Editor: Jaap Horst
Volume 18, Issue 2
Bugatti Type 35B/T51 Chassis 4847
By Emily BiasottoTop picture: 4847 - Robert Cazaux with the car and the Cowling radiator in 1934 4847 was assembled in 1927 as a T35 and then later converted to the supercharged T35B. In this configuration, the car was driven by Robert Senechal in the Grand Prix de Le Mans, finishing fifth. The car also boasts numerous successes, as a converted Type 51, with French drivers Robert Cazaux and Marcel Balsa, including the record-breaking finish in the Sezanne Hillclimb of 1935 and winning both in Ars and Lapize Hillclimbs in 1938.
Left: 4847 - Robert Cazaux in the car in 1934, Right: 4847 - Balsa at the Grand Prix de Pau 1939.
In 1951, the car moved from France to Australia when the Dale brothers discovered it and it was then sold to Phillip Catlin and Peter Menere who raced it from 1951 to 1956 in various races in Victoria and New South Wales, in its 1500cc configuration. The car then passed through owners Sidney Hulston and John Jarvis before being bought by Lance Dixon who went about restoring the car to its 2300cc configuration. Following Dixon, the car found itself in the hands of Max Lane. Currently, it is being completely restored to its original configuration (including the re-fitting of the original body) by Morris Wright and his team at Auto Restorations, Christchurch, New Zealand. The car is a part of the Australian Yacht Squadron Art and Automobile Collection.
Left: 4847 - prior to the current restoration, and right: during the current restoration.
Owners and Drivers
| 1927 1928 | Andre Derain |
| 1928 1931 | Count Velitchkovitch (driven by Robert Senechal) |
| 1931 1935 | Robert Cazaux |
| 1935 1948 | Marcel Balsa |
| 1948 1951 | Henry Dale |
| 1951 1956 | Phillip Catlin and Peter Menere |
| 1957 1974 | Sidney Hulston/John Jarvis |
| 1974 1986 | Lance Dixon/Ian Ruffey |
| 1986 2009 | Max Lane |
| 2009 Present | Part of the Australian Yacht Squadron Art and Automobile Collection. |
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