33 replies to this topic

[plutoman]

I was told a story a few years ago that Hamish Moffatt's Bugatti used to reside in the barn that later became my house. I was shown a black and white photo of the car in residence, but cannot remember much other than it was a type 35. I've seen pictures of a '35B' raced by him but I'm not sure if this is the same car or not. Did he compete in any other Bugattis? - I've since moved away and lost touch with my neighbour (Hamish's brother, who is also no longer living in the area), but would be interested to know the car's previous history and subsequent fate if anyone can fill in the gaps.

[David Birchall]

I thought he did most of his racing in a T37 but could be wrong.

[arttidesco]

According to his obituary Hamish Moffatt had a type 35B & 35T hope this helps :-)

[arttidesco]

Picture of Hamish Moffatt in his 35B here :-)

[plutoman]

Picture of Hamish Moffatt in his 35B here :-)

When I searched the forum and found the 35B, I thought my memory was playing tricks, as I didn't remember the unusual bodywork on the photo I saw. A further internet search has, I think, uncovered the car I'm looking for. It's a T35C, chassis no. 4893, raced in the South African GP by Lionel Meyer. Dennis Woodhead later lost his life in it, and it was subsequently fitted with a T37 radiator. Hamish acquired it around 1980, so I think this must be the one.

Thanks for the obit link; that about sums up what I've heard about him - something of an eccentric character, by all accounts.

[Alan Cox]

Picture of Hamish Moffatt in his 35B here :-)

That's actually the single seater which was owned by Frank Wall when Hamish drove it.

Pleased that you have found the car you were looking for, plutoman. Hamish Moffat also owned at least three other 35Bs at one time or another, as recorded in the BOC British Register and Data Book - 4887, BC001 and BC007.

[Sharman]

He had a 37 with which he hit a tree on the inside of Lodge, after which the tree was cut down. sometime later I hit the stump of it.

[Allan Lupton]

There was a Type 35B on beaded edge tyres that Hamish presented for scrutineering at Oulton (in the early 1960s I think). The scrutineer thought the tyres hadn't enough tread pattern and the story was that Hamish, remarking that they had been in the family for a long time and he was rather fond of them, went off and, with scalpel and hacksaw, cut a bit more pattern in them, passed and duly went racing.

Back to Plutoman's original point Hamish had a hill farm in Wales at one time and later (post 1970ish) a farmhouse which he rebuilt from scrap in Herefordshire. Was the barn/house in either of those general areas? There was also a home in Hampstead between times.

[plutoman]

Back to Plutoman's original point Hamish had a hill farm in Wales at one time and later (post 1970ish) a farmhouse which he rebuilt from scrap in Herefordshire. Was the barn/house in either of those general areas? There was also a home in Hampstead between times.

No, this car was kept in Hamish's brother's property in Oxfordshire. Originally a farm building, it was converted first into holiday lets and subsequently sold off as separate dwellings in the mid 90s. I need to do some digging regarding conversion dates, as it was still a barn when the car was stored. I still have some of the property details hidden away in a box somewhere ...

[RogerFrench]

I always associate Hamish Moffat with a Brescia at Prescott.

[Stephen W]

I always associate Hamish Moffat with a Brescia at Prescott.

I remember seeing a documentary about the VSCC in which I am certain Hamish was driving the Bescia in the Lands End Trial.

[plutoman]

Whilst researching the history of the Bugatti, I noticed in the results of the 1937 South African GP one T. Scheckter in a Riley. Not sure how common this name is in ZA, but is there any chance he's related to a certain organic farmer?

[David McKinney]

Tom was Jody's uncle, I believe

[plutoman]

Tom was Jody's uncle, I believe

Thanks; I had no idea the brothers came from a racing family - strange that in all the interviews and profiles I've read it's never been mentioned.

[Allan Lupton]

Excellent website with history of and tributes to Hamish - well worth a minute or six of your time if you "collect" larger than life people.

[Marticelli]

For what its worth, the 2004 'VSCC list of members and their cars' featured a cover photo of Hamish driving his 1923 T13 Brescia YP8506 in the 1981 Lakeland Trial, which reinforced his reputation as a 'Hero of the VSCC'... The car is still actively campaigned by its new owner in similar vein, somewhat recklessly IMHO.

[mikeC]

Excellent website with history of and tributes to Hamish - well worth a minute or six of your time if you "collect" larger than life people.

Thank you, Allan, for that link. I didn't know Hamish personally, but regularly saw him compete in the Brescia, Type 35 and OM - even competed against him on occasion - and I have many fond memories from those days. I spent rather more than six minutes reading through that website with a tear in my eye for times gone by

[mikeC]

Somewhere I have a rather nice photo of Hamish in the Brescia on a VSCC trial, colds of earth flying over the spectators, typical scowl of concentration on his face - just how I remember him... but I can't find it

So here's a shot of his ex-Zehender Type 35B, taken at Oulton Park, I would guess in the early 1970s:



As far as I can recall, he was the only one brave enough (or should that be foolish?) to race on beaded edge tyres; amazingly he could still corner as fast as the best

[Allan Lupton]

So here's a shot of his ex-Zehender Type 35B, taken at Oulton Park, I would guess in the early 1970s:
As far as I can recall, he was the only one brave enough (or should that be foolish?) to race on beaded edge tyres; amazingly he could still corner as fast as the best

There was a Type 35B on beaded edge tyres that Hamish presented for scrutineering at Oulton (in the early 1960s I think). The scrutineer thought the tyres hadn't enough tread pattern and the story was that Hamish, remarking that they had been in the family for a long time and he was rather fond of them, went off and, with scalpel and hacksaw, cut a bit more pattern in them, passed and duly went racing.

