Battery isolator switch- ON. Check.
Blower oil supply 3 turns anti-clockwise . Check.
1 squirt KI-Gas. Check.
Ignition lever to retard position. Check.
I am concentrating on the starting procedure for a 1933 Type 55 Bugatti which has been thoughtfully typed out by Tim Dutton who maintains the car for the owner. It helps prepare you for a journey in a car which is rightly demanding of its driver.
Push the key in to engage the starter and the engine bursts into life with a tremendous sound of mechanical activity. Revolving and reciprocating parts, gears meshing and exhaust gases tumbling out behind you with a roar. A beast woken from its slumber is immediately ready for action.
Well not quite. ' Advance the ignition lever and allow to idle for 2-3 minutes before driving'. Check.
Once the oil and water have warmed up I engage first gear (with the smallest characteristic crunch of Bugatti gearboxes) and move off with the sound of tyres on gravel drowned out by the glorious growl of gears driving the supercharger.
The steering is heavy at low speed and I smile at the memory of my grandfather teaching me to hold the steering wheel 'so your hands are never seen above the level of the windscreen.' Speed builds up quickly as I go up through the gears - the steering becomes much lighter and the whole car is a joy . The engine is almost identical to the Type 51 2.3 litre supercharged Grand Prix motor but with lower compression and 4 speed transmission is via the touring gearbox with central ball change .
The deep foot well gives a comfortable driving position and as I settle down to some serious driving, it is easy to taste the race-bred pedigree. The route to Prescott took me through narrow country lanes but I kept reminding myself the car belonged to somebody else and I was content to drive well within its limits. But it is not a car designed to go slowly and before I know it, the car is approaching the next corner a bit too quickly.
The brakes do their job with no fuss, and I wait to see what awaits me around the corner. A tractor? A horse rider? Some cyclists? No - another long stretch of open road and the supercharger instantly gives the torque that makes acceleration so effortless. Mile after mile I get to know the car better and better and the car rewards the driver in abundance.
My grandfather was right - driving is an art, and sitting in the driver's seat of this car transports the driver back to a different era and it's easy to think how many of us have one foot firmly placed in pre-war motoring days.
The marshal directs me into the Bugatti Trust car park - hallowed ground open only to the very few - and despite the background sound of cars ascending this famous hill during the VSCC's most popular event, the crescendo of this Bugatti's sound attracts the attention of all the nearby cameras.
Petrol tap off . Check.
Supercharger oil feed off.Check.
Battery isolator switch off. Check.
Words/pictures Robin Batchelor