terms of his driving impressions of this reservoir in the Bulletin Australian Bugatti, being particularly praised its performance and, contrary to expectations, handling.
But surely the most picturesque driving cameo was provided in 1983 by Bob Sutherland himself, writing in his inimitable style in Thoroughbred, the quarterly journal of the Club American Bugatti on how the car was designed and built You can well imagine that with no firewall ago intimate communication between the driver and the machinery hum clutch dangerously close to a left leg, the pipes are hot oil splashes on you, and there are many exhaust, hot water, steam, noise and danger the exhaust glows, gas dribbling regularly on your feet, and turns against the light very exciting universe.
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