BUGATTI &THE GRAND PRIX

When people think of Bugatti today, they invariably think of the Type 35. This vehicle was Ettore Bugatti’s masterpiece, and played a huge part in establishing his reputation as one of the world’s finest automotive designers. The Type 35 Grand Prix Bugatti dominated its era, and for almost a decade remained practically unbeatable. It was fast, and featured intelligent design details that were both aerodynamically effective and aesthetically pleasing. Driving the racing car was nothing short of a delight, as the vehicle was unrivalled in its responsiveness, reliability and consistency. The blue racing machine made its debut at the 1924 A.C.F. (Automobile Club de France) grand prix in Lyon.
Its slim body was just wide enough in the middle to hold two people – but not if they were at all overweight. The car narrowed at the front into a freestanding radiator, and tapered to a pointed tail.
The front axle was revolutionary for its time, and represented a masterpiece in metalworking – as with everything at Bugatti, it was based around the concept of lightweight construction, and was made out of forged pipe that was hollow in the middle area, and solid at the curved-up ends. The wheels were equally innovative. They were cast entirely in aluminium at the company’s own casting facility, and were extremely light, with built-in rims and brake drums.
After the central wheel nut had been removed, the wheel and brake could be taken off in seconds, allowing for new brake shoes to be fitted quickly and easily – a huge advantage on the racetrack. Just like the famous horseshoe-shaped grille, the aluminium wheel became one of the hallmarks of the brand, and Bugatti was the first ever company to offer aluminium wheels for automobiles. The engine was an in-line eight-cylinder, which initially featured two carburettors, and from 1926, a supercharger. The successes of the Bugatti Type 35 and ist unique place in automotive design history have never been repeated. But what was it that madeEttore Bugatti so different to other manufacturers?
And what enabled Bugatti cars to achieve so many racing victories – almost 2,000 in ten years? Firstly, even in those days, the leading sports car manufacturers aimed to develop their profile through racing success. As a result, races were held almost every weekend throughout Europe, some of them large-scale, others less important. In fact, holding grands prix became quite the fashion – as well as the Monza GP, Italy also hosted an equivalent in Rome. In the same way as today, teams spent the summer criss-crossing Europe to do battle on racetracks such as Targa Florio, and Le Mans, and at the French and Belgian grands prix. Other lesser-known meets included the grands prix of Nice, Antibes and Alsace, as well as much smaller races in local villages.
And secondly, unlike its competitors, Bugatti did not just sell sports and touring cars to ist customers, but also GP models. This meant that owners could race their car at the weekend, and then on Monday, after replacing the wings and lights, could drive it to the office. It may sound unbelievable, but this is how things were done in the 1920s, and a number of races at the time simply would not have taken place were it not for the amount of private racers entering with their Bugattis.
This strategy benefited Bugatti twofold. Firstly, the company was able to sell its vehicles at very high prices to ambitious, wealthy individuals, generating additional capital – something none of its competitors were able to do. In addition, when privately owned Bugattis won races, it helped build the Bugatti profile (and in turn sell more cars), without the company spending a single franc.
In total, over 350 units of the various grand prix models were built. Many of these were destroyed in racing accidents, while others were regularly modified to stay competitive, to the extent that they became unrecognisable from the original designs. In short, they were built to race, and they were not spared the demands, stresses and strains of the track. Following the Second World War, many were simply scrapped as they were too slow and uncompetitive, as well as being too expensive and impractical for everyday use.
Indeed, it would be a number of years before people realised the importance of preserving the model as a piece of European heritage. Unlike other racing cars of the 1920s, which were built purely for competition, the Type 35 featured Bugatti’s proven touring technology and therefore continues to offer an exhilarating ride today. As a result, the vehicle is one of the most widely sought collectors’ cars around the world.

THE SIX BUGATTI ROYALES

The question is often raised today as to how many Bugatti Royales actually existed. The answer is that a total of six cars were built, which between them featured no fewer than 12 body types. All the Royales survive to this day. Three of them were sold to customers, while the other three remained within the Bugatti family until the end of the Second World War.

