The first Bugatti Type 35B was a full-blown success story

When the Bugatti Type 35 was introduced at the 1924 Paris Motor Show, few could have imagined the immediate impact it would have on motorsport – or indeed, the company's fortunes several decades later…

Initially using a 2.0-litre straight-8 engine (first naturally aspirated, then supercharged soon afterwards), the Type 35 took the world of motor racing by storm. The model’s continual development by forward-thinking company founder Ettore ensured it would create a legacy still referenced to this day – its success illustrated by numerous GP wins, a World Championship title and five successive triumphs at the Targa Florio. In its ultimate incarnation, the 35B (or 35TC) used a supercharged 2.3-litre; and the precursor of the 35B is widely thought to be Chassis 4814.

Personality transplant at birth

Built at the Molsheim factory in 1926, records show that the car was originally intended to leave as a 35T: a non-blown, 2.3-litre model. However, by the time it left the factory, 4814 had been equipped with a supercharger, effectively making it the first 35TC, according to respected Bugatti historian Pierre-Yves Laugier.

Targa Florio provenance

Chassis 4814 was entered in various European races and hillclimbs in period, including the Klausen Hill Climb (1926 and 1927) and the Targa Florio in 1928. Crashed later in 1928 and rebuilt the following year, it carried on competing into the early 1930s before disappearing until 1951, when it curiously resurfaced with a BMW 328 Roadster body. Purchased not long afterwards by the famous ‘Bugatti Hunter’ Antoine Raffaelli, it was later restored to the correct configuration using original factory parts, after which it continued to be campaigned until today. While other racing machines from later eras focus on ‘matching numbers’, pre-War Bugattis had their parts individually stamped, so verifying the origin of each component is a lengthy but vital process.

Leading the charge

Though the car has both a continuous competition history and its own fascinating story, 4814 is perhaps even more notable for the fact that it effectively paved the way for the 35B – the car that cemented the Type 35 into Bugatti folklore. The marque was eventually usurped by the likes ofMercedes, Auto Union and Maserati, but the chapter written during the 1920s gave Bugatti a name worth resurrecting decades later.

Photos: © Peter Aylward for Classic Driver

The Bugatti Type 35TC (chassis 4814) seen here is currently for sale via William I'Anson Ltd.

You can find numerous modern and pre-War Bugattis for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

via http://www.classicdriver.com

KRUGGER HITS THE BMW K1600 FOR SIX

The BMW K1600 is a touring machine par excellence. It has six cylinders, seven computers, multiple drive modes and adaptive headlights. It’s the kind of machine that sends journalists into raptures, and wins Motorcycle Of The Year awards.

It is not, however, a bike that anyone in their right mind would want to customize. The suspension is fiendishly complex, the wiring loom puts the Space Shuttle to shame, and weight is somewhere on the wrong side of 700 pounds.

But if you’re Fred “Krugger” Bertrand, a K1600 is just another challenge. With an AMD World Championship under his belt, there’s not much that fazes Belgium’s leading motorcycle builder.

BMW Motorrad picked their man wisely for their latest custom project, and Krugger has rewarded their faith with a bike even more amazing than his 2010 ‘Veon’ Harley.

“Building a bike is easy,” he says, “but building a bike and keeping all the technology of the K1600 is more difficult. The biggest problem was including all the electronics, from the computers to the ABS box, and even small stuff like sensors.”

So Krugger left the electronics and engine intact, and changed pretty much everything else. And then wrapped the K1600 in bodywork that wouldn’t look out of place in the next Tron movie.

The powerhouse straight-six engine is suspended in a completely new frame—long and low, and hooked up to a new swingarm. The Duolever front suspension is heavily modified too, with only the original shock remaining.

Krugger’s inspiration was the iconic pre-War BMW R7. He’s a convert to 1930s Art Deco style, and you can see those elements in the hand-formed steel and aluminum bodywork. Which, incidentally, is not the product of CAD: Krugger uses jigs and cardboard mockups to get the lines right, taking the Japanese approach of observing where shadows fall, and playing on the contrast between light and dark.

The wheels are 21” at the front and 20” at the back, machined from American-made blanks. Krugger has installed a complete new Beringer brake system, using six-piston calipers at the front, four pistons at the back and radial master cylinders. The system is hooked up to the standard BMW ABS, which was no easy task.

The engine internals are left alone, but Krugger has relocated the radiators to the side: “It leaves the front of the engine open, to accentuate the six exhaust pipes.” The main fuel tank is now under the seat, and it’s fed by a second tank (complete with filler) in the tail unit.

The curves, surfaces and textures on this machine are quite extraordinary, and they’ve also given the bike its name: NURBS. It’s a mathematical term meaning ‘Non-Uniform Rational B-spline,’ a concept developed in the 1950s by engineers looking for a way to replicate freeform surfaces in car and ship design. (And, of course, there’s a nod to the German Nürburgring racetrack in there, too.)

