Bugatti has marked the centenary of the Type 35, the legendary race car that it campaigned for six years between 1924 and 1930.
The Type 35 made its debut at the Lyon Grand Prix on 3 August 1924, having been driven from Bugatti’s Molsheim factory to the city some 300 miles away.
At launch, it packed a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated straight eight, with outputs ranging from 74bhp to around 94bhp.
Of the five Type 35s entered into the 35-lap, 500-mile grand prix, only two finished, owing to tyre troubles.
“Bugatti had an unsuitable tyre for these conditions, there being too much rubber on the tread, and this coming away as soon as a certain speed was maintained,” noted Autocar’s race report from 8 August 1924.
The two Bugatti finishers placed seventh and eighth, while an Alfa Romeo P2 took victory.
Autocar first drove a road-registered Type 35 on 11 June 1926, concluding: “At full speed the car is indeed something worth having.”
Our correspondent said that the Type 35’s open-wheel, open-air body made it “a hundred times better” for enthusiasts.
They elaborated: “True, on muddy roads the state of driver and mechanic beggars description, yet, somehow, even this seems good. Goggles and a sound waterproof are essential, yet there is something thrilling in the feel of rain against the face, and the freshness of the cold air.”
Our correspondent was also impressed by the breadth of the car’s capabilities, noting that it could be driven “quite comfortably” in London at 10mph – still an essential quality for Bugattis a century on.
“Care must be used to avoid making too much exhaust noise, yet once the trick is mastered this is quite easy,” they added.
“The steering, cornering and brakes would prove revelations, not unnaturally, to the average driver.”
The test also comprised a 100mph run around the high-speed bowl at Brooklands, which was achieved with no fettling other than the fitment of new spark plugs.
“Deliberately the tyres and shock absorbers, numberplates and spare wheel were left in position as ordinarily used,” our correspondent concluded.
Bugatti’s celebration of the Type 35 comes as it leans on its heritage to smooth its transition into the electric age. It last year unveiled the 57 One of One, a Chiron referencing 1934’s Type 57, and has now hinted at the prospect of developing a GT in the mould of that car.
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