DRIVING a Le Mans WINNER, the Bugatti 57G ...+ Alfa & Stutz race cars + Auburn Speedster

A Bugatti 57G, Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM, Stutz Supercharged Le Mans and Auburn 851 Speedster are driven at the Simeone Automotive Museum in Philadelphia during the Great Straight Eight Demo Day.

Links to museum cars:
Bugatti- http://www.simeonemuseum.org/the-coll...
Alfa 8C 2300 MM- http://www.simeonemuseum.org/the-coll...
Stutz Le Mans- http://www.simeonemuseum.org/the-coll...
Auburn 851- http://www.simeonemuseum.org/the-coll...

Transcript:
Welcome to the Great Straight Eight demo day at the Simeone Automotive Museum in Philadelphia! This demo day honors the inline 8 cylinder engine that was last used in the mid 1950’s. The four inline 8 powered cars featured were the museum’s Stutz Supercharged Le Mans, Bugatti Type 57G, Auburn Speedster and Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Mille Miglia.
The oldest car of the day, but perhaps the most sinister looking is the Stutz Supercharged Le Mans. Some museum volunteers say it looks like a car Darth Vader would drive in the day. It was powered by a 5.26 liter supercharged engine making 185 horsepower. According to the museum website, this particular Stutz, chassis 30772 was leading the 1929 24 Hours of Le Mans for a large portion of the race, but it dropped back and split the gas tank. With its right hand drive configuration, this particular car is unusual for an American car and a Stutz. Stutz is definitely one of the great manufacturers lost to history, especially considering that they were one of the earliest American manufacturers to attempt to win in Europe.
The next car to be featured is the Auburn 851 Speedster. Speedsters carried plaques certifying that the car could achieve 100 miles per hour. It could achieve that speed using its 4.6 liter supercharged 150 horsepower engine. In the days of Model A Fords with 40 horsepower and a top speed of 65, this was quite impressive. One of three different Auburn Speedsters at the museum, this one really gives off an art deco vibe with its white paint job, red interior, red wheels, red engine vents and white wall tires. My personal favorite feature is the exhaust pipes that come out of the hood. The car was originally purchased by Dr. Simeone’s father in the 1960’s.
The third car of the day was the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Mille Miglia. This particular car is referred to as the Castagna Roadster as the body was built by Castagna in Milan. Powered by a supercharged 2.3 liter engine bored out to 2.6 with 165 horsepower, this car was one of numerous 8C 2300 variants. The museum’s car finished 3rd at the 24 Hours of Spa in 1933 according to the museum website. The car was often used at the Brooklands test track in England to try to set various records. The website says that Charles Addams, the creator of the Addams Family owned the car in the late 1950s.It is one of three 8C 2300 variants in the museum collection, including a 2300 Monza and a 2300 Le Mans.
The fourth car has by far the most significant racing history of the four, and perhaps the most significant win out of all the race winners at the museum. It is the Bugatti Type 57G chassis 57335, known as the tank. It is the overall winner of the 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2013 Bugatti painted a Veyron with a very similar livery, called the “Jean Pierre Wimille”. Jean Pierre Wimille and Robert Benoist drove the car to victory. Not only did this car win Le Mans overall, it won an 8 hour race at Montlhery in France and the Grand Prix de la Marne in Rheims France. The 57G was powered by a 3.25 liter engine making 200 horsepower.
Now, enjoy the sights and sounds of these straight eight powered cars as they are driven by Dr. Simeone and curator Kevin Kelly.