23 replies to this topic

[anjakub]

I'm looking for a info about not much known Bugatti drivers from 30's: George (Gheorge or Georges) Nadu from Romania and Ernst Simmons from Luxemburg (?).
Thank you for any help.

[Hans Etzrodt]

This seems to be not an easy question. However, some dates could be helpful in finding something.

[anjakub]

Hans, they started in Lwow in early thirties.

[Vitesse2]

Andrzej: I've seen these two in your Lwow results. I know nothing of Nadu, but most other sources seem to give your "Ernst Simmons" as actually being Hans Simons of Germany.

Simons had raced in two voiturette events in 1932 (German GP and Masarykuv Okruh) and the 1933 Avusrennen 1500cc event. Perhaps Lwow was a more attractive proposition than Brno that year?

Another possibilty might be that he's a Belgian, since there's a Belgian province called Luxembourg as well as the country. Marc?

[anjakub]

Richard: you are right.
I checked German report and found "Simons-Berlin". Luxembourg is probably error of one Polish journalist, that wrote report about GP Lwow.

Still remain Romanian Nadu.

[Mihai]

Don’t know much but I know my people.



The text above says: The friendship of the two promoters(Jean Calcianu and Gheorghe Nadu) materialised, at first, in a trip to Paris, from where they brought three Bugatti racing cars. The cars, bought with Nadu’s money, were old, giving Calcianu much to work at them. Along with reconditioning the cars up to their normal status, it was essential to teach Nadu, who was a beginner with cars.
All these difficulties aren’t stopping (Calcianu) to enter Nadu in the Lvov Grand Prix, a 380 km track race, mandatory for two drivers to race. In that event, after about one third of the distance covered by Nadu, Calcianu takes the steering wheel and, despite factory drivers opposition wins 1st place. With that occasion, Calcianu shows his proverbial modesty again by entering Nadu as the of the pair.

Besides that, I should say that Nadu was a very rich driver, established as a motorcycle racer before the 1931 experience in the Lvov GP. Later in the early 30s Nadu is credited with a national speed record on the launched km in the sports category: 21”35 in a Bugatti. Calcianu was faster that day (20”45) in a Bugatti as well, but racing category.

[Vitesse2]

Just one thing though, Mihai. Rather than 1931, that should be the 1933 Lwow race. The 1931 event was only 152.5km. In 1933 Nadu raced a Bugatti T35C numbered 14 (according to Andrzej's records anyway ) The confusion with 1931 may explain why it says Calcianu also drove, since the GP regulations for the 1931 Grandes Epreuves specified 10-hour races and two-man driver teams.

[Mihai]

Thank you for clearing up the confusion. I have a picture with Nadu's (or one of his) Bugatti T35 driven post-war by Stefan Bondarenco if you're interested.

[Vitesse2]

Andrzej: just an idle thought. I wonder if the Luxembourg confusion indicates that Joseph Zigrand might have been a DNA? There weren't many Luxembourgeois drivers ....

Mihai: might the Bugatti in your mystery picture from a few weeks ago be one of Nadu's?

[Mihai]

Stefan Bondarenco, one of Calcianu’s mechanics, bought this Bugatti T35 for himself to race post-war on tracks and hillclimbs. According to my source, the car was built in 1925, had a 1991 cc engine, 8 in line, bore x stroke 60 x 88 mm, supercharged, 105 HP @ 6.000 rpm, weight 750 kg, top speed 180-200 km/h and aluminium wheels.



The 1979 album of the Romanian Motor Club (not a yearbook like I wrote before, but a monograph dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the club) mentions explicitly that Bondarenco’s car was from the stock of three Bugattis brought into the country by Gheorghe Nadu. Nadu is very likely linked with all Bugattis that raced in Romania.

http://forums.atlasf...&threadid=68776
http://forums.atlasf...&threadid=72170

[VAR1016]

Originally posted by Mihai
[B]

Stefan Bondarenco, one of Calcianu’s mechanics, bought this Bugatti T35 for himself to race post-war on tracks and hillclimbs. According to my source, the car was built in 1925, had a 1991 cc engine, 8 in line, bore x stroke 60 x 88 mm, supercharged, 105 HP @ 6.000 rpm, weight 750 kg, top speed 180-200 km/h and aluminium wheels.

I would expect that the (supercharged) T35C Bugatti would have produced rather more than 105HP.

The T35A (unsupercharged 2-litre) was supposed to make about 100BHP.

PdeRL

[David McKinney]

According to Grand Prix Bugatti by H G Conway, bhp for the 35A was 70, for the T35 90, and for the 35C 120. The 35A 'Tecla' was of course the road version of the racing T35. All models 2.0 sohc.

[VAR1016]

Originally posted by David McKinney
According to Grand Prix Bugatti by H G Conway, bhp for the 35A was 70, for the T35 90, and for the 35C 120. The 35A 'Tecla' was of course the road version of the racing T35. All models 2.0 sohc.

Thanks David.

My figure (as I remember it) came from Posthumus/Clutton/Stanford's "the Racing Car".

Thinking again, I can remember that they reported the early 2-litre FIAT GP car as giving 92BHP, with the Bugatti 88BHP so I was wrong. However surely EB could get 60BHP/litre from his blown cars as your figure suggests.