Krugger’s K1600 is being unveiled tonight by BMW Motorrad France in Paris, at a custom show on the banks of the Seine. It probably won’t find favor with riders who buy the K1600 for its mile-munching abilities—but it proves that Fred Krugger remains in a league of his own when it comes to building high-concept customs.

Krugger Motorcycles | BMW Motorrad France | Images by Thierry Dricot.

2015 FIA R-GT Cup : Cerise sur le gâteau rallye ? / the cherry rally sport’s cake?

GT. L'appellation fait rêver par ce qu'elle évoque d'histoire, de prestige, de mythe. Après des engagements isolés en WRC - Marc Duez au Monte-Carlo, Jani Ylipahkala en Finlande et Richard Tuthill au récent Rallye Deutschland - deux Porsche s'affrontent ce week-end sur les routes du Rallye de France-Alsace aux mains de François Delecour et Romain Dumas. Et voilà que la FIA annonce pour 2015 une Coupe réservée à ce type de voitures...

Le calendrier de cette nouvelle compétition compte cinq fort belles épreuves, choisies en WRC et ERC : Rallye Monte-Carlo, Geko Ypres Rally, Rallye Deutschland, Rallye International du Valais et Tour de Corse.

« L'idée est d'ouvrir les rallyes à des voitures différentes », explique Jérôme Toquet, délégué technique de la FIA. « Pour entrer dans ce groupe R-GT, les modèles doivent être produits à trois cent exemplaires minimum, et satisfaire, entre autres, aux cotes d'habitabilité de la catégorie. Il n'y a pas besoin d'une homologation du Constructeur. »

« Le préparateur peut donc directement obtenir un passeport technique - sorte de fiche d'homologation simplifiée - attaché à chaque voiture. En ce qui concerne les modifications autorisées, l'esprit est celui du Gr.N. Moteur, carrosserie très proche de la série. Deux roues motrices, boîte de vitesses libre, séquentielle par exemple, suspensions et freins adaptés à la compétition. »

« Pour mettre sur un pied d'égalité les différents modèles, le critère choisi est le rapport poids-puissance. Nous connaissons le poids mini, et un restricteur d'air (bride) à l'admission nous permet de limiter la puissance pour arriver à un rapport 3,4 kg par cheval. »

Au Rallye de France-Alsace, par exemple, la Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 3,8 litres de François Delecour a une bride de 39 mm de diamètre, la version 4 litres de Romain Dumas devant se contenter de 38 mm. Pour des puissances que les pilotes évaluent aux alentours de 350 ch. Les deux pilotes attendent avec intérêt le verdict des chronos favorables type Col de la Charbonnière ou Vallée de Munster, pour situer le niveau de compétitivité de leurs montures.

La suite ? Romain Dumas craint que le Monte-Carlo, finalement proche, ne laisse que peu de temps au plateau GT pour s'étoffer. Mais sa voiture y sera. Delecour ? Les yeux du vieux loup gris s'allument dès qu'on prononce le nom « Monte-Carlo ». Alors en Porsche, vous imaginez... « Un rêve de gosse ! » Pas moins..

.The prestigious initials ‘GT’ stand for much more than ‘grand tourer’. They also embody so many chapters of automobile history and legends. Following the entries of Marc Duez for the Rallye Monte-Carlo, Jani Ylipahkala in Finland and Richard Tuthill in Germany, there are two Porsche competing on this week’s Rallye de France-Alsace, in the hands of François Delecour and Romain Dumas. Meanwhile, the FIA has announced an official Cup for this type of car in 2015.

The inaugural five-event calendar will combine a blend of WRC and ERC fixtures, namely the Rallye Monte-Carlo, the Geko Ypres Rally, Rallye Deutschland, the Rallye International du Valais and the Tour de Corse.

“The idea is to allow different types of cars to compete on rallies,” says the FIA’s Technical Delegate Jérôme Toquet. “To qualify for the R-GT class, at least 300 of the model in question must have been made and cars must comply with a number of technical requirements, including cockpit space. There is no need for the manufacturer to be involved in the homologation process, however.

“The car’s builder has to apply for an individual technical passport, a sort of simplified homologation document. As far as authorised modifications are concerned, the spirit is the same as for Group N, i.e. near-production body, two-wheel drive and competition suspension and brakes. There are no restrictions concerning gearboxes which can be sequential, for example.

“Performance equality between the different models is based on the weight-to-power ratio. Based on the minimum weight allowed, we can use an intake air restrictor to bring the ratio down to 3.4kg/hp.”

In concrete terms, Delecour’s 3.8-litre Porsche 997 GT3 Cup has a 39mm-diameter restrictor, while that of Dumas’ four-litre version is 38 mm, which ensures a power output estimated to be around 350hp.

As for 2015, the former Le Mans winner believes the fast-approaching Rallye Monte-Carlo won’t leave enough time for the ranks of GT runners to reach a decent size. His Rallye de France car will probably take part, however.

Simply mention the prospect of doing the winter classic in a Porsche to Delecour, however, and you’ll his eyes light up at once. “It’s a dream I’ve had since I was a kid,” he beams!

Yamaha :-)