Tag Archives: Brescia

1st Mass Production 16 Valve – Bugatti Type 23 Brescia Tourer

Leave a Reply

Following victories for the 16 valve Bugatti Type 13 in the 1920 VIII Coupe des Voiturettes at Le Mans and 1921 I Gran Premio delle Vetturette run in Brescia demand for touring vehicles powered Bugatti’s 16 valve 4 cylinder motors, known post 1921 as the ‘Brescia’, began to rise.

Bugatti Type 23 Brescia Tourer, Goodwood Festival of Speed

To meet the demand in 1920 Ettore fitted the Brescia 16 Valve motor into the Type 23 boat tale tourer first seen in eight valve form in 1913.

Bugatti Type 23 Brescia Tourer, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Type 23 Brescia Tourer thus became the first 16 valve mass production vehicle with 2000 units sold before production was halted in 1926.

Bugatti Type 23 Brescia Tourer, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Well known as a bit of a curmudgeon on the issue of front brakes Ettore did not sanction them as standard items on the Type 23 until the final year of production 1926.

Bugatti Type 23 Brescia Tourer, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Today’s featured Type 23 Brescia Tourer, seen at Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, was delivered new to a Czechoslovakian customer in 1926.

Bugatti Type 23 Brescia Tourer, Goodwood Festival of Speed

It underwent a two year restoration in 1990/91 and is I believe currently owned by a Trustee of the Bugatti Trust.

Thanks for joining me on this “1st Mass Production 16 Valve” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again when I’ll be looking at some small cars at Carmel by the Sea. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

8 Cylinders 24 Valves – Bugatti Type 30

1 Reply

Late in 1922 until 1926 Ettore Bugatti offered the 2 litre / 122 cui Type 30

Bugatti T30, Huntley, VSCC, Prescott

The Type 30 was however not all new the horseshoe radiator was carried over from the later Type 13/22/23 Voiturette Brescia models…

Bugatti T30, Huntley, VSCC, Prescott

as was the chassis which was available with 100.4″ or 112.2″ wheelbase and “occasionally” with a 94.5″ wheelbase option, ie the same options as for the earlier models.

Bugatti T30, Huntley, VSCC, Prescott

The front brakes on the early Type 30’s built between 1922 were hydraulic operated but from 1924 to ’26 they were cable operated as were the rear brakes on all Type 30’s.

Bugatti T30, Huntley, VSCC, Prescott

It is believed around 600 Type 30’s were built, the recently restored example seen here at last years VSCC Prescott meeting, driven by Douglas Huntley, was originally built in 1925.

Thanks for joining me on this “8 Cylinders 24 Valves” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at Red Bull’s 2013 season. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Do Not Touch The Cars – Bugatti Type 13 Brescia

2 Replies

This month’s Tuesday blogs will feature some Vintage Bugatti’s starting with today’s featured Type 13 Brescia.

After the success enjoyed by Bugatti following the second place finish in the 1911 French Grand Prix by Ernest Friderich driving a 1368 cc / 83 cui Voiturette Type 13 to the mighty 10 litre / 589 cui winning FIAT S76 driven by Victor Hemery Bugatti future up until the beginning of the Great War hostilities in 1914.

Bugatti Type 13 Brescia, Ward, Prescott

At the out break of hostilities Ettore Bugatti took two Type 13’s to Milan and buried the parts of three more for the duration. In 1918 Ettore returned to his factory in Molsheim with his two Type 13’s and built up three more from the buried parts.

These cars were entered into the 1920 VIII Coupe des Voiturettes at Le Mans where Ernest Friderich drove one of the cars two victory Team mate Pierre de Vizcaya was disqualified from the event after Ettore was observed by officials to have touched the radiator of the #18 which counted as receiving outside assistance.

Bugatti Type 13 Brescia, Ward, Prescott

In September 1921 Ettore sent a team of four cars with slightly larger 1,453cc / 88.6 cui motors to compete in the I Gran Premio delle Vetturette run in Brescia, Northern Italy and after just under 3 hours of racing Ernest Friderich led home a Bugatti sweep of the first four places, subsequently all Bugatti’s with 16 valve heads including the Type 13’s, Type 22’s and Type 23’s fitted with 16 valve head motors, were given the Brescia moniker in memory of the victory.