[anjakub]

Thanks Mihai,
but in all Lwow's reports isn't mentioned Jean Calcianu only Gheorghe Nadu, who won sports category in 1931 and retired in 1933.
From Romania still one more driver intended to start in Lwow (tourist category in 1931) - M. Butulescu (or Butulesco) with his Chrysler. He not arrived to Poland.

[GIGLEUX]

Originally posted by David McKinney
According to Grand Prix Bugatti by H G Conway, bhp for the 35A was 70, for the T35 90, and for the 35C 120. The 35A 'Tecla' was of course the road version of the racing T35. All models 2.0 sohc.

Not exactly: wire wheels and internals of the engine completely different: roller bearing connecting rods in one piece, built up crankshaft for the racing version instead of, on the Tecla, simple crankshaft from the 30 Type without the roller bearing conrods, plain bearings, smaller valves, coil ignition and brakes from the Brescia. The 35 a was like the Tecla with real pearls: it only looked like.

[Mihai]

I don’t know what to believe. Author David Hodges writes in his ‘Classic Racing Cars’ (Regency House Publishing, 1995) in the Bugatti Type 35 chapter: The 24-valve sohc straight eight followed the engine used in the unsuccessful 1922-23 GP Bugattis, with a modest power output of 95 bhp in its first 1991 cc form. Bugatti considered supercharging ‘unethical’, but for 1926 fitted a supercharger to the 1492 cc T39 engine, and that unit gave 110 bhp.

[VAR1016]

I went back to Clutton/Posthumus/Stanford last night and read that in 1922 the Bugatti was supposed to produce 84-88 BHP. This was, of course, before the one-piece rods etc., were adopted.

It is interesting to note that the early unsupercharged V-12 Delages were claiming 140BHP.

PdeRL

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by Mihai
I don’t know what to believe. Author David Hodges writes in his ‘Classic Racing Cars’ (Regency House Publishing, 1995) in the Bugatti Type 35 chapter: The 24-valve sohc straight eight followed the engine used in the unsuccessful 1922-23 GP Bugattis, with a modest power output of 95 bhp in its first 1991 cc form. Bugatti considered supercharging ‘unethical’, but for 1926 fitted a supercharger to the 1492 cc T39 engine, and that unit gave 110 bhp.

To clarify:

The T35 series were variously fitted with 1991cc engines (T35, T35A, T35C) or 2262cc versions of the same engine (T35B, T35T). The T35B and T35C were supercharged. The outwardly similar T39 had a 1493cc version of it - the supercharged model of this was the T39A.

[Mihai]

My source is a mess !



Not only that Nadu didn't won in 1933 (not 1931), but he retired in that edition of the Grand Prix Lwowa as you can see here:

http://www.teamdan.c.../1933.html#lwow

[anjakub]

Originally posted by Mihai
Not only that Nadu didn't won in 1933 (not 1931), but he retired in that edition of the Grand Prix Lwowa as you can see here:

http://www.teamdan.c.../1933.html#lwow

Mihai, I know it. These results are based on my information.

Please the sports category results from Lwow 1931.

Lwow, 7 June 1931
Sports category
25 laps = 76,025 km

1. Gheorghe Nadu (Bugatti) 1:03.17,570 = 72,070 km/h
2. Wladyslaw Bogucki (Bugatti ) 1:03.31,150
3. Jerzy Widawski (Austro Daimler) 1:04.13,550
4. Hans Muschik (Bugatti) 1:11.30,255

Retired: Antoni Januszkowski (Bugatti), Hans Ostermuth (Amilcar)

[terry mcgrath]

would anyone have anything on Jan Calcianu racing an SS jaguar possibly at Cimpina
does anyone have any information, dates about Cimpina
this will possibly be prewar
thanks terry

[Vitesse2]

Gawd, Terry, you do ask some hard ones! I've never seen Calcianu linked with an SS: BMWs and Alfas yes, SS - no. I found a reference to him doing some sort of record run from Bucharest to Brasov on August 29th 1939, but in a BMW:

http://translate.goo...FB_enGB211GB211

If you also look at the 1936 reference it gives a bit more background.

I did find this on someone's blog, though. Not Calcianu, but presumably a pre-War SS - third in a race in 1948 behind de Vassal and Cristea:

http://bogdanvoicule...e-7-iunie-1948/

[terry mcgrath]

vitesse2
thanks greatly for the web site having got that all I need is somone with pictures taken at this race meeting!
but seriously if anyone can add anything on this jaguar entry it would be great

PRIMUL MARE PREMIU AL REPUBLICII POPULARE ROMANE - 7 iunie 1948
AUTOMOBILE
1. Alexe de Vassal (BMW 2l) - 40′34″…
2. Petre Cristea (BMW) - 40′51″14
3. Alexendru Frim (Jaguar 3,5l) - 43′13″…
4. Sergiu Nadler (BMW 2l) - 43′17″…

[Bramgoro]

I'm looking for a info about not much known Bugatti drivers from 30's: George (Gheorge or Georges) Nadu from Romania

1st May 1927 , Romania, Sinaia, Gheorghe Nadu - Moto-Guzzi


George Ghika , Romania , Bugatti T37A

Edited by Bramgoro, 15 September 2011 - 12:49.