primotipo…

The magic hands are those of Bugatti’s Chief Mechanic, ‘Le Grand Robert’, Frenchman Robert Aumaitre working on a T51 straight-eight, twin-cam, 2.3-litre engine…

Bugatti’s Miller 91-inspired twin-cam design – 1931-35 T51 2262cc 60×100, T51A 1493cc 60×66, T51C 1991cc 60×88 – featured a monobloc design with a shared crankcase. The main bearings comprised three ball bearings in the middle and two roller bearings, one at each end. Rod bearings were roller. Lubrication was by jet and splash with a special oil pipe for the front main bearing.

The twin overhead camshafts were driven by a train of gears mounted at the front of the engine and operated two valves per cylinder. A single (T51) Zenith 48K carb fed a Roots type supercharger, with a Scintilla magneto firing one plug per cylinder. The engine gave about 180bhp @ 5500rpm.

Robert Aumaître ‘came to service with Bugatti in 1930 and was Jean Bugatti’s mechanic. He experienced Jean’s last moments, when he was killed on August 11, 1939, a traumatic experience that haunted hm until his own death,’ recorded the bugattipage.com.

‘After WW2, he assisted French driver Jean Monneret and was involved in record attempts with various Vespas at Montlhery. He designed a Vespa-driven catamaran that crossed the channel in 1947, and was involved in a rally for bicycles with engines from Paris to Alpe d’Huez. After his retirement as manager of a big Cognac company, he spent his last years in Molsheim,’ where he died aged 93 on January 11, 1997.

Strange is that this piece omits Aumaitre’s time with Gordini post-war, where he was again Chief Mechanic.

Credits…

Zoltan Glass/Science and Society Picture Library, bugattipage.com, National Science and Media Museum, Bradford, sciencephoto.com

 Finito…