BUGATTI’S OWN ROYALES

Chassis 41100: This was the very first Royale and originally had an even longer chassis. This prototype was built in 1927 with a 14.7-litre engine and featured an open Packard body. A further four body types were tried out until Bugatti himself had an accident with the car, prompting a new and final frame: the Coupé Napoleon, designed by Jean Bugatti. The car has been in the Musée National de L’Automobile Collection Schlumpf in Mulhouse since 1963.
Chassis 41141: This chassis was given a very elegant 2-door coupé body in 1932 by Kellner in Paris.
After the war, the car was bought by the American racing driver Briggs Cunningham. In November 1987 Christie’s auctioned the vehicle for 5.5 million pounds, making it the most expensive car in the world. Today it belongs to a collector in Europe.
Chassis 41150: Given the name “Berline de Voyage” by Bugatti, this chassis featured a “Fiacre” body.
This Royale also went to the USA after the War, where it was part of the Harrah Collection in Reno, Nevada for some time. Today, the car is in the Blackhawk Collection in Danville, California.

THE THREE CUSTOMER VEHICLES

Chassis 41111: The Jean Bugatti Roadster delivered on 4 April 1932 to the textile factory owner Armand Esders was the first Royale built for a customer. It did not have any headlamps, as Monsieur Esders did not intend to drive by night, although the lamps were naturally part of the delivery package. Around 1938, Esders sold his Royale and the car was given a Coupé de Ville body by Binder in Paris, in the style of the 41100 Coupé Napoleon. Today, this car belongs to Volkswagen AG.
Chassis 41121: The second customer Royale was delivered to a Dr. Fuchs, of Nuremberg on 26 May 1932. The car did not have an original Bugatti body, but an equally elegant cabriolet one by Ludwig Weinberger in Munich. This originally black/yellow Royale cost 120,000 marks, and is now part of the Henry Ford Collection in Dearborn/Michigan.
Chassis 41131: The third and final customer vehicle went to one Captain A.W. Forster in Great Britain on 30 June 1933. Like Dr. Fuchs, the captain only ordered the Royale chassis from Bugatti, while commissioning Park Ward in London to produce the body. At one point this Royale bore a “Spirit of Ecstasy” on its radiator. Like chassis 41100, this car has been in the Musée National de L’Automobile Collection Schlumpf in Mulhouse since 1963.

AN ICONIC BUGATTI: THE TYPE 55

In 1931, production of the Type 43 was replaced by the Type 55. Bugatti used the light Type 51 twin-cam engine, including an electrical fuel pump, instead of the single-cam Type 35 B engine, combined with the extremely rigid Type 47 frame that had been designed to bear the heavy and powerful 16-cylinder engine. This combination led to one of the most well-balanced Bugattis ever made.
The wheels and brakes were also taken from the Type 51, while the ball-change gearbox was derived from the Type 49. The timelessly beautiful roadster body, offered as standard, was designed by Jean Bugatti. Besides the roadster, a coupé was also available, called “Faux Cabriolet”, and which had also been designed by Jean. Of the 38 chassis built, 13 roadsters and nine coupés were completed by Bugatti. The car’s acceleration was impressive with only 10 seconds needed to reach 100 km/h from a standstill.
While the steering and roadholding were good by anyone’s standards, many drivers wished for a lighter and more responsive gearbox, as found on a grand prix car. In an issue of “Autocar” from 1933, one journalist test driver reported: “…One doesn’t expect a car such as this to drive silently. While the exhaust noise is tolerable, there are many other mechanical noises from the gearbox and the camshaft’s straightcut drive gears. At higher speeds, these all blend into an impressive and wild howling. Roadholding and handling is so good that curves are magically tackled.
The car doesn’t snap, and inspires full confidence. For a car of this kind, the suspension is best described as comfortable. The gearbox requires some getting used to with first and second sticking at high revs, but otherwise the gear changes are fast...” The audible impressions described by the “Autocar” reviewer are most likely an exaggeration, but the feeling of safety at higher speeds, the handling and the roadholding ability can easily be confirmed by all those who have driven a Type 55. More than any other Bugatti, the Type 55 is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Regrettably, the Type 55 was no more successful at Le Mans than the mighty Type 50. Most likely this was why it attained only modest sales figures. Nonetheless, the Type 55 was and still is regarded as one of the most beautiful cars of all time. Today, it is considered an iconic Bugatti and is one nof the most sought after among collectors of the marque.

