Bugatti 49 Berline 2 doors by Vanvooren
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Car producer : |
Bugatti |
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Model: |
49 Berline 2 doors by Vanvooren |
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Year: |
1930-1934 |
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Type: |
Coupe |
The Bugatti Type 49 was an enclosed touring car similar to the earlier Type 44. Produced from 1930 through 1934, about 470 examples were built. The Type 49 was the last of the early 8-cylinder Bugatti line which began with the Type 30, though its gearbox would later be reused on the Type 55.
Introduced in 1930, the Type 49 was a classic Bugatti design, featuring a narrow chassis frame, horseshoe radiator, cable-operated drum brakes, four-speed gearbox, and a beautiful single overhead-camshaft, three-valve-per-cylinder straight-eight engine. For the Type 49, Ettore Bugatti devised a new twin-plug ignition system and enlarged the engine’s bore and stroke, increasing displacement to 3,257 cc. These updates resulted in an immensely capable high-performance touring car, with a top speed approaching 100 mph in standard trim.
After testing the new Bugatti in November 1932, The Motor published the following report, attesting to the superb nature of Ettore’s latest offering:
“The Type 49, or 3.3-litre tourer, combines all those qualities for which the Bugatti is famous, with an unexpected flexibility and silence at low speeds on top gear. It is indeed a car with a dual personality – a comfortable carriage and a lively sports model. It will lap Brooklands at over 80 mph and it will call through traffic and round street corners in top gear with never a sign of snatch…. So quickly and easily does the Type 49 reach a speed of a mile a minute that, on the average main road, it is possible to cover long distances in an astonishingly short space of time. So safe does the car feel, that one has no hesitation about driving at the maximum whenever road conditions permit. … There are very, very few cars capable of equaling this performance.”
The Type 49 featured a straight-8 engine of 3.3 L (3257 cc/198 in³) displacement. Bore and stroke were 72 mm by 100 mm and three valves per cylinder were used with a single overhead camshaft. The last of the early overhead-cam eight-cylinder Bugattis, the Type 49 was described in a contemporary report as a successful blend of comfortable carriage and lively sports car—something that still aptly describes the rare survivors today
