Name this car....

[Graham (G4FUJ)]

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On 5/27/2024 at 1:51 PM, wlaidlaw said:

Graham,

The T44 looks a bit like a T43 sports car that has been over-indulging in the pies. It has a 3 litre atmospheric engine with supposedly 80HP. The T43 in turn is the sports car version of the T35 racing car. The T44's performance is best described as leisurely, about the same as the slowest version (Blue Label) of a 3 litre Bentley. Unlike many Bugatti cars, the T44 has good brakes if they are well set up, as it uses a DeWandre-Repousseau vacuum servo. The T44 was superceded in 1929 by the T49. 

Wilson

Just to wrap up the Bugatti query  a page or two back: one of my volunteer colleagues (Prescott Work Party) confirmed it was a T44

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[pippy]

18 hours ago, Graham (G4FUJ) said:

Just to wrap up the Bugatti query  a page or two back: one of my volunteer colleagues (Prescott Work Party) confirmed it was a T44

Graham! Could you ask your colleagues which model of Bugatti is shown here?;

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

😸

Actually there's no real need. This, believe it or not, is rather an interesting thing! I saw it a few days ago where (obviously) it was doing its part on a fairground ride situated on the dock-side in the port of Dieppe, Normandy. It looked surprisingly well-made so I grabbed a few snaps. Here are a couple more pics to give a clearer understanding of why I found it to be so intriguing;

Nicely-cast Eight-Spoke Bugatti Alloy 'replicas' and a really decently shaped set of front wings;

 

The Honey-comb front grille and (drooping) headlights;

 

Despite an admirable attempt to disguise the 'car' as the one driven so recklesssly by Cruella DeVil there are tell-tale signs that, underneath the Argent-over-Sable paint scheme, traces of the original French Racing Blue can still be spotted.

Instead of the 'Bugatti' oval on the radiator there is the name 'De La Chapelle'. THIS, courtesey of a quick google, is where matters start to become clearer. Rather than my pretending to take the credit of 'Sherlocking' I'll simply post links to the relevant sites. The above car, it seems likely, started life as a Bugatti T55 'Junior Replica Model';

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_La_Chapelle

Their website is also worth a look;

https://www.delachapelle.com/en/home/

Hope some of that was interesting to some of you!

Philip.

Edited May 31, 2024 by pippy

[NigelG]

The 101 Dalmatiens (101 Dalmatians) logo is unfortunately in error - forgive the pedantry but this thread is often quite “precise”.

In the live action film Cruella drives a (hideous but appropriately-named) ) Panther De Ville (reg DEV 1L) but in the earlier animated version it looks more like a Mercedes 500K Cabriolet.

Digging deeper it seems that an obvious inspiration was the Bugatti (Type 41 “Royale”) but the Disney “Fandom” lists the Austin A125 Sheerline as the car in the book 🤔

Maybe we need a “Movie Car” section…

[wlaidlaw]

I think the car nearest to the Cartoon Cruella's car is the Daimler Double 6 (v12) with the Corsica Drophead body. 

Wilson

[pippy]

36 minutes ago, wlaidlaw said:

I think the car nearest to the Cartoon Cruella's car is the Daimler Double 6 (v12) with the Corsica Drophead body. 

Wilson

Not being au fait with the above mentioned I had a quick look. Nicely ostentatious!

Philip.

[wlaidlaw]

The Daimler is better to look at than to drive,I suspect, like so many large vintage cars.

I was talking a few weeks ago to someone who had bought at auction and imported back to Europe from the USA, a 1929 Isotta Fraschini 8A, bodied in the USA by an unknown coachbuilder, with a very handsome 4 seater dual cowl cabriolet, probably a locally made copy of the Italian Castagna coachwork. Apparently it weighed in at well over 2 tons so although it had over 150 BHP, it was not fast. Worst of all was the steering. My friend assumed there was something very wrong with it, as at low speeds it was near immovable, so had it taken on a trailer to a supposed expert on vintage  Isottas in France. He was told that the steering was actually quite good for an Isotta 8A and that he just needed to go to the gym more. He is slightly shorter and about the same skinny build as I am, so I am guessing he may sell on the Isotta to someone who can actually steer it. I suggested he get a Bentley 3½ or 4¼ Litre cabriolet, which would be far nicer to drive and there are some very pretty cabriolet bodied versions around or alternatively get an EPAS electric power steering booster fitted to the Isotta. 

