![Bugatti Type35b Dashboard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Bugatti_Type35b_Dashboard.jpg)
The Bugatti Type 35 was the most successful of the
Bugatti racing models. Its version of the Bugatti arch-shaped radiator that had evolved from the more architectural one of the
Bugatti Type 13
The Bugatti Type 13 was the first true Bugatti car. Production of the Type 13, and later Types 15, 17, 22, and 23, began with the company's founding in 1910 and lasted through 1920, with 435 examples produced. Most road cars used an eight-valve ...
Brescia, was to become the one that the marque is most known for though even in the ranks of the various Type 35s there were variations on the theme.
The Type 35 was phenomenally successful, winning over 1,000 races in its time. It took the
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
World Championship in 1926 after winning 351 races and setting 47 records in the two prior years. At its height, Type 35s averaged 14 race wins per week. Bugatti won the
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
for five consecutive years, from 1925 through 1929, with the Type 35.
Type 35
The original model, introduced at the Grand Prix of
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
on August 3, 1924, used an evolution of the
three-valve 2.0 L (1991 cc/121 in³)
overhead cam
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...
straight-eight
The straight-eight engine (also referred to as an inline-eight engine; abbreviated I8 or L8) is a piston engine with eight cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. The number of cylinders and perfect primary and secondary en ...
engine first seen on the
Type 29. Bore was 60 mm and stroke was 88 mm as on many previous Bugatti models. Ninety-six examples were produced.
This new powerplant featured five main bearings with an unusual
ball bearing
A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races.
The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this ...
system. This allowed the engine to rev to 6,000 rpm, and 90 hp (67 kW) was reliably produced.
Solid axle
Solid is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas, and plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount of kinetic energy. A solid is characterized by structura ...
s with
leaf spring
A leaf spring is a simple form of spring commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles. Originally called a ''laminated'' or ''carriage spring'', and sometimes referred to as a semi-elliptical spring, elliptical spring, or cart spring, i ...
s were used front and rear, and
drum brakes at the back, operated by cables, were specified.
Alloy wheel
In the automotive industry, alloy wheels are wheels that are made from an alloy of aluminium or magnesium. Alloys are mixtures of a metal and other elements. They generally provide greater strength over pure metals, which are usually much soft ...
s were a novelty, as was the hollow front axle for reduced
unsprung weight
The unsprung mass (colloquially unsprung weight) of a vehicle is the mass of the suspension, wheels or tracks (as applicable), and other components directly connected to them. This contrasts with the sprung mass (or weight) supported by th ...
. A second feature of the Type 35 that was to become a Bugatti trademark was passing the springs through the front axle rather than simply
U-bolt
A U-bolt is a bolt in the shape of the letter U with screw thread
A screw thread, often shortened to thread, is a helical structure used to convert between rotational and linear movement or force. A screw thread is a ridge wrapped around a ...
ing them together as was done on their earlier cars.
A rare version was de-bored (to 52 mm) for a total displacement of 1.5 L (1494 cc/91 in³). There are two of these cars in New Zealand.
Dimensions:
* Length: 3680 mm (144.9 in)
* Width: 1320 mm (52 in)
* Wheelbase: 2400 mm (94.5 in)
* Track: 1200 mm (47.2 in)
* Weight: 750 kg (1650 lb)
Type 35A
A less expensive version of the Type 35 appeared in May, 1925. The factory's "Type 35A" name was ignored by the public, who nicknamed it "Tecla" after a famous maker of imitation jewelry. The Tecla's engine used three plain bearings, smaller valves, and coil ignition like the
Type 30. While this decreased maintenance requirements, it also reduced output. One-hundred thirty nine of the Type 35As were sold.
Type 35C
The Type 35C featured a
Roots supercharger
The Roots-type blower is a
positive displacement lobe pump which operates by pumping a fluid with a pair of meshing lobes resembling a set of stretched gears. Fluid is trapped in pockets surrounding the lobes and carried from the intake si ...
, despite
Ettore Bugatti
Ettore Arco Isidoro Bugatti (15 September 1881 – 21 August 1947) was an Italian-born French automobile designer and manufacturer. He is remembered as the founder and proprietor of the automobile manufacturing company Automobiles E. Bugatti, wh ...
's disdain for
forced induction
In an internal combustion engine, forced induction is where turbocharging or supercharging is used to increase the density of the intake air. Engines without forced induction are classified as naturally aspirated.
Operating principle Overvi ...
. Output was nearly 128 hp (95 kW) with a single Zenith
carburettor. Type 35Cs won the
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de France), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championsh ...
at
Saint-Gaudens in 1928, and at
Pau in 1930. Fifty examples left the factory.
Type 35T
For 1926, Bugatti introduced a special model for the
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
race. Called the "Type 35T" officially, it soon became known as the "Targa Florio". Engine displacement was up to 2.3 L (2262 cc/138 in³) with a longer 100 mm stroke. Grand Prix rule changes limiting capacity to 2.0 L limited the appeal of this model at the time with just thirteen produced. Bugatti is 'world champion of car builders' this year.
Type 35B
The final version of the Type 35 series was the Type 35B of 1927. Originally named "Type 35TC", it shared the 2.3 L engine of the Type 35T but added a large supercharger like the Type 35C. Output was 138 hp (102 kW), and 45 examples were made. A
British racing green
British racing green, or BRG, is a colour similar to ''Brunswick green'', ''hunter green'', ''forest green'' or '' moss green'' ( RAL 6005). It takes its name from the green international motor racing colour of the United Kingdom. This origina ...
Type 35B driven by
William Grover-Williams
William Charles Frederick Grover-Williams (born William Charles Frederick Grover, 16 January 1903 – 18 March 1945 (or shortly thereafter)), also known as "W Williams", was a British Grand Prix motor racing driver and special agent who worked ...
won the
1929 French Grand Prix at Le Mans.
Type 37
The Type 35 chassis and body were reused on the Type 37 sports car. Fitted with a new 1.5 L (1496 cc/91 in³)
straight-4 engine, 290 Type 37s were built. This engine was an
SOHC three-valve design and produced 60 hp (44 kW). The same engine went on to be used in the
Type 40.
Type 37A
The
supercharged Type 37A accounted for 67 of the Type 37's production slots. Engine output was up to . It also had larger shrouded brake drums.
Type 39
![Bugatti Type 39 of Carl Junker (1931 Australian Grand Prix)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Bugatti_Type_39_of_Carl_Junker_%281931_Australian_Grand_Prix%29.jpg)
The Type 39 was basically identical to the Type 35C except for its engine. This was modified to be smaller at 1.5 L (1493 cc/91 in³) with a shorter-stroked crankshaft. This brought stroke down from 88 mm to 66 mm, and a mix of regular and ball bearings were used. Ten examples were produced.
An odd 1.1 L (1092 cc/66 in³) version was also created by reducing the bore of the engine to 51.3 mm.
Race victories
References
External links
Bugatti Club France page
{{Bugatti road car timeline
35
Grand Prix cars
24 Hours of Le Mans race cars