The mysteries surrounding the Bugatti 32 Aero Tank
12/28/2022
On July 2, 1923, a racing car from another planet made its debut at the Tours Grand Prix: the Bugatti 32 "Tank". It was different from its competitors in every respect: It had a platform frame with a very low ground clearance. It was extremely short (wheelbase 2 m, like a Mini from 1959), so that the pedals were positioned next to the slim 8-cylinder in-line engine. It had the gearbox on the rear axle and the fuel tank in front. And all the technology, including the wheels, was covered by a full body in the form of a wing cross-section.
Since then, many designers have dreamed of reinventing the racing car.
Ettore Bugatti (together with Gabriel Voisin) was the first to attempt it with such consistency in 1923. The Type 32 is an icon of racing car history. And it continues to puzzle us to this day.
For example: it came third in its first race and drove the fastest lap. But immediately afterwards, Bugatti sold three of the five cars (one was destroyed in an accident and one remained at the factory) and never entered it in a circuit race again. Why?
The car still has the reputation of a failure to this day. But it clearly had potential. But it was not further developed, and its successor, the Type 35, again followed the conventional design pattern: cigar shape, narrow ladder frame, high ground clearance.
Much about the T32, this charismatic car, remains unclear to this day. Much of what has been written about it is questionable or even wrong. In short, this car is worth a book.
At least that's the view of the author of these lines and Jean-Philippe Müller, who have already written a book in honor of the Bugatti 251 ( link to book review ) .
The research has already begun: Two examples of the Type 32 have disappeared, two have survived: one is in the "Musée de l'Automobile Mulhouse". But where is the other one? It is probably the car that came third in Tours and was then bought by the Czech banker couple Junek. It was rebuilt in the 1990s by Diego Ratti, a member of the Italian Bugatti Club, and is now said to be owned by a "Swiss investment fund". Nothing more is known so far.
The authors would be grateful for any information as to where this car might be located today. Please send any useful information to the Zwischengas editorial team. They will then be forwarded accordingly.
