Chassis N° 51132 Frame N°704 Engine N°189 ex-51138

- Car entered by the factory in the 1931 Belgian Grand Prix with Divo and Bouriat

- The car in which JP Wimille achieved his first victory in a Bugatti

- The only 51 equipped with Figoni bodywork in the 1930s

- Formerly owned by Marc Newson

- Carefully restored by Derek Hitchman

- Engine redone in correct 2300cc configuration by Antoine Schann (Bugatelier)

- Numerous original parts

- Documented by Pierre Yves Laugier

This car is exceptional in more ways than one, having been one of the cars entered by the factory for the 1931 season and then one of the Bugattis used by driver Jean-Pierre Wimille before he switched to Alfa Romeo. This car, originally chassis 51132 with frame number 704, still has many original parts and has the advantage of having been fully appraised by Pierre-Yves Laugier, whose historical analysis is summarized here. We advise buyers to consult the full version of the lot description and his formidable research in the online catalog.

FACTORY DAYS July to December 1931. 

That particular chassis has been assembled in the early days of july 1931 by Bugatti Factory to get type 51 engine 2300 cc N° 15. It is the first of five type 51 assembled in july 1931. 

The Bugatti factory ask the Police in Strasbourg to get car licence 4799 NV 1 the first of five types. We can tell, from pictures, comparing 51132 at Spa in july 1931 and 51132 the delivery day to Wimille in december 1931, that it is really car engine 15 which first got car licence 4799 NV 1 for Spa and not any of the two other factory 51 in that race. On 12th july 1931, together with type 51 cars engines 13 and 14, 51132/15 went to Belgium to enter the 3rd belgian Grand prix in Spa. 

The car bore the race number 6 was driven by Albert Divo and Guy Bouriat. It had to go back to the pits on 51th lap after mechanical troubles. There are very few chances for 51132/15 to have been checked or repaired to race at Nurburgring the following weekend. And for the last race fo the season on 27 september 1931, the Grand Prix of Brno, we can tell from pictures that 51132 is not one of the 3 cars driven by Bouriat, Chiron or Varzi. 

The chassis number 51132 is definitely allowed the engine number 15 when it was delivered to French pilot Jean- Pierre Wimille. During the 1931 season of races, J.P Wimille made progress in driving his friend's Jean Gaupillat type 51 chassis 51130 in some races. 

WIMILLE-MAREUSE ownership 1932-1934. 

The delivery and Monthlery test drive, December 1931. 

Between 19th and 21th December 1931, the Bugatti 51132, with temporary plates 1764 WW 5 left Molsheim for Ville d'Avray.

The Bugatti type 51 chassis 51132 was purchased for only 80.000 ff. The factory price in October 1930 for the newly coming type 51 was 165.000 ff, but very few first owners in 1931 got strictly new cars. Many of the 20 cars built in 1931 were sold as second hand cars as they entered one or two races for the factory before being sold to private pilots. 

The car arrived from Molsheim to Ville d'Avray and soon went for practice at Monthlery around 21th December 1931. 

We were lucky to find a dozen of pictures of brand new 51132, the day it was driven for the first time by M.Mareuse and J.P Wimille on the Monthlery circuit. The Molsheim temporary plate 1764 WW 5 left no doubt about its identity.

The car is registrated in Paris on 12th january 1932 with number plate 3397 RF 5. 

As Wimille was not living in Paris but in Ville d'Avray which is in Seine et Oise department, we suppose the car was registrated in the name of Marguerite Mareuse at her parisian address on 81-83 Boulevard Hausmann 

 

The Wimille Mareuse racing period 1932-1934. 

The Spring 1932 trip to North Africa. 

A few days after the first victory of Wimille in hill climb, the three Bugatti and their pilots, Marguerite Mareuse and Jean-Pierre Wimille took a boat to Tunisia on the way to their first rendez-vous, the Tunisian Grand Prix on 3 April 1932. 

Wimille drove the type 54 but had to retired because of oil pressure trouble, M.Mareuse finished 14th at the wheel of her 51A chassis 51138, race number 24. 

