BUGATTI TYPE 35
Bug’s life By Lawrence Butcher
Ettore Bugatti created arguably the most successful racecar of all time with the Type 35
Ferdinand de Vizcaya whose father, Pierre, funded Bugatti to start his company, competed in the 1925 Targa Florio driving a Type 35. A similar example won overall
F
ew racing cars reach truly iconic status, and fewer still gain kudos beyond motorsport dilettantes. The Ferrari 250 GTO and Ford GT40 are two such cars, but at the top of the pile sits the Bugatti Type 35 (and variants of ), its horseshoe grill and red emblem often eliciting recognition even in those unfamiliar with racing cars. However, they are likely unaware that the Type 35 is arguably the most successful racing car of all time, eclipsing even the Porsche 911 if one considers the time span over which it competed. Between 1924 and 1930 the model secured more than 2000 race victories, and amassed 351 wins in the first two years alone. However, the Type 35’s debut, at the 1924 Grand Prix de l’Automobile Club de France staged in Lyon, was less
12 Historic Racing • Racecar Engineering
12 Historic Racing • Racecar Engineering
than stellar. Thanks to Ettore Bugatti insisting on the use of an unproven tyre, developed by Dunlop to his own design to specifically work with the car’s novel, two-piece cast aluminium wheels, all five cars entered had trouble. One retired, one crashed and only two of the remaining three were classified in the 11 finishers, in seventh and eighth place. Following a switch to conventional rubber supplied by Michelin, the car’s fortunes improved rapidly. Over the following five years, the Type 35 and its derivatives would claim a plethora of victories across Europe, in Grand Prix and hill climb events. Overall, around 400 of the type were constructed, and a large proportion remain in existence today with a significant number still actively competing in historic racing. This despite
the fact the entry price for ownership of an original is well north of £1 million, with ‘good’ cars fetching in excess of £4 million. There are of course replicas, some of which are eligible to race but for the purposes of this article, we will concentrate on the factory-built cars.
Complexity of nature ‘They are complicated cars, there’s no doubt about it,’ says Ollie Crosthwaite of long time Bugatti specialists Crosthwaite and Gardiner. As a result, originality is highly prized. It was not uncommon for cars to be bastardised. If an engine broke, there was no guarantee it would be replaced with an original unit, or even one from Bugatti. This complexity also means their upkeep is not the work of a moment and some parts in particular require an in-depth understanding of the