Wilson

[pippy]

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2 hours ago, wlaidlaw said:

...Worst of all was the steering. My friend assumed there was something very wrong with it, as at low speeds it was near immovable, so had it taken on a trailer to a supposed expert on vintage  Isottas in France. He was told that the steering was actually quite good for an Isotta 8A and that he just needed to go to the gym more...

😸

This reminded me of a passage in the truly wonderful book 'Into the Red' by Nick Mason and Mark Hales. Here is Mr. Mason talking about his (then) just-newly-restored Bugatti T35B;

"Having never had a test-drive in the car I was taken aback by its unbelievably heavy handling. I thought this was what Real Men drove until I invited a Bugatti expert, Hamish Moffat, to try the car round the old Nurburgring. "My God," he said upon returning, "You're a Hero." The axle wedges (during the rebuild / restoration) had been fitted upside down requiring me to exert enormous extra pressure on the steering-wheel..."

Philip.

[wlaidlaw]

32 minutes ago, pippy said:

😸

This reminded me of a passage in the truly wonderful book 'Into the Red' by Nick Mason and Mark Hales. Here is Mr. Mason talking about his (then) just-newly-restored Bugatti T35B;

"Having never had a test-drive in the car I was taken aback by its unbelievably heavy handling. I thought this was what Real Men drove until I invited a Bugatti expert, Hamish Moffat, to try the car round the old Nurburgring. "My God," he said upon returning, "You're a Hero." The axle wedges (during the rebuild / restoration) had been fitted upside down requiring me to exert enormous extra pressure on the steering-wheel..."

Philip.

I am convinced the axle wedges were wrongly adjusted on our T57SC amongst myriad other problems. This results in too great a camber angle, with excessive self-centring of the steering and if you tried to take a roundabout in anything approaching a sporting manner, the steering wheel would almost pull out of your hands. The problem is that there was really nobody in the south of France who has a clue on setting up Bugatti suspension and in the UK, the only people we would trust are Ivan and Tim Dutton, who had a very long waiting list. Somebody in the USA made a silly offer for the car, which he admitted was to clean up on Concours events, Amelia Island etc and it was a stunning looking car with the Gangloff Coupé body.  it would after he bought it, really be driven on and off a trailer only. That was what the previous owner to us, Ralph Lauren had done after its excellent cosmetic restoration and probably all the car was fit for, without a complete engine, gearbox and suspension rebuild. 

Wilson

PS I have the book and the sound effects CD of "Into the Red" 

[pippy]

7 minutes ago, wlaidlaw said:

...PS I have the book and the sound effects CD of "Into the Red"...

On the day I bought the book I had a two-hour drive ahead of me on a glorious summers day. Intrigued by the CD it was duly inserted into the player in the car.

Whilst sitting at a set of traffic lights - windows-down - I noticed that the driver of the car in the adjacent lane was staring at my car in a very confused manner which I found mildly surprising. Then it dawned on me that the 'track' playing somewhat LOUDLY at the time was that of the BRM V16 revving its nuts off!

😸

Philip.

[wlaidlaw]

Have you watched listened to the tribute sanction 2 BRM V16, driven by the Stig in the Catesby Tunnel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIWyeynMAi4  

Wilson

 

[pippy]

58 minutes ago, wlaidlaw said:

Have you watched listened to the tribute sanction 2 BRM V16, driven by the Stig in the Catesby Tunnel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIWyeynMAi4 

😸

No, Wilson, I hadn't seen that so thanks for the post. Such an utterly bonkers car in every respect! 70 years ago they managed to extract 600Hp from a mere 1.5 litres and the whole shebang made up from some 36,000 individual parts! Nick Mason, writing in the book, sums it up wonderfully with this observation that;

"The BRM is still one of the most exotic of racing cars; a fabulously complicated engineering project with all the optimistic vision of Victorians trying to build a space rocket..."