Three weeks later for the Grand Prix of Oran on 24th April, Wimille drove for the very first time in race, his new 51132, number 8 and won the race. 

It is the first victory of the young Bugatti driver in Grand Prix.

His original silver trophy marked « A.C.O » (Automobile Club d'Oranie) is preserved in the Sport Museum in Nice. Mr Mareuse has an accident with 51138.

The last race of the North African trip was the Casablanca Grand Prix on the circuit of Anfa on 22nd May 1932. Wimille is on the first line at the wheel 51132, race number 2, which is the only left running car of the team.   He was leading the race during 32 of the 67 laps, breaking the lap record, but had to retired having blew up his engine ! 

For the Picardie Grand Prix at Peronne on 5th of June, Pierre Leygonie, Wimille’s best fried was supposed to enter the 2300 cc Type 51 but he didn't appeared, the 2300 cc was surely not repaired. 

The Dieppe Grand Prix on 24th July 1932. 

That date is important in the life of 51132. It is the exact day M.Mareuse arrived on the starting line of a Grand Prix with a 1500 cc Type 51,race number 5, which is 51132 having received 51138 engine. 

M. Mareuse owned two Bugatti 51s, 51132 and 51138. On April 24, 1932, M. Mareuse had an accident in Oran with 51138, which damaged the car's chassis. M. Mareuse's mechanics, so she could continue racing, installed the 1,500 cc engine from 51138, which was in good condition, in the chassis 51132 frame 704, which is the car we are interested in.

The original 51138 car was completely overhauled by M. Mareuse's mechanics and fitted with a replacement frame from the factory (No. 732, a 1933 number) and continued to race using the papers of 51132, from which it received the 2,300 cc engine. This car was sold to Robert Brunet in December 1932 and is now in an American collection. When this car, on the replacement frame no. 732 from 51138, with the 2,300 cc engine from 51132, it was sold to Robert Brunet, it was given the chassis plate from 51132 and its French title by M. Mareuse, on the grounds that the registration document for 51132, showing 18 hp, was correct for its new 2,300 cc engine. The registration document for 51138, for a 12 hp engine, was no longer suitable. An analysis of the car with frame no. 732 can be found in the lot description on our website.

She drove the car during the four first laps but it began to rain and she preferred to give the car to her copilot Pierre Leygonie. 

The pictures of the car on the side of the road, after P. Leygonie caught fire, clearly show clearly some important points: 

The car is from an outside point of view looks exactly as 51132 when new. It retains 51132 registration number 3397 RF 5 on the back of the tail. 

The body is still 51132 body. It is well possible the car already got the back axle from 51138,number 380,but the swap may have occured later in the life of the car. 

After the Dieppe 1932 race,51132 /51138 engine (as we will designate it from now on, following the identity assigned by M. Mareuse to the car presented, which retains frame 704 of 51132) went back to M.Mareuse garage. 

It was possibly overhauled by Framezelle in Neuilly sur Seine. 

In 1933, M.Mareuse planned to enter Le Mans race in June with 51132/eng 51138 with Wimille as co- pilote. They are already in the list of the 1933 Le Mans entries as early as 26 december 

Early in 1933 M.Mareuse and Mlle Lamberjack enter the Monte Carlo rallye with good success. In newspaper dated 14th February 1933, Mareuse confessed her plan for the year: ”I want to enter any Grand Prix with my 1500cc 8 cylinder Bugatti ,and my big wish is to enter Le Mans with JP Wimille. “

Actually, 51132/51138 would never enter any Grand Prix in 1933 and Wimille had moved to Alfa Romeo since june 1932...even if M.Mareuse seemed to try and convince him to race again on her 51A Bugatti at Le Mans.  That information confirm that in early 1933 the car is still in Grand Prix configuration as M.Mareuse wished to race it. 

In l'Auto dated 14 th june 1933, we still have a note telling Mme Mareuse and Wimille are supposed to enter the Le Mans event, but 3 days later they are not in the official entry list!

The Mareuse Paris-Nice Type 51A Torpédo 1934. 

