The Bugatti Type 35 made its debut in 1924 at the French Grand Prix, easily achieving speeds that exceeded 100 mph. In 1926 a supercharger was installed, bringing horsepower from 90 to 130 at the rear wheels, and speeds of up to 120 mph were possible. The engine's appearance was equally impressive, as the block and head were sculpted from aluminum and the engine-turned finish over the firewall.

The supercharged Bugatti Type 35B was the work of Ettore Bugatti. Its elegant shape featured the traditional horseshoe grille, the cockpit being the widest part of the body, and from there the design tapered rearwards to form a boat tail at the back.

The Bugatti Type 35B was responsible for capturing numerous racing victories, with 412 earned in 1925 alone. From 1924 through 1929, the Bugatti dominated international competition.

by Dan Vaughan

Boattail Speedster
Chassis number: 4938

This 1928 Bugatti Type 35B is a Pur Sang recreation that is identical to the original car. It is finished in blue paintwork with matching black upholstery. It has traveled less than 100 miles in its life with only minor indications of its age. It is equipped with a straight-eight supercharged engine with nine-roller bearings capable of producing 130 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual gearbox with four-wheel mechanical drum brakes. In the front are Marchal headlights and comes equipped with a side-mounted spare.

The Type 35B Bugatti's had a very glorious racing career, one that captured 412 racing victories. It was a dominant force in international competition from 1924 through 1929 and one of the most respected vehicles from the Ettore Bugatti legacy.

The Type 35 made its racing debut at the French Grand Prix in 1924. It was able to exceed speeds of 100 mph. With the adoption of the supercharged in 1926, horsepower rose from 90 to 130. Speeds of 120 mph were now able to be obtained for the lightweight and nimble 800kg machine.

This recreation, with chassis number 4938 and should no way be confused with the Molsheim-built Bugatti T35B bearing the same number, was offered for sale at the 2008 Automobiles of Amelia presented by RM Auctions. The estimated value was set at $175,000 - $225,000, which was not obtained. Bidding reached $160,000, which was not enough to satisfy the reserve and the car was left unsold.

by Dan Vaughan

Boattail Speedster
Chassis number: BC 083

This Bugatti Type 35B is a replica (recreation) built by Crosthwaite & Gardener to visually and dimensionally identical proportions. It was precision-built with over 3,000 components that were manufactured from scratch, and is considered one of the most authentic reproduction Bugatti in existence. It was built in 1999 and finished in Bugatti Racing Blue. Power is from a 130-horsepower, 2.3-liter supercharged inline eight-cylinder engine with nine roller bearings and backed by a four-speed manual gearbox, sending power to the live rear axle. There are eight-spoke alloy wheels and a side-mounted spare.

Recently, the car has campaigned during the Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca, Sonoma, Buttonwillow, Fontana, as well as on the California Mille. The car was displayed at the Riverside Auto Museum as well as presented at the Palm Springs Concours and at Quail Lodge.

by Dan Vaughan

The Bugatti Type 35 is regarded by many as one of the most beautiful pre-war racers from the legendary Bugatti Company. Its beauty is matched by its accomplishments, is one of the most successful pre-war racer winning over 1000 races and capturing the 1926 Grand Prix World Championship with 351 races. During that two-year period, it also claimed 47 records. From 1925 through 1929, the Bugatti Type 35 dominated the Targa Florio.

The first Bugatti Type 35 was introduced on August 3rd, 1924. It was powered by a modified engine used in the Type 29. The 3-valve 2-liter overhead cam straight-eight engine had five main bearings and produced around 90 horsepower. The suspension was comprised of leaf springs attached to solid axles. Stopping power was provided by drum brakes in the rear operated by cables which could be seen on the vehicle's exterior. In total, there were 96 examples produced.

There were multiple versions of the Type 35 which were specifically designed to accommodate many types of racers. The Type 35A, nicknamed 'Tecla' was an inexpensive version of the Type 35 and first appeared in May of 1925. Its nickname was given by the public after a maker of imitation jewelry. The engine was a reliable unit borrowed from the Type 30. It used three bearings, had smaller valves, coil ignition, and produced less horsepower than its Type 35 sibling. In total, 139 examples of the Type 35A were created.

Though Ettore Bugatti favored naturally aspirated engines, the Type 35C was given a Roots-Type supercharger which boosted power to an impressive 128 horsepower. Only fifty examples were created, with many providing historic victories for the company. The Type 35C won the 1928 and 1930 French Grand Prix, undoubtedly their greatest accomplishments.

The Bugatti Type 35T, commonly known as the Targa Florio, was specially prepared for the Targa Florio race. There were only thirteen examples produced. It was powered by a 2.3-liter engine. When Grand Prix rules changed, stating that engine displacement sizes of up to 2 liters were required, the Type 35T became obsolete and production ceased.

The Bugatti Type 35B was introduced in 1927 and was the final iteration of the Type 35 series. The name Type 35TC was pondered since it shared the same 2.3-liter engine as the Type 35T and a supercharger just like the Type 35C. The engine produced an astonishing 138 horsepower, by far the most of the Type 35 series. In total, there were only 45 examples produced, with one of their most significant accomplishments being the victory at the 1929 French Grand Prix.

