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| Bugatti Type 35 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bugatti Type 35 |
| Manufacturer | Ettore Bugatti |
| Production | 1924–1930 |
| Class | Racing car |
| Layout | Front mid-engine, rear-wheel drive |
| Engine | 2.0 L straight-8 |
| Designer | Ettore Bugatti |
Bugatti Type 35 The Bugatti Type 35 is a landmark Grand Prix racing car introduced by Ettore Bugatti's Automobiles Ettore Bugatti team in 1924. Revered for its lightweight construction, advanced automotive engineering and aesthetic form, the Type 35 dominated European motor racing throughout the 1920s, capturing victories at events such as the Targa Florio, French Grand Prix, and numerous Grand Prix and Voiturette races. The Type 35's combination of innovative chassis design, overhead camshaft engines and alloy wheels influenced subsequent designs by rivals and manufacturers across Italy, France, and Britain.
The Type 35's conception under Ettore Bugatti drew upon influences from Gustave Eiffel-era structural principles and contemporary developments at firms like Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo, Sunbeam, Aston Martin, and Fiat. Its backbone was a lightweight ladder chassis and hollow forged axles reminiscent of techniques used by Ransomes and styling cues shared with coachbuilders such as Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera and Mulliner. The straight-eight engine featured a single overhead camshaft and bevel-gear drive, an arrangement comparable to contemporary units from FIAT S.p.A., Delage, Peugeot, Rolls-Royce, and Bentley racing programmes. Aluminum alloy components, including the distinctive cast alloy wheels—an innovation paralleling experiments at Birmingham engineering shops and Voisin—reduced unsprung mass, improving handling on circuits like Monza and the Brooklands banking.
Produced between 1924 and 1930 by Automobiles Ettore Bugatti at Molsheim in Alsace, the Type 35 spawned numerous variants, each tailored to different events run by organizers such as the Automobile Club de France and the Royal Automobile Club. Early Type 35 models evolved into the Type 35A with strengthened components, the competition-focused Type 35T for hillclimbs run by entrants from Monte Carlo and Goodwood, and the supercharged Type 35B and Type 35C used by factory teams and privateers who also raced for outfits like Enzo Ferrari's early teams and Scuderia Ferrari-aligned entrants. Coachbuilt bodies were often finished by local firms in Paris, Milan, and London, and cars were campaigned by drivers associated with clubs such as the Automobile Club de Monaco and patrons including nobility from Monaco and industrialists from Germany.
The Type 35's competition record includes landmark triumphs in events organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile circuit and historic road races like the Targa Florio, the French Grand Prix, and endurance contests mediated by the Automobile Club de France. Drivers such as Louis Chiron, Rodolphe Salis-era contemporaries, and factory pilots akin to Pierre de Vizcaya and René Dreyfus leveraged the car's reliability to outpace rivals from Bentley Motors Limited, Sunbeam Motor Car Company, Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A., and Delage. The Type 35 amassed over 1,000 wins, including repeated victories at the Mille Miglia precursor events, hillclimb successes in the Alps and circuit wins at Spa-Francorchamps and Nürburgring-era courses. Its exploits influenced racing regulations legislated by bodies such as the Royal Automobile Club and informed competition strategies used by teams later exemplified by Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix and Auto Union.
The Type 35 typically used a 2.0-litre straight-eight engine with a single overhead camshaft and a hollow crankshaft concept, features paralleling contemporary engineering at Sunbeam and Peugeot works. Displacement, bore and stroke dimensions varied among subtypes developed in workshops in Molsheim and tested at facilities in Le Mans and Monza. Ignition systems and carburation were comparable to units used by Rolls-Royce service departments while producing power outputs competitive with Bentley 3 Litre rivals. The car utilized semi-elliptic leaf springs, live rear axle assemblies and an innovative alloy wheel design that reduced rotational inertia, improvements reflected in braking strategies used on circuits governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile and safety practices later codified by the Royal Automobile Club.
The Type 35's success cemented Ettore Bugatti's reputation alongside contemporaries such as Enzo Ferrari, Willys-Overland founders, and engineering houses like Messerschmitt. Its blend of artistry and performance influenced coachbuilders in Milan, Paris, and London, and inspired future models at Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. and revival projects by firms linked to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry-era patrons. Collectors, museums such as the Musée National de l'Automobile and auction houses in Monaco and Geneva prize Type 35 examples, which command attention alongside artifacts from Le Mans winners and historic exhibits curated by institutions like the Petersen Automotive Museum and the Science Museum, London. The Type 35 endures in motorsport heritage, referenced in engineering curricula at institutions like École des Mines, Imperial College London, and in restorations undertaken by specialists formerly associated with Bentley Motors Limited and bespoke restoration shops in Alsace.
Category:Bugatti cars