During the 1933 season M. Mareuse was already competing only in rallyes and not anymore in Grand prix as she was dreaming to. But in March 1934, she had modified 51132/51138 in a 4-seater torpedo to enter the Paris Nice. 

We wonder if the car could have been modified as a Torpedo as early as june 1933. 

On 24th March 1934 the cars of the Paris Nice left Paris at 6am.M. Mareuse drives a Bugatti 1500.cc with rallye number 27.   

On 25th March, M.Mareuse did the best time of the Marseille Boulevard Michelet hill climb in 1500.cc class in 42 sec 1/5 at the average of 84.500 km/h.   

On 29th March in La Turbie hill climb, M.Mareuse won the 1500 cc class in 5 min 15 sec at the average of 72 km/h.   

A rare photo of the car in la Turbie hill climb show partially the parisian plate which should read 7398 RF 6 or RF 8, which are plates dated January and March 1932. The car has the large radiator model and is equiped with lamps and sports wings. The race number 27 is painted on the bonnet. When we look carefully, we can see that the body has two small doors and a special undertrail with big louvers, which are quite similar to the ones still on the car the following year when modified by Figoni.The car has rear axle 14x54 as noted in the Paris-Nice results.   

But the 1934 Paris-Nice body doesn't seem to be a first Figoni job, as there is no mention of any Bugatti in 1933-1934 which could have been that car in Figoni records. 

In Newspaper l'Auto dated 12th February 1935 the car is put for sale by the garage owner who was probably in charge to overhaull the car for M. Mareuse.

« BUGATTI 1.500 cmc.8 cyl.,2 arb.à cames, équ.pr 24h du Mans ou Gd Px. Vites. Framezelle, special Bugatti,18,r.Perronet, Neuilly sur Seine » « Bugatti 1500.cc 8 cyl twin cam, equiped for 24 hours Le Mans race or Racing Grand Prix. “

It is an incredible advertising which tells us so much on 51132/51138 in February 1935 ! 

It is the proof the car was prepared to race at Le Mans, probably in 1933, and that the Grand Prix body was still with the car, on the car or rather next to and ready to be put back for racing, which is quite logical. 

The Pinay Figoni Roadster 1935. 

In the archives of the late Bugatti collector Robert Corniere were some of the repair notes from Framezelle garage. 

One note gives the clue of the enigma of the new 1935 owner of 51132/51138. 

“Bugatti 1500 2 arbres à cames.M PINAY.”

That note is not dated, but two more documents will let us determinated it has to be 1935. 

In the archives of famous French coachworker Joseph Figoni,there is a mention of a body made by the shop for Mr Pinay.

“May 1935.M.Pinay.Paris.bill N° 49.Roadster 2 places s/chassis Bugatti type 1500 14.000 ff » 

Strangely enough, the car seems to have been advertised for M. Pinay by the Bayard garage as soon as 4th july 1935. 

The ads reads : « Bugatti roadster double arbre à cames,1.500 cmc,voit splendide,22 bis rue Bayard. » 

During the october 1935 Paris Show at Grand Palais, near by the Champs Elysees, the car was still for sale by the Bayard garage which was located very near by the Show. 

Advertising about the << 1.500 cmc roadster double arbre » were put in L'Auto newspaper on 5th october and 15th novembre 1935. 

We don't know exactly when Paul Pinay sold the car. 

The next information on the car is its exportation to Great Britain and by Bugatti dealer Jack LEMON- BURTON, surely late in 1937. 

GREAT BRITAIN 1937-2022. 

The car is road registrated between Feb-March 1938 GPE 230 with Surey CC.

The car described as «< Bugatti1 1⁄2 Double cam sold to C.I Craig of Wimbledon for £ 227 in February 

1938. » 

The rest of the history of the car in M.Morris reports states the following owners after C.I.CRAIG. Gerald M CROZIER bought it in 1939 from Craig, and race dit in July and August 1939.

The car suffered from a fire in a London Mews garage around september 1940. 