The Type 39 was produced alongside the Type 35B but adhered to current Grand Prix regulations which limited engine capacities to 1.5 liters. Only ten examples of the Type 39 were produced.

by Dan Vaughan

THE LEGENDARY BUGATTI TYPE 35 – THE WORLD'S MOST SUCCESSFUL RACING CAR

Ettore Bugatti ushered in the golden years of the 1920s with the Type 35

Molsheim, 6 May 2019. Light, strong, fast and elegant. The Bugatti Type 35 is one of the most successful racing cars of all time. And deservedly so: the French manufacturer's open-top sports car secured over 2,000 victories between 1924 and 1930. Today, the Type 35 is a legend in international motor sport. And a whole lot more besides.

'The Bugatti Type 35 is one of the icons of Bugatti's rich history and tradition. Back in 1924, the sports car was unparalleled in its technology, design and performance and the same still goes today. It is both an inspiration and a commitment,' says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti. 'This makes the Type 35 one of the forefathers of our current hyper sports cars, the Chiron1, Chiron Sport2 and Divo3. Steeped in the Type 35's DNA, they are translating this tradition for the modern age.'

A technical masterpiece

The Type 35 was not just a racing car. It was a technical masterpiece: For the first time ever, the company's founder Ettore Bugatti used a crankshaft supported by two roller bearings and three ball bearings – and this crankshaft is still seen as a feat of engineering to this day. It could run at speeds of up to 6,000 rpm to power the eight pistons in the engine, which started out with a capacity of just 2.0 litres. At the time, it was one of the only car capable of achieving such power. Thanks to other changes – such as using two carburettors instead of one – the car's power increased to around 95 PS, which was transmitted by a wet multi-plate clutch. The drive system in the first versions of the Type 35 was able to achieve speeds of over 190 km/h. The less expensive basic model, the 35A, was based on a 2.0-litre eight-cylinder engine with 75 PS. In its later iteration, the Type 35 B (which had a 2.3-litre eight-cylinder engine and compressor), the Bugatti's power increased to up to 140 PS and its top speeds exceeded 215 km/h. As well as their incredible performance, the engines were primarily renowned for their reliability and endurance.

Even in the early 1920s, Ettore Bugatti had come to realise that, while plenty of power may be helpful, it has little effect in a heavy car. That's why he relentlessly pursued lightweight construction and the best driveability possible in his cars – more than any other engineer in the world of motor sport. Bugatti was the first to develop special smooth-running wheels to reduce the unsprung masses and, as a result, improve the response of the suspension. The wheels – made from cast aluminium with eight flat ribbon-style spokes, detachable rims and an integral brake drum – were an innovation. A rim ring stopped the tyre from popping off.

Lightweight front axle for better vehicle handling

To achieve this, Bugatti developed a new hollow, forged front axle with sealed ends. Weighing around ten kilograms, the axle was incredibly light but still stable. Unlike with its competitors, broken axles were quite rare. The unsprung masses were decreased even further and the Type 35 was able to take corners at higher speeds. The ready-to-run racing car weighed around 750 kilograms. Bugatti designed all models as pure racing vehicles, but also mounted wings and lighting at customer request to make them roadworthy.

Then came the sleek and elegant design – sculpture-like, just like the vehicle as a whole. The elegant, well-proportioned body with its slim, lightweight shell and pointed back end were made from a self-developed special alloy. Thanks to the wider radiator (the first radiator to have a flat bottom), the Type 35 had a more powerful road presence. The Type 35 was not regarded as the most beautiful racing vehicle of its time for nothing.

However, the newly developed Type 35's first race was not particularly successful. At the end of July 1924, Bugatti entered five Type 35s into the French Grand Prix in Lyon. Despite recording the quickest laps during training, the racing cars were defeated by their competitors in the race itself. Later on, however, it was discovered that it was not the engines or mechanics to blame for the poor result but the tyres – they had not been vulcanised properly and were unable to withstand the high speeds. At the next race in San Sebastian, the Type 35 managed to finish in second place, marking the start of an incredible career.

With the addition of a three-lobe Roots-type supercharger in 1926, the Type 35's power increased to a maximum of 140 PS. As a result, the racing car was not just light and agile, but also unbelievably powerful. To make sure the new supercharger fitted in with the overall aesthetics of the engine compartment, Bugatti had it designed especially. Beauty comes from within – Ettore Bugatti was already well aware of this over 90 years ago.

The new feature had a positive impact on the car's success, too. The supercharged variant, the Type 35 C, and its derivatives, the Type 35 T and Type 35 B, won countless Grand Prix races up to 1930, as well as the unofficial World Championship title in 1926 and five consecutive victories in the world's most famous road race, the Targa Florio. Renowned drivers like Alberto Divo, Tazio Nuvolari, Louis Chiron and Williams all took to the wheel of the Type 35. Even female racing drivers such as Hellé Nice and Eliska Junkova chose to drive the Type 35. Junkova achieved a legendary performance in the 1928 Targa Florio, leading the field for a considerable period before eventually finishing in fifth. In Germany, the Type 35 achieved its greatest triumph on the Nürburgring in 1929.

Bugatti built 340 Type 35s in total, though the exact production figures are now no longer clear. The Type 35 was replaced by its successor, the Type 54, in 1931. A large number of vehicles were still used in races and modified or converted for many years. Very few remain intact nowadays. The select few owners of a Type 35 can count themselves lucky. As Ettore Bugatti said himself: 'The Type 35 was the founding father of a family of pure-blooded racehorses from Molsheim – a true thoroughbred.' Its DNA lives on to this day in the French luxury brand's current model range.

by Bugatti