The Bugatti Type 13 was the first car produced Solely the "Bugatti" name plate. 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 engine, though five Type 13 racers had 16-valve heads, some of the first ever produced. The road cars became known as ''pur-sang'' ("thoroughbred") in keeping with Ettore Bugatti's feelings for his designs.
The car was brought back after World War I with a multivalve engine to bring fame to the
marque
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...
at
Brescia
Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
. The production Brescia tourer also brought in much-needed cash.
Type 10
The Bugatti automobile was prototyped as the Type 10 in Ettore Bugatti's basement in 1908 and 1909 while he was chief engineer at Deutz Gasmotoren Fabrik in
Cologne, Germany
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and over 3.1 million people in the Cologne Bonn urba ...
, as a modified version of the Bugatti Type 9C-A, but significantly destroked.
The Type 10 used a monoblocstraight-four engine of Ettore's own design. It was an overhead-cam unit with two valves per cylinder, which was highly advanced for the time. A very-
undersquare
Stroke ratio, today universally defined as bore/stroke ratio, is a term to describe the ratio between cylinder bore diameter and piston stroke length in a reciprocating piston engine. This can be used for either an internal combustion engine ...
design, it had a 60 mm bore and 100 mm stroke for a total of 1.1 L (1131 cc/69 in3). This was attached to an open roadster body with
solid axle
Solid is a state of matter where molecules are closely packed and can not slide past each other. Solids resist compression, expansion, or external forces that would alter its shape, with the degree to which they are resisted dependent upon the ...
s front and rear.
Leaf spring
A leaf spring is a simple form of spring (device), spring commonly used for suspension (vehicle), suspension in wheeled vehicles. Originally called a ''laminated'' or ''carriage spring'', and sometimes referred to as a semi-elliptical spring, e ...
s suspended the front with no suspension at all in the rear. Cables operated rear
drum brake
A drum brake is a brake that uses friction caused by a set of Brake shoe, shoes or Brake pad, pads that press outward against a rotating bowl-shaped part called a brake drum.
The term ''drum brake'' usually means a brake in which shoes press o ...
s.
On ending his contract with Deutz, Ettore loaded his family into the Type 10 and headed to the
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...
region, then still part of the
German Empire
The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
, looking for a factory to begin producing cars of his own. After World War I, Alsace became a part of France again, and with it Bugatti.
The car was preserved and nicknamed "''la baignoire''" ("the bathtub") by the staff at Molsheim in later years due to its shape. Ettore restored it in 1939 and repainted it an orange-red color, earning it a new nickname, "''le homard''" ("the lobster"). It was moved to
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
for the duration of World War II and remained there for decades before falling into private ownership. Today, the car is in California in the hands of a private collector.
Type 13
Upon starting operations at his new factory in
Molsheim
Molsheim (; ) is a Communes of France, commune and a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Bas-Rhin Departments of France, department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.shaft-driven car into the Type 13 racer. This included boring the engine out to for a total of . A major advance was the four-valve head Bugatti designed — one of the first of its type ever conceived. Power output with dual Zenith carburetters reached at 4500 rpm, more than adequate for the 660-lb (300-kg) car. Leaf springs were now fitted all around, and the car rode on a roughly 2-m (80-in) wheelbase. Although having the appearance of a toy, the Bugatti Type 13 was successfully raced. It was seen at hill climbs as early as 1910 looking rather out of place compared to the bulky and brutish competition. What the Type 13 lacked in power, it made up in handling, steering, and braking. These important elements were retained throughout all future Bugatti designs. Top speed was at 125 km/h.
The new company produced five examples in 1910, and entered the French Grand Prix at
Le Mans
Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
in 1911. The tiny Bugatti looked out of place at the race, but calmly took second place after seven hours of racing.
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
caused production to halt in the disputed region. Ettore took two completed Type 13 cars with him to
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
for the duration of the war, leaving the parts for three more buried near the factory. After the war, Bugatti returned, unearthed the parts, and prepared five Type 13s for racing.
Post World War I, A Grand Prix for Voiturettes at Le Mans was the only French event of 1920, and Bugatti entered the two completed cars from Milan and one more from the remaining parts. Ettore's illegal act of placing a hand on the radiator cap during the race brought disqualification to the leading car, however.
The Type 13 was unbeatable. Bugatti's cars finished in the top four places at the Brescia Grand Prix in 1921, and orders poured in. Capitalizing on this victory, all subsequent four-valve Bugatti models bore the ''Brescia'' moniker.
These were the only Bugatti models to locate the carburetor on the left side of the engine and the exhaust on the right. In 1921, the bore was increased to , which gave an overall displacement of . Front-wheel brakes were added in 1926.
Type 15
The Type 15 was a version of the Type 13 with a longer, 2400-mm (94.5-in), wheelbase. It had a six-sided radiator in front and semielliptical rear leaf springs. A variety of dates of production have been suggested, but none before 1910 and none later than 1914.
Type 17
Another Type 13-based version, the Type 17, was also produced alongside the 15. This used a longer yet, wheelbase. It shared its hexagonal radiator and rear springs with the Type 15. As with the 13 and 15, the engine was bored out by in 1912, increasing displacement from along with two additional horsepower.
Type 22
The Type 15 was updated in 1913 as the Type 22. It had a larger roadgoing body, an oval radiator, and quarter-circle springs.
Type 23
This updated version of the Type 17 was built from 1913 as the Type 23. It also had the oval radiator of the Type 22. Post World War 1, Bugatti capitalized on the racing success of the Type 13 "Brescia" with the full-production postwar Brescia Tourer. From 1914 or thereabouts, the 17 also received the multivalve Brescia engine. 2,000 examples of this engine type were built from 1920 through 1926, making it the first full-production multivalve car ever made.
The engine was initially the same bore, 1.4-litre, two-valve unit as in the earlier models. Towards the end of 1920, the bore was increased to , becoming a 1.45-litre engine. A year or two later, displacement went up to a full 1.5 litres, thanks to a bore expanded yet again, to .
Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the State media, state-owned international radio news network of France. With 59.5 million listeners in 2022, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world ...