In 1947 the Bugatti went to the garage of J.BLAKES & COMPANY LTD of Liverpool ans sold to Geoff RICHARDSON who registrated the car with FWP 555 Worcester CC in April 1947.After racing in summer 1947, he sold the car to Blakes, having advertised the car in the November issue of Motor Sport. 

It is clear that when Richardson raced the car in 1947, it already had narrow type 35 rad and unblown type 35 bonnet, but was still on type 51 wheels. The rebuilt had been done by Vic DERRINGTON and MARSHALLS of Watford had also worked on the car. 

During Christmas 1950, the Bugatti was bought by Mrs Avril SCOTT-MONTCRIEFF (1915-2006) in Forfar,Scotand, from Blakes. She entered the car with her husband David as copilot, in the “Paris St Raphael Feminin” rallye in February 1951. 

Soon after the Monthlery control on 27 th February, they broke the crankshaft in a Speed raliability test,the car was sent to a garage in Levallois to see the damage. It was too expensive to be fixed, so the car went back to UK later and waited for a rebuilt which never happend and was sent to a crook called Ted.E. LLOYD in Welshpool, Powys, Wales, who ask to have the car dismanted in his shop to check what was wrong...he disappeared before Scott Montcrieff went to take it back when he realized there was something wrong with the guy. 

In the 1954 “Bugatti Book” by C.W.P.Hampton and B. Eaglesfield, Llyod proclaims to be the owner of the ccar! He sold the 51A engine to Eri Richardson in USA. 

In the mid fifties Alan.Kershaw.HAWORTH (1920-1988) in Heywood, Lancs, acquired from Ted Llyod the rolling chassis still with its 51 bulkhead,51 front axle and other parts attached to the frame. 

He rebuilt the car as a type 37 using type 40 engine ex 40424 and got BOC plate N°”BOC 11” from Conway in 1984 after twenty years or work. The car was put on the road in 1987 with license plates DS 7548. 

In December 1988, Alan Haworth passed away and his collection of cars and spares, were sold at auction by Sotheby's on 29 March 1989. The lot 684 in the sale was acquired by Bugatti enthusiat John WILSON, in Stevington, Bedford, a private airplane pilot, whose family owned since the 50s a rare type 46S Coach by Billeter & Cartier on which he used to work. 

Soon after his purchase J.Wilson obtained from T.J.Cardy the 55 engine 17 ex 55229 and put it in the car instead of the type 40 unit. In 2014 the car was put on the market and exhibited on Dutton stand at Retromobile in February 2015. 

Bought by English architect Mark NEWSON from London,it went to Derek Hitchman’s shop for a complete restoration, including a new body by Chesterton Coachwork and the engine from 51138 was acquired from T.Cardy and put back in the chassis it had left around 1954 when T.Llyod sold it in the USA. The current owner bought it recently from M.Newson in 2022.

We remember the rediscovery in 2006 of frame 704 at John Wilson's farm and the proof it was 51132 original frame became obvious when we looked at it carefully. The car was from Allan Haworth estate and was supposed to be 51138 ex Scott Montcrieff. 

The closed inspection of the frame and parts around let us discover the number 15 on various parts and the number 14 on the front axle. The various parts numbered 15 relating to chassis 51132 on which they were still fixed prooved that the car still retains many original components which had never been dismanteled from 51132 original chassis. 

Conclusion

The new light focused on type 51 frame 704 incline us to state that the car as it was modified by the mechanic of the Mareuse-Wimille team for the Dieppe july 1932 race was still 51132 in every detail apart from the engine swap from 51138. The car was not built up on 704 frame as it has been suggested. 

The car still has the following parts from 51132: chassis, aluminum body panels, hood and dashboard, extra-long levers, steering arms, steering box mount, seat cross member, aluminum transmission output shaft cover.

Today, at the request of the owner, based on the analysis by P.-Y Laugier, FIVA and the German registration authorities have officially restored the car's original identity, with frame no. 704 corresponding to chassis 51132 of the Bugatti Type 51. The car has just been overhauled, and its engine has been increased to 2,300 cc. It has a superb patina.

Photos © Maximilian Vogl