1926 Bugatti Type 30

Bugatti vehicles were elegantly simple, lightweight, and mechanically sophisticated. Their first series of eight-cylinder cars were the 16 two-liter Type 29/30 vehicles that featured three valves per cylinder and overhead camshafts. This engine would change the course of the company and earn them unprecedented dominance in Grand Prix competition. The Type 29/30 are often considered the pre-production Type 30s and the same basic engine design would be used for the 1926 Type 38, along with the Type 40, Type 43, Type 44, and Type 49 that followed. That Type 49, introduced in 1930 and built through 1934, was the last of the early 8-cylinder Bugatti line and its 3,257cc engine had a 72mm bore and a 100mm stroke. These classic, square-cut Bugatti engines with their blocks, valves assembly and basic architecture were carried over to the Type 35, the company's most successful racing model. During its racing career, it won over 1,000 races and took the Grand Prix World Championship in 1926. The Type 35 earned Bugatti five consecutive victories at the Targa Florio, from 1925 through 1929.

The Bugatti Type 30 was built from 1922 through 1926 with various specifications and approximately 600 examples built. The engine displaced 1,991cc (2 liters) and used a 60mm bore and 88mm stroke. It had three valves per cylinder operated by a single gear-driven overhead camshaft, breathed through twin Solex side-