Bugatti Type 35

Lore & Background

The arch/egg-shaped radiator is emblematic, as is the rear of the car. The tapered stern has been called a 'Bordino tail' and Ettore Bugatti may have been influenced by the shape of the earlier Fiat 804 driven and modified by Pietro Bordino. The car has also become synonymous with being the first to use cast alloy wheels. The Type 35 was phenomenally successful, winning hundreds of races in its time. It dominated the 1926 Grand Prix season, though no official world championship existed that year. Bugatti won the Targa Florio for five consecutive years, from 1925 through 1929, with the Type 35.

In Their Own Story

The morning mist still clung to the Mulsanne Straight as the Type 35C roared past the starting line, its supercharged eight-cylinder engine singing a high, piercing note that cut through the damp air. Jean-Pierre Wimille gripped the wooden steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the Dunlop tires were already beginning to wear from the relentless pace of the early morning laps. The car danced over the bumps at Indianapolis with a nervous energy, faster than any rival, yet the clock ticked relentlessly toward the final hour, demanding more than just speed; it demanded endurance that this beautiful machine had yet to fully master.

Reader's Guide

The Bugatti Type 35 was continually being modified and improved upon, but broadly falls into the following nomenclature: Type 35 (naturally aspirated, 1,991 cc, 90 hp, 96 produced); Type 35A (simpler, plain bearings, 139 produced); Type 35T (2,262 cc for Targa Florio, 13 produced); Type 35C (supercharged, 128 bhp, ~45 produced); Type 35B (2.3 litre supercharged, 138 bhp, ~37 produced); Type 37 (1.5 litre straight-4, 60 bhp, ~223 built); Type 37A (supercharged, 80–90 bhp, ~67 produced); Type 39 (1.5 litre, 10 examples, some supercharged as Type 39A).

Did You Know?

• The Type 35 featured an 8-day dashboard clock made by Doxa.
• The Type 35A was nicknamed 'Tecla' after a famous maker of imitation jewellery.
• The 1926 Milan Grand Prix at Monza was won by a Type 39, not a Type 35C.
• A Bleu de France Type 35B driven by William Grover-Williams won the inaugural 1929 Monaco Grand Prix.