THE BUGATTI TYPE 57 SC ATLANTIC &
THE BUGATTI VEYRON 16.4
THE MOST EXCEPTIONAL SUPERCARS OF THEIR ERA

These two extraordinary vehicles were created by passionate engineers for discerning motoring enthusiasts. Both are the results of the most ambitious projects in automotive history. And both appear to have come from another world. The Type 57S was unveiled at the 1935 Paris Motor Show. It was closely related to the standard Type 57 in terms of engineering, but featured a very different chassis. At 2.98 metres, this was 32 centimetres shorter than the standard model, and featured a rear axle that passed through the chassis. The suspension of the car was also set lower than on other versions, which is where the S in its title comes from (standing for “surbaissé”, or “lowered” in French).
In fact, the vehicle had a ground clearance of barely 10 centimetres. The 3.3-litre in-line eight-cylinder engine was equipped with two overhead camshafts and a turbocharger, and was capable of producing over 200 hp. In addition, it had dry sump lubrication and a higher compression ratio than the standard engine. The SC offered a top speed of well over 200 km/h, twinned with acceleration from 0 to 100 in less than 10 seconds.
The engine was so responsive that it could be driven from 10 km/h right up to ist top speed in direct transmission mode. Jean Bugatti, who had already proven himself to be one of the world’s leading bodywork designers with the Type 55 Roadster, was also responsible for the styling of the Atlantic. The car was intended to be as light and aerodynamic as possible, and aluminium was used throughout.
Originally, however, the idea had been to employ magnesium (known at Bugatti as electron), an even lighter material – as a result, the panelling was riveted in place rather than welded.
A two-centimetre-high spine therefore ran from the radiator grille along the entire length of the car, and across each wing, where the panels were intended to be riveted. The car’s unusual styling was further emphasised by the doors, which curved round to form part of the roof. Although the interior was not particularly luxurious, the seating position was perfect.
The driver sat in a slightly reclined position, with the steering column stretching high into the passenger cell to ensure that the wheel was sufficiently distant from the driver’s thighs. The view over the car’s slim bonnet and impressive wings was nothing short of magnificent. And even today, 70 years after it was first launched, a ride in the Atlantic is still breathtaking. You get a clear feeling of what a privilege it must have been to travel in such a marvellous piece of engineering in the turbulent 1930s. Between 1936 and 1938, 43 Type 57S chassis were built, four of which were Atlantic coupés.

ALMOST PRECISELY 70 YEARS LATER

The final version of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 was unveiled in autumn 2005. The Veyron is characterised by more superlatives than any other vehicle on the market today. Its top speed far surpasses any production vehicle and makes the supercar around twice as fast as most standard models today – just as the Atlantic’s 200 km/h top speed was around double the norm for its era.
The compact engine measures just 710 millimetres in length, as a result of the unique W-configuration of the cylinder banks. Two VR8 blocks, each with a 15-degree bank angle, are joined in the crankcase to form one single engine. The eight-cylinder units are set at 90 degrees to each other and are aspirated by a total of four exhaust gas turbochargers. The acceleration surpasses that of a jet at take off, with the vehicle powering from 0 to 300 km/h in a mere 17 seconds. More impressive still is the deceleration provided by the car’s eight-piston carbon-fibre ceramic brakes, which bring the car from 100 km/h to a complete
standstill in just 31.4 metres. The bodywork, made up of a combination of aluminium and carbon components, is utterly unique among supercars, and features the two-tone colouring of Bugatti models in the 20s and 30s. The Veyron even features a nod towards the Atlantic, with a slight fin running across the centre of the body. The Bugatti marque has always been renowned for the way in which ist innovative solutions have driven automotive design forwards. The company’s first high-performance sports car of its new era is certainly more than worthy of bearing the famous badge, and like the Atlantic, achieved legendary status almost immediately after its launch and is sure to be admired for many years to come.

BUGATTi SAS

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Ce qui a été déjà inventé appartient au passé, seules les innovations sont dignes d'intérêt - Ettore Bugatti

I am sure you got all the other facts right, although I am no expert, but you were wrong in saying that the Royales had twelve bodies in total. it was in fact eleven. Five on 41100, two on 41111 and the four other chassis just one each. Also I dont believe the story of the Esders car carrying a set of headlights "just in case." it would have been a very long job to fit them, as there is no wiring loom visible in any of the pictures. Rear lights were definately fitted after the famous Carabin photos were produced, as were windscreen wipers and a cubby hole behind the dash. When the car was rebodied by Binder, Scintilla rather than Marchall lights were fitted, obviously because the standard items (Marchall) were not with the car.