Bugatti Type 39 - successful Grand Prix racing car in the lightweight class

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Bugatti Type 39 - successful Grand Prix racing car in the lightweight class

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Created on January 22, 2020

Text:

Daniel Koch

Photos:

Courtesy Bonhams

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Bonhams

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Bruno von Rotz

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Archiv ACS / Jürg Kauffmann

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - Aluminum wheels with removable rim

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - Body of the Type 35 with smaller engine

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - The spare wheel was secured with a leather strap

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - The racing car is said to have been over 165 km/h fast

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - In the 1920s, Bugatti was the team to beat

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - A beauty from every perspective

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - The track width was only 1.2 meters

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - Classic Bugatti horseshoe radiator grille

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - External sound system

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - A protective grille had to suffice for the driver

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - A single rear-view mirror was enough

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - Filigree pedals

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - Sparse instrumentation

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - This is probably not a safety steering column

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - Scarce space for the legs

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - Although the mechanic was no longer allowed to ride in the car from 1926, the 2-seater cockpit was retained

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - The spare wheel was always included

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - The brakes were controlled by wire cables

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - The innovative aluminum wheels were a Bugatti specialty

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - Classic Bugatti grille with protective grille

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - eight-cylinder engine with a displacement of just 1.5 liters

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - The 1.5 liter engine produced around 90 hp

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - drum brakes on all four wheels

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - Classic Marchal headlights

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - Matching numbers, important for value retention

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Bugatti Type 39 (1925) - Matching chassis number

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Bugatti 35 T (1926) - at the Klausenrennen 2013

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Bugatti 35 T (1926) - at the Klausenrennen 2013

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The Bugatti 35, here a model from 1925, formed the basis for the Type 39

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The Bugatti 35, here a model from 1925, formed the basis for the Type 39

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BugattI 35 C (1929) - Hans Stuber, Bern, on Bugatti 35 C at the II National Mountain Test Drive Kriens/Obernau-Eigental of the ACS Lucerne, Ob- and Nidwalden on 9.6.1929

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Summary

The Bugatti Type 39 is a Type 35 with a smaller engine. From 1925, it was used in races by the Bugatti works team, where its favorable power-to-weight ratio made it a real nuisance to the larger Grand Prix racing cars, simply because it was more agile to drive than the competition. The daredevil racing drivers reached top speeds of over 160 km/h in those days, and the races often lasted several hours. This report portrays one of the ten Type 39s built and tells its story.

This article contains the following chapters

A little brother
Moderate power, well balanced
Compact racer
Special wheels
Sporting ambitions
Racing history

Estimated reading time: 4min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Ettore Bugatti was known for designing racing and sports cars that were characterized by an excellent power-to-weight ratio. He did not install the most powerful engine at any price, but always sought the ideal balance between performance and agile handling. With the Bugatti Type 35, Bugatti established a racing sports car that had to be beaten in Grand Prix racing. The mostly blue racers were almost impossible to catch up with the competition. Ettore was also a pioneer of the modular principle. By combining different chassis and engines, new vehicle types were created time and again; no niche seemed to be too small.

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