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Bugatti’s De Ram Shock Absorbers, Part Two
Deep inside the fascinating mechanism and a look at its weak pointsI have worked on many Bugattis over the last twenty years, but it is important to note that I am not precisely a “specialist”, in the sense of a person who ONLY handles a single brand. I’ve always favored variety in the type of jobs that I take on and I also adore certain Alfa…
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The Birdcage Maseratis
Ten years with a stable of Tipo 61 vintage racersDecember 16, 2011: During the 9 years and change that I worked at the Corte Madera location of Phil Reilly & Co, I had the pleasure of working on four different Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcages. The two cars in today’s lead image were major players in the success of the model, racing with Team Camoradi…
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The Lagonda Rapier Engine
A Supercharged 1100cc Twin Cam Four from 1935Lagonda’s early history is complicated and it can be difficult to determine exactly why they decided to build the Rapier. The company’s founder had been gone for almost 15 years and the staff was regularly in flux until the company changed hands in 1935. It was then that W.O. Bentley quit Rolls Royce to take…
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The Maserati Birdcage Gearbox, Part One
The Tipo 61 transaxle's origins and mechanical layoutThe Tipo 61 Maserati “Birdcage” was a winning car under the right circumstances in its brief competitive lifespan from mid-1959 into 1961. Light weight was its major advantage, with the complex tubular chassis structure that spawned the “Birdcage” name being the main factor. It also had excellent disc brakes, licensed from Girling, and very good…
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Bugatti’s De Ram Shock Absorbers, Part One
Genius Invention or Despicable Contraption?Bugatti installed De Ram shocks on a variety of models in the mid-1930’s, the sophisticated hydraulic dampers offering a dramatic improvement in handling and ride quality over the simple friction devices that were previously available. When they are working properly, that is. Given the complexity of the design and the relatively small number of them…
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A Duesenberg Model J Crank
Taking a File to the Project, One Pile of Dust at a TimeAlmost two months have passed without an update here. This is a tiny refresher for the front page while major remodeling continues in the back of the shop. Pictured is a Duesenberg Model J crankshaft, as I file the stubs off the counterweight bolts back in 2009. I don’t recall the circumstances exactly… I think…
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Wrapping Up a Chaotic 2025
A year for the British racing carsThere was a lot a variety in 2025 to keep things interesting, with new-to-me projects as well as changes to my personal rolling stock. I started the year with a Jaguar XKE engine, a 4.2 liter for a vintage racing E-Type. The previous engine that came with the car blew up early in the new…
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Jay Eitel’s 1937 Ford Hot Rod
A Jewel that was Seventy Years in the MakingAugust 25, 2009: A brief look at one of the more unique cars ever to come through the driveway at Phil Reilly & Co, on the day that Jay Eitel brought his Ford hot rod by for the crew to ogle. Jay was an engineer and inventor, best known for creating the cherry picker, those…
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A Bugatti Cylinder Block Repair
Working with iron and a cautionary taleSeveral years ago, I went through a Type 40 Bugatti engine that had had a hard life. Its recent days hadn’t been made any easier by the chap that took it apart, using a dead blow hammer to break free the joint between the cylinder block and the crankcase. Not a crazy idea, to use…
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Three Bugattis and a Peugeot
Two Type 57s, a Type 50, and a Nardi PeugeotSeptember 20, 2013: Every day at Phil Reilly & Co was something special, some days more so than others. This day was probably just another average one, though a search of the archive contains over 600 photos from that month in 2013, so it could go either way. Two of these cars were included in…