I was very fortunate to see (and even more fortunate to hear!) Nick Mason's example one year when it was demonstrated as part of the Goodwood Revival. Absolutely astonishing. I can empathise with Becky Evans' schoolkid-esque grin. When confronted by the sight and sound of the V16 one can't help but look somewhat glaikit...

Philip.

[wlaidlaw]

Philip, 

You may need to explain to our readers, less familiar with Scottish dialect the meaning of "Glaikit" 😆

Wilson

[Indeepthought]

I once stood at the bottom of the hill at Brands, it was a Lambo day, as the cars accelerated up the hill the sound and reverberation where unbelievable.. 🍷

[pippy]

6 hours ago, wlaidlaw said:

...You may need to explain to our readers, less familiar with Scottish dialect the meaning of "Glaikit" 😆......

😸

Interesting proposition, Wilson, but far too tricky (for me!) to explain. Is there even an accurate equivalent in English-English?............

A strange mélange of childood wonder; incomprehension; undiluted glee; bafflement; delight; astonisment......but never stupidity.

Personally, when directed at myself, I always take it as a compliment. "I Find it Wiser. I Find it Safer..."......😸......

Philip.

Edited May 31, 2024 by pippy

[NigelG]

2 hours ago, pippy said:

Interesting proposition, Wilson, but far too tricky (for me!) to explain. Is there even an accurate equivalent in English-English?............

A strange mélange of childood wonder; incomprehension; undiluted glee; bafflement; delight; astonisment......but never stupidity.

Well my Scots is possibly not the best despite my wife’s family’s best and ever-enduring efforts but “glaikit” does strictly have a whiff of “stupidity”…(Scots dictionary def. below)

1. Stupid, foolish; thoughtless, irresponsible, flighty, frivolous (gen. applied to women).

2. Playful, full of pranks; wanton; sportive, roguish (of the eyes).

3. Deceitful, shifty.

4. Over-fond “applied to a child too fond of its mother and refusing to be parted from her at any time” 

Or Pre 1700

Senseless, foolish. a. Of persons. b. Of actions or sayings.

 

FYI my favourite Scots word (that doesn’t really have a simple English English equivalent is “ Perjink”)

[NigelG]

However - we need a puzzle car whether we glaikit or not…🙄

[Perkin]

9 hours ago, wlaidlaw said:

I am convinced the axle wedges were wrongly adjusted on our T57SC amongst myriad other problems. This results in too great a camber angle, with excessive self-centring of the steering and if you tried to take a roundabout in anything approaching a sporting manner, the steering wheel would almost pull out of your hands. The problem is that there was really nobody in the south of France who has a clue on setting up Bugatti suspension and in the UK, the only people we would trust are Ivan and Tim Dutton, who had a very long waiting list. Somebody in the USA made a silly offer for the car, which he admitted was to clean up on Concours events, Amelia Island etc and it was a stunning looking car with the Gangloff Coupé body.  it would after he bought it, really be driven on and off a trailer only. That was what the previous owner to us, Ralph Lauren had done after its excellent cosmetic restoration and probably all the car was fit for, without a complete engine, gearbox and suspension rebuild. 

Wilson

PS I have the book and the sound effects CD of "Into the Red" 

Laurent Rondini

Ventoux Moteurs Ingénierie S.a.r.L.

56 Boulevard Louis Giraud

84200 Carpentras

France

+33 4 90 60 23 98

[a.j.z]

Am 30.5.2024 um 08:53 schrieb Indeepthought:

Steyr Puch 😗

Btw: it is your turn

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[wlaidlaw]

6 hours ago, Perkin said:

Laurent Rondini

Ventoux Moteurs Ingénierie S.a.r.L.

56 Boulevard Louis Giraud

84200 Carpentras

France

+33 4 90 60 23 98

I thought he was a Bugatti engine specialist only, not suspension. 

Wilson

[Indeepthought]

1 hour ago, a.j.z said:

Btw: it is your turn

No, there were 2 correct guesses on the Toyota/Scion/BRZ.