12 replies to this topic

[Porsche718]

Hi all,

 

I've seen this photo a number of times on Ebay and on Getty Images with the same caption.

 

It is labelled "Mystery Delahaye at the British Empire Trophy 1949

 

I can find no record of a "Delahaye" with racing number 55 in that event, or any other year. In fact no 55 at all.

 

Also, I far I can see, Douglas was an anti-clockwise circuit, and there the only tight corners are left-handers. 

 

Can someone identify this car and circuit.

 

Thanks

[Gary C]

No photo??

[Vitesse2]

The car in question:

 

[funformula]

I don´t have great knowledge of that era of racing but the landscape in the photo remind me of the Thillois corner at Reims.

[Eustace]

That is George Nixon’s Riley Special, not a Delahaye….

[LittleChris]

There have been several circuits in & around Douglas. The picture could be taken at Cronk Ny Mona on the Willaston circuit as used from 1947 onwards

 

Douglas Track Info (silhouet.com)

Edited by LittleChris, 06 February 2023 - 20:53.

[LittleChris]

That is George Nixon’s Riley Special, not a Delahaye….

 

So it's possibly the 1948 Manx Cup rather than the British Empire Trophy 

 

Formula 2 1948 - Manx Cup (the-fastlane.co.uk)

[Eustace]

Alamy also has this photo identified as ‘1950s Delahaye Silverstone’ when in fact the car is a Talbot Lago, driven by Leslie Johnson, taken at Gransden Lodge in 1947……..
 

[opplock]

This sort of thing is surprisingly common. I recently read an Autosport Plus feature on Tasman Cup and was surprised to see a photo of the 1969 Levin round captioned as being Lakeside. Only 1,200 miles out. Looking on the Motorsport Images website I found that all Levin photos were captioned as Lakeside. How Graham McRae's S2-1 morphed into Henk Woelders' Elfin 600B is a mystery to me as neither car crossed the Tasman.  

 

An incorrect photo caption I identified in the Tasman Cup book has since cropped up in two other places. The first was speedily corrected. The second appeared in a Graham McRae feature in a New Zealand classic car magazine. They really ought to have known better.

[Porsche718]

Firstly, thank you to Vitesse for supplying the photo I didn't include!!!!!

 

Secondly, thanks Chris for heading me into the direction of 1948 Manx Cup. I am fairly knowledgeable about Delahayes and knew it could not of been one.

 

Now there was a second photo also labelled  Bugatti T59 at the 1949 British Empire Trophy. 

 

 

Same corner but looks as if it is later in the day.

 

Ideas?

[Jahn1234567890]

Firstly, thank you to Vitesse for supplying the photo I didn't include!!!!!

 

Secondly, thanks Chris for heading me into the direction of 1948 Manx Cup. I am fairly knowledgeable about Delahayes and knew it could not of been one.

 

Now there was a second photo also labelled  Bugatti T59 at the 1949 British Empire Trophy. 

 

 

Same corner but looks as if it is later in the day.

 

Ideas?

 

This is Kenneth Bear's T59 at the 1948 Douglas event. He was the winner of the Castletown Trophy which was run concurrently with the Manx Cup.

[SteveJones]

The second photo, Bugatti T59 car 70, is Kenneth Bear, winner of the Castletown Trophy, in 1948. The Castletown Trophy was a race that ran with the Manx Cup for unlimited capacity cars. Is Bear's Bugatti the car owned by George Abecassis at that time that eventually sold for over £1.3m with a seized engine at Bonhams in  2005?

 

S

Edited by SteveJones, 07 February 2023 - 13:34.

[Porsche718]

Thank you all.

 

As usual, TNF'ers reign.

 

Cheers