Richard Shuttleworth’s Grand Prix Winning Car

1932-34 Alfa Romeo Tipo B Grand Prix Monoposto

This ex-Scuderia Ferrari, is-Richard-Shuttleworth’s, 1935 Donington Grand Prix-winning 1932-34 Alfa Romeo Tipo B Grand Prix Monoposto which came up for auction in 2018 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale.

Having learned the motor racing ropes most notably in a Bugatti Type 51, Richard Shuttleworth purchased this particular Alfa Romeo Tipo B Monoposto for the 1935 racing season, directly from the Scuderia Ferrari quasi-works team at Modena, Italy.

Leading Alfa Romeo authority Simon Moore validates this wonderful car most unequivocally in his definitive book, 'The Magnificent Monopostos', listing its racing appearances in Richard Shuttleworth's hands as follows:

1935

- March 16 - Brooklands - Mountain Handicap. Retired. - April 13 - Donington Park - 1st in a handicap race. Retired from a second race. - April 22 - Brooklands Mountain Circuit - 1st in Heat, retired from Final

- May 6 - Brooklands International Trophy - 4

th

- May 18 - Shelsley Walsh hill-climb - 1st in class - May 31 - Mannin Moar race, Douglas, Isle of Man - Retired with transmission trouble after leading the first 13 laps of scheduled 50. - July 21 - Dieppe Grand Prix, France - finished 4th behind the two Scuderia Ferrarientered sister cars and Wimille's works Type 59 Bugatti, ahead of Farina's 3.4-litre six-cylinder Maserati 6C-34. - August 13 - Nice Grand Prix, France - Retired 11 laps from the finish after the car boiled dry due to Shuttleworth's mechanic having left the radiator cap unclipped at the final pit stop... - September 4 - Brighton Speed Trials - fastest car (though beaten by a motorcycle). - October 5 - The Donington Grand Prix – 1st, ahead of the two ex-works Type 59

Bugattis of Lord Howe and Charlie Martin. - October 19 - Brooklands - won the Mountain Championship, again beating Charlie

Martin's Type 59 Bugatti. - November 17 - Brooklands - The Mountain Circuit lap record. This stood as the 2-3 litre class record for all time, faster than various Maseratis.

But Richard Shuttleworth's great road racing victory in the inaugural Donington Grand Prix would become this particular Tipo B Monoposto's most enduring achievement.

Derby & District Motor Club Secretary Fred Craner had been the practicalminded, no-nonsense promoter and organiser of racing at the Donington Park racing circuit on England's Derbyshire/Leicestershire border. He had long been unhappy with the kind of shortdistance races commonly sanctioned by the extremely conservative Royal Automobile Club, and wanted to run a full Grand Prix-distance race such as those common in Continental Europe. His inaugural Donington Grand Prix followed at the picturesque Park, and following his experience of such "serious" road racing at Dieppe and Nice in France, Richard Shuttleworth was among the British amateur gentleman drivers immensely keen to take part. Here was a challenge into which they could really sink their teeth.

'Mad Jack' Shuttleworth - as he was nicknamed after having crashed into the pits at the Isle of Man - certainly made the most of his opportunity in this Alfa Romeo Monoposto. He started the 300-mile race facing such "Continental cracks" as Frenchman Raymond Sommer in a sister Alfa Tipo B and 'Nino' Farina in a works-backed Maserati V8-RI. Farina led until a Maserati

driveshaft failed, and Sommer then took over until a stop to replace his Britishregulation bonnet strap (not required in Continental racing, as Sommer heatedly protested), after which he suffered a terminal drive-shaft failure.

British owner-driver Charlie Martin in his ex-works Bugatti Type 59 then inherited the lead, only to try too hard to hold off Shuttleworth despite fading brakes and slide off the road, leaving victory to 'Mad Jack' in his spectacularly-driven Alfa Romeo, which had also spent some time exploring the grass verges of the park rather than staying strictly upon the asphalt.

Well fancy that a resident of Shuttleworth exploring the grass verges!!