Looking at the tread of those beadies, it's the same set as in the story I quoted: the circumferential grooves have gone and only the chevrons remain.
A Dunlop BE looks like this when new:

Edited by Allan Lupton, 09 October 2010 - 12:29.

[mikeC]

Looking at the tread of those beadies, it's the same set as in the story I quoted: the circumferential grooves have gone and only the chevrons remain.

I think you're right, Allan!
Revising my estimate of the date, the photo was taken with a Rolleiflex which I bought in 1965, and largely stopped using around 1969-70, so late '60s is about right.

[Allan Lupton]

The story of the tyres appeared in the report of the 1966 Oulton Park meeting. He came 3rd in the (wet!) Vintage Seaman (behind the 35Bs of Kain and St John) despite having spun and having to restart the engine on the handle to get going again.
It was a famously wet race day and in a later race when Tony Merrick, driving Sandy Murray's ERA on Road Speed tyres put up a faster lap than Alan Cottam (Connaught AL10) to whom he finished second and Sandy's pit signal to Merrick on the last lap was said to read "You mad ******!"
I remember getting wet then, but not much else.

Edited to say that third, after Merrick, was the Hon Pat Lin in his 250F Maserati, which makes that pit signal even more correct!

Edited by Allan Lupton, 10 October 2010 - 18:44.

[Patrick Fletcher]

I can remember seeing Hamish Moffatt's T13 Brescia in New Zealand during an International Rally.. late sixties early seventies.
He refueled at Crosbies Shell Service Station in Yarrow Street and with a mild screech of tyres took off into the rain & clag!

[Alan Cox]

Hamish in pole position with one of his 35Bs from VSCC Silverstone, April 1982

On the outside of the front row is Brian Classic, the only time I can recall seeing him in a Delage

[Dutchy]

The car depicted in Post 18 is surely an unblown T35 - no blower hole in the bonnet, narrow radiator and small brakes.

Moffatt did have an unblown T35 a well as his better known T35B

[Alan Cox]

Here are a couple more of Hamish taken at the Richard Seaman meeting in 1974, driving Frank Wall's ex-Stubberfield Bugatti.

Standing with arms crossed and wearing a tie is ERA racer, Dudley Gahagan. Hamish is flanked by Peter Morley's Napier Bentley and Ron Footit's COGNAC Special

[Allan Lupton]

Excellent website with history of and tributes to Hamish - well worth a minute or six of your time if you "collect" larger than life people.

I think some more has been added to this site recently

[Alan Cox]

1980 was a very wet year for the Richard Seaman meeting, but it didn't stop Hamish adding another win to his tally.

1982 was better, but the 35B looks as though it's about to call it a day

[jdtreelines]

There was a Type 35B on beaded edge tyres that Hamish presented for scrutineering at Oulton (in the early 1960s I think). The scrutineer thought the tyres hadn't enough tread pattern and the story was that Hamish, remarking that they had been in the family for a long time and he was rather fond of them, went off and, with scalpel and hacksaw, cut a bit more pattern in them, passed and duly went racing.

I can vouch for the truth of this story, because I was one of his helpers wielding hacksaw blades. As I remember the incident, the rear tyres were the problem, Hamish worked on one and I and someone else (possibly John Hannis??) worked on the other. Stuart Saunders sacrificed a scalpel from his medical kit and worked round after us tidying up the cuts. The date was either 1966 or 67, I was actually a crowd marshall at Knicker Brook and had gone only to the paddock at the lunch break to get some refreshments for myself and my fellow marshalls. They were a bit miffed about how late I got back!

The car, incidentally, was his 35T, not a 35B, and I am fairly sure that the picture in post #18 was taken on that day - before we got to work on the rear tyres! The fronts were deemed to be OK.

Edited by jdtreelines, 14 November 2010 - 22:01.

[Allan Lupton]

Splendid, jdtreelines (whoever you are - do I know you, perhaps?)!
The various posts after the one of mine you quote include no 21 reporting my finding the story in the report of the 1966 Oulton and in no 24 Dutchy pointing out it was an unblown car in post 18.

[elansprint72]

This has to be one of the very best threads on the forum; not forgetting the links.

[jdtreelines]

... jdtreelines (whoever you are - do I know you, perhaps?)!...

Probably not, I'm afraid - although it's never too late! I was active around the VSCC through the 1960s, but as an impecunious student and a hopeless mechanic I was never more than what the Americans would call a "Gopher", particularly for my friends Bill Morris, Dave Kergon and Hamish Moffatt. The vintage fun lasted for about five years until I got more seriously interested in rallying and then went to the States in 1971.

The various posts ... include ... no 24 Dutchy pointing out it was an unblown car in post 18.

The 35T was 2.3 litres unblown.

[Alan Cox]

I was never more than what the Americans would call a "Gopher", particularly for my friends Bill Morris, Dave Kergon and Hamish Moffatt.

You may be interested in this thread, jd http://forums.autosp...p;#entry4570043

[mikeC]

Two photos of Hamish's Type 13 (or was it a Type 23?) Brescia, taken at a VSCC Silverstone Driving Test, either 1970 or 1971, I think:

[Alan Cox]

Came across another pic of Hamish in the Frank Wall/Stubberfield single-seater, taken in 1981 at Lodge Corner, Oulton Park