BUGATTI TYPE 57 REVIEW

Launched at the 1936 Paris Salon in supercharged form, the Type 57C was probably the most celebrated non-racing car that Bugatti ever produced, and regarded as the finest of all touring Bugatti models, following the established twin-cam straight-eight 3.3-litre Type 57 of 1934.

Driven by gearing from the camshaft drive, the supercharger gave the Type 57C a wonderful combination of performance and flexibility. Power output was boosted from 135 to 160bhp, with a corresponding improvement in acceleration. Top speed now increased from 95mph towards 120mph. The style of the Type 57 range showed a strong influence of Ettore Bugatti's talented young son Jean (Gianoberto) and at last gave the Bugatti marque a civilised grande routier to match the rival products of Delage and Delahaye.

Its success is revealed by the production figures. Some 680 examples of all models of the Type 57 produced between 1934-40, and the post-war T101 was based on the Type 57 chassis. The Type 57 was more or less new from stem to stern, only the six-bearing twin overhead cam engine having the same dimensions as the single cam Type 49. Continuing with the fixed head block, mounted on an aluminium crankcase, a single piece crankshaft was employed with plain bearings, pressurized lubrication and a wet sump.

Moves by Jean Bugatti to manufacture an independently sprung front axle arrangment with the first fifty or so cars were blocked by father Ettore's single minded approach that the car would remain a fine model with a solid front axle, sprung as it was. The gearbox was intregal with the engine with a single plate clutch unit, the gears being of constant mesh in second, third and fourth, engaged by dog-clutches.

This 3.3-litre model was effectively the sole model built between 1934 and the outbreak of World War Two, the engine also used to power the Type 59, the last significant Grand Prix Bugatti. Combined with good roadholding, the Bugatti Type 57 had a smooth, torquey engine, with excellent steering that became lighter as the car increased in speed, an ideal car for those all-day runs. While several Type 57s were fitted with one-off bodywork, the most popular coachwork was built to Jean Bugatti's designs by the marque's preferred carrossier, Gangloff of Colmar, just a few miles from the Bugatti works at Molsheim.

BUGATTI TYPE 46 REVIEW

Introduced at the 1929 London and Paris Motor Shows, Ettore Bugatti's favourite model was the result of his decision to move his passenger car range progressively up market.

The Type 46, referred to as the 5-litre, is often considered to be a scaled down version of the Type 41 Royale. The Royale aside, the new single overhead cam straight-eight 5,359cc nine-bearing twin-plug dry sumped Bugatti Type 46 was thought to be the most luxurious Bugatti of its day, the chassis price of £975 coming in at £425 more than the previous Type 44 of 3-litre capacity. The only Bugatti model to share the same massive stroke as the mighty 12,763cc Royale at 130mm, the new 140bhp Type 46 has impressive torque characteristics, top gear able to pull from 10 to 96mph on a 3.9:1 axle. Going some way towards balanced weight distribution, the gearbox is incorporated in the rear axle and actuated by a centrally located ball change, perpetuating Type 28 and Royale practice.

A new and longer chassis of 11ft 4ins or 3.5 metres was introduced, giving coachbuilders considerable scope, the factory offering its own range of open and closed bodywork, many customers preferring to order their own from a multitude of coachbuilders available. A mere 400 or so models were built, Bugatti displaying a Type 46 at the London Motor Show of 1933, and listing the car for 1934.

BUGATTI TYPE 55 REVIEW

Buagatti Type 55, Sir? Don't mind if I do... 

By the early 1930s Ettore Bugatti had established an unrivalled reputation for building cars with outstanding performance on road or track the worlds greatest racing drivers enjoying countless successes aboard the Molsheim factorys products and often choosing them for their everyday transport. Because of its lengthy run of success, Ettore Bugatti remained stubbornly committed to his single-cam engine, only adopting the more advanced double-overhead-camshaft method of valve actuation, after much prompting by his eldest son Jean, on the Type 50 of 1930.

From then on Jean Bugatti took greater responsibility for design, his first car being the exquisite Bugatti Type 55 roadster, a model ranking among the finest sports cars of the 1930s. The Type 55s 2,262cc, supercharged, twin-cam, straight-eight engine was carried over from the successful Type 51 Grand Prix car - successor to the legendary Type 35 - and fitted in a ladder frame chassis wider and stronger than that of its Type 43 road-car predecessor. The precocious Jean Bugatti added his own individual touch, designing a sublime two-seat roadster body that is universally acknowledged as one of the finest ever to grace an automobile. Aimed at only the wealthiest clientele, the Type 55 sold in commensurately limited numbers, a mere 38 being built between 1932 and 1935, the vast majority of these in the first year of production. A true supercar of its era, the Type 55 is today one of the most desirable and expensive cars in the world.