15-08-2019, 10:46 AM
The B1 build register is a very interesting source of information for those amongst us who are interested in 'Ulsters'. It shows that EA Sports tended to be built in batches of up to ten, but more commonly in batches of just five cars.
Like all records, it depends on who was completing them, and some entries are more comprehensive than others.
Generally, if a car had a supercharged engine, a note was made but there are several entries which do not specify whether the engine was blown or not.
My interpretation of the records is that where the car was unsupercharged, the engine number is closer to the chassis number than for the supercharged cars. This makes sense if you think about it, the blown engines would take longer to prepare than the unblown ones and may have required further attention once they were built before being fitted to the chassis.
Some of the cars on the build register that are not identified as being blown or unblown have engine numbers that suggest they may have been blown, and I suspect that the blown engines may also have been assembled in batches.
All speculation but if so, the proportion of blown cars might be slightly higher than previously thought.
My research suggests that there are around 70 Ulsters extant which at least incorporate parts of original cars. This is a high survival rate from a total production of probably less than 200 but the Ulster was already something of a 'classic' by the outbreak of WW2 and most ended up in the hands of enthusiasts.
Like all records, it depends on who was completing them, and some entries are more comprehensive than others.
Generally, if a car had a supercharged engine, a note was made but there are several entries which do not specify whether the engine was blown or not.
My interpretation of the records is that where the car was unsupercharged, the engine number is closer to the chassis number than for the supercharged cars. This makes sense if you think about it, the blown engines would take longer to prepare than the unblown ones and may have required further attention once they were built before being fitted to the chassis.
Some of the cars on the build register that are not identified as being blown or unblown have engine numbers that suggest they may have been blown, and I suspect that the blown engines may also have been assembled in batches.
All speculation but if so, the proportion of blown cars might be slightly higher than previously thought.
My research suggests that there are around 70 Ulsters extant which at least incorporate parts of original cars. This is a high survival rate from a total production of probably less than 200 but the Ulster was already something of a 'classic' by the outbreak of WW2 and most ended up in the hands of enthusiasts.