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Like once with Tazio Nuvolari at the wheel - Bugatti Type 51

Name: Bugatti Type 51 1931
Brand: Bugatti

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Created on July 18, 2016

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

Bonhams

Stuart Adams

Brooklands Society - Courtesy Bonhams

1000 Miglia srl

Marc Catherine

Balz Schreier

Michael Alschner

PAImages - Courtesy Bonhams

Jurrie Vanhalle (vjimages.be)

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

Bonhams

Stuart Adams

Brooklands Society - Courtesy Bonhams

1000 Miglia srl

Marc Catherine

Balz Schreier

Michael Alschner

PAImages - Courtesy Bonhams

Jurrie Vanhalle (vjimages.be)

Archiv

Bugatti Type 51 (1931) - an extremely elegant Grand Prix racing car

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Bugatti Type 51 (1931) - tight body, big wheels

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Bugatti Type 51 (1931) - when it approached from behind, it could hardly be stopped

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Bugatti Type 51 (1931) - one of the fastest racing cars of the time

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Bugatti Type 51 (1931) - the shape tapers at the front and rear

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Bugatti Type 51 (1931) - with the classic eight-spoke alloy wheels

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Bugatti Type 51 (1931) - built for speed and nothing else

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Bugatti Type 51 (1931) - of course with a clock in front of the driver

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Bugatti Type 51 (1931) - the eight-cylinder in-line engine with two overhead camshafts

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Bugatti Type 51 (1931) - Tazio Nuvolari at the wheel in Broodklands in 1933

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Bugatti Type 51 (1931) - Tazio Nuvolari and Lord Howe - Francis Curzon - at Brooklands in 1933

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Bugatti 51 (1931) - at a race in Rouen in 1964

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Bugatti 51 (1931) - at the 1977 Geneva Motor Show on the Automobil Revue stand

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Bugatti 51 (1931) - in Hockenheim in 1978

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Bugatti 51 (1931) - seen in 1983, presumably at the Oldtimer Grand Prix

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Bugatti 51 (1932) - Plateau 1 - Le Mans Classic 2016

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Bugatti 51 (1930) at the Grand Prix de l'Age d'Or 2016 in the "Trophée Légende" category

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Bugatti T 51 (1932) - at the Interclasssics Brussels 2015

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Bugatti 51 (1931) - at the Rallye Historique on the occasion of the Schloss Bensberg Classics 2015

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Bugatti T 51 (1933) - at the Mille Miglia 2015

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Bugatti Type 51 (1932) - on the second testing day for the 73rd Goodwood Members' Meeting 2015

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Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix (1931) - Chassis 51127 on the stand of Lukas Hüni - Rétromobile 2015

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Bugatti T51 (1931) - at the race of the Historic Grand Prix Cars up to 1960 at the AvD OGP 2014

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Bugatti 51 GP (1935) - at the Roßfeldrennen 2013

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Bugatti Type 51 (1932) - Racing Legends at the Classic Days Schloss Dyck 2013

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Bugatti Type 51 B (1934) - Racing Legends at the Classic Days Schloss Dyck 2013

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Bugatti Type 51 B (1934) - Racing Legends at the Classic Days Schloss Dyck

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Bugatti T 35B (1929) - in the open race track of Oerlikon - Indianapolis in Oerlikon 2012

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Bugatti T 51 (1930) - in Plateau 1 (1923-1939) at the Le Mans Classic 2012

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Bugatti 51 A (1934) at the Ennstal Classic 2010

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Summary

The Bugatti 35 and its modifications were among the most successful racing cars of all time. To replace it, Ettore Bugatti looked to America and quickly copied the engine block and valve train from the Miller racing cars. With success, as the Type 51 won several Grand Prix victories and was sold 40 times. This report not only summarizes the short history of the racing car, it also provides driving impressions and shows the car in many pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

No longer competitive
The affair with Miller
Some successes
A rarity
At the wheel of a Grand Prix racer
Price on request
Further information

Estimated reading time: 4min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The Bugatti 35 and its modifications were among the most successful racing cars of all time. Its highly efficient design and the love of its builders, owners and mechanics made the two-seater racing car with in-line eight-cylinder engine a contender for victory in series production. By the end of the 1930s, however, the competition was getting stronger, especially from Italy. Maserati and Alfa Romeo had meanwhile upgraded and presented modern racing cars that were clearly superior to the Bugatti in terms of performance. Ettore Bugatti had to do something. It so happened that the manufacturer in Alsace, which was not resting on its laurels, was able to acquire two Miller racing cars from the USA from Leon Durays, in exchange for two brand-new Bugatti 35Bs. This shows just how valuable these American designs were to Ettore Bugatti. They had modern twin-camshaft heads and a high power output.

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