Bugatti 59 Sports
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Car producer : |
Bugatti |
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Model: |
59 Sports |
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Year: |
1933-1934 |
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Type: |
Roadster |
The final Bugatti race car of the 1930s was the Type 59 of 1934. It used an enlarged 3.3 L (3257 cc/198 in³) version of the straight-eight Type 57's engine sitting in a modified Type 54 chassis. The engine was lowered for a better center of gravity, and the frame was lightened with a number of holes drilled in the chassis. The signature piano wire wheels used splines between the brake drum and rim, and relied on the radial spokes to handle cornering loads. 250 hp (186 kW) was on tap, and eight were made.
On 5 September 2020 a Bugatti T59, built in 1934, was auctioned for 8,5 million pound by Gooding & Company. The car had been used by the Bugatti racing team in 1934-1935 and being driven by René Dreyfus it won the Belgian Grand Prix in 1934. It was later rebuilt as a sportscar by Bugatti and sold to King Leopold III of Belgium
The ultimate evolution of the Bugatti Grand Prix car, the mythical Type 59 is both a technical marvel and a masterpiece of industrial art – a model considered by many to be the most elegant prewar racing car. Debuted in late 1933, the Type 59 featured a supercharged straight-eight engine, sophisticated de Ram shock absorbers, and mesmerizing piano-wire wheels, an ingenious design that could have only come from Molsheim.