Bugatti Type 13 Brescia, Ward, Prescott

The Type 13 was manufactured with 8 valve and 16 valve cylinder heads from 1910 to 1926 being fitted with front brakes as standard only in the final year of production, Ettore having oft been quoted as saying “I make cars to go, not to stop.”

Bugatti Type 13 Brescia, Ward, Prescott

The 1921 Type 13 Brescia seen above driven by Michael Ward at Prescott is notable for having front brakes fitted.

My thanks to Michael Fines, Felix Muelas and Barttore at The Nostalgia Forum for their help in determining which cars Ettore sent to Brescia in 1921.

Thanks for joining me on this “Do Not Touch The Cars” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow, when I be looking at how the Mercedes Formula One team got on in 2013. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Hill Climbing “Pam” – Ferrari 512M #1024

4 Replies

Old racing cars do not die, they just get harder to identify, a case in point is the Ferrari 512M which is painted in the colours of the Ecurie Fillipinetti racing team.

Ferrari 512M, Silverstone Classic PD

Thanks to Aardy at FerrariChat this vehicle has been identified as chassis #1024, a vehicle that was built in 512S guise, then before it ever turned a wheel in anger got upgraded for the 1971 season to 512M specification, distinguishable by less rounded body panels and the winglets hanging on either side of the tail.

Ferrari 512M, Silverstone Classic PD

25 Ferrari 512’s were built to conform to the FIA Group 5 regulations that were in force for sports cars from 1969 to 1971.

Ferrari 512M, Silverstone Classic PD

Unlike Porsche who supplied four different independently funded teams with 917’s that had factory backing creating a competitive inter marque rivalry, Ferrari ran its main effort from the factory and gave little or no support to the customer teams like Scuderia Brescia Corse which originally ran chassis #1024 seen here.

Ferrari 512M, Silverstone Classic PD

Power for the 512 Group 5 racing cars came from a 560 hp 60º V12 displacing 4993 cc / 304.6 cui with 4 valves per cylinder.

Ferrari 512M, Silverstone Classic PD

The sound of this vehicle in the enclosed confines of the garage is well beyond expletive awesome, pure magic IMHO.

Ferrari 512M, Silverstone Classic PD

The M specs rear bodywork was clearly influenced by the work JW Automotive had done on the rear of the Porsche 917 for the 1970 season.

Ferrari 512M, Silverstone Classic PD

The most frequent driver of this Scuderia Brescia Corse vehicle in World Sports Car and Interserie (a European Version of Can Am) championships raced under the pseudonym ‘PAM’.

Thanks to REDARMYSOJA aka Robby Stockman at The Nostalgia Forum, we know the identity of ‘PAM’ was Marsilio Pasotti who raced a variety of vehicles including Fiat Abarths and a Ferrari 206 from at least 1962 to 1977.

It transpires that ‘PAM‘ won his class in the Italian and European Touring car championships in the 1960’s and took four outright victories on the Malegno-Borno hillclimb.

Ferrari 512M, Silverstone Classic PD

The steel chassis already heavier than the alloy chassis Porsche 917, combined with the weight disadvantage of the 512’s cooling system over the air cooled 917 meant the 512 was 100 kg / 220 lbs heavier than the Porsche which thanks to it’s flat 12 engine layout also had a significant handling advantage because of it’s lower centre of gravity.

Ferrari 512M, Silverstone Classic PD

The 512 was relatively outclassed by the 917 in results, though ‘PAM’ did win the Malegno-Borno hillclimb with the vehicle pictured.

Ferrari 512M, Silverstone Classic PD

In 1970 the 512 was driven to victories at Sebring and Kyalami but none in the World Sports Car Championship during 1971.

Ferrari 512M, Silverstone Classic PD

This vehicle was completely restored in 2001 and sold to an American collector in May 2008. Nick Mason also owns a 512 in the older 1970 ‘S’ guise.

Ferrari 512M, Silverstone Classic PD

This car should be out racing during the forth coming Silverstone Classic weekend, with luck I might just see and hear it in action.

My thanks to everyone at FerrariChat and The Nostalgia Forum for their help identifying the real identities of the car and original driver ‘PAM’.

Thanks for popping by for Ferrari Friday at ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ I hope you’ll join me again when I’ll be celebrating the 30th anniversary of my first trip to Le Mans. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share