1931 Bugatti Type 51

This car competed in three races, including the Richard Seaman Historic Trophy race, at the VSCC's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in May 2011.

It's Stephen Shoosmith in his 1931 Bugatti Type 51 at McLeans corner during the Williams Trophy Race for Pre-1934 Grand PrixCars. This car has a supercharged 2,262cc twin cam straight-8 engine and has the same chassis and body as the Type 35, but with a twin cam instead of a single cam engine.

Williams Trophy Race

I took this photograph at Redgate corner on the first lap of the Williams Trophy Race at the VSCC's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in June 2008. The race celebrates the win of Grover Williams in the first Monaco Grand Prix in 1929 and the trophy that he won in that race is in the custody of the Bugatti Trust, and is given to the winner of this race to hold for one year.

Leading is the 1932 Bugatti T51 of  Charles Dean and close behind him the 1926 Bugatti T35B of Mike Preston. The light blue car in the centre of the picture is the 1928 Bugatti T35B of Brandon Smith-Hilliard with the 1927 Lea-Francis Hyper of Miss E Brewster, driven by Jeremy Brewster, coming round on the outside. The red car on the left of the picture is the 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C Monza of Graham Burrows being driven by Chris Mann, and almost alongside him is the 1931 Bugatti T51 of Stephen Shoosmith.

1931 Bugatti Type 51

I photographed this car at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Donington Park in May 2001.

It's not got a race number, so I'm not certain that it took part in the meeting, but appears to be a Bugatti Type 51 and I have found an item dated 2008 on a Bugatti website which says that, according to a one-time owner Roger Buxton it was built up on a Type 35C chassis. One of the races at this Donington Park meeting includes an entry for Roger Buxton with a 1931 Bugatti Type 51 with an engine capacity of 2,270cc. The Type 51 usually has a 2,262cc engine, but the DVLA record for ESU 700 shows the capacity as 2,270cc.

1931 Bugatti Type 51

This car competed in the Richard Seaman Memorial Historic Trophy Race at the VSCC's meeting at Oulton Park in June 1984.

It's Geoffrey St John's supercharged 1931 2,220cc Straight-8 Bugatti Type 51. The Type 51 was an evolution of the Type 35B with twin overhead camshafts instead of the single camshaft of the earlier car. It may be chassis 51160 or BC34 as Geoffrey St John owned both those cars.

Bugatti Type 51

This car competed in three races, including the Richard Seaman Historic Trophy race, at the VSCC's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in May 2011.

It's the Bugatti Type 51 of Stephen Shoosmith, a 1931 car with a supercharged 2,262cc twin cam straight-8 engine. It has the same chassis and body as the Type 35, but with a twin cam instead of a single cam engine.

On 7 October 2013 I showed photographs of this and other Bugattis at McLeans Corner during the Williams Trophy race at this meeting.

Bugatti Type 51

I photographed this car in the paddock at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in August 1996.

It's Charles Dean's 1932 2.3 litre supercharged straight-8 Bugatti Type 51 and may be chassis #51126, although there is some controversy about this chassis number.

On 12 July 2017 I showed a photograph of another Bugatti Type 51 (#51146) at Silverstone in 1998.

Bugatti Type 51

I photographed this car in the pit garage at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

It's E Dean Butler's 2,262cc supercharged straight-8 1931 Bugatti Type 51 and it appears to be chassis 51146, the car with which Louis Chiron won the 1931 Monaco Grand Prix. The Type 51 was the successor to the more well-known Type 35 of the 1920s. At this Silverstone meeting the car competed in the HGPCA Pre-1952 Grand Prix Car Race.

More Bugattis at Donington Park

More photographs of Bugattis at Donington Park, this time from the SeeRed meeting in September 2005.

1931 Bugatti Type 51

Bonhams auctioneers brought along a few cars and this one is a 1928 Bugatti Type 35B

Another Bonhams Bugatti, this one described as a 1935 Type 59/50B

This is a 1934 Bugatti Type 59

And this last one is a 1939 Bugatti Type 59 recreation

Bugattis at Donington Park

The second race at the SeeRed Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Donington Park on 21st May 2011 was the 'Williams Trophy Race for Pre-1934 Grand Prix Cars'. Taking part in this race were several Bugattis and below are photographs of five of the cars taken at McLeans Corner.

Duncan Pittaway in a 1925 Type 35

Bruce Stops in a 1928 Type 35

Stephen Shoosmith in a 1931 Type 51

David Hands in a 1925 Type 39

John Horton in a 1930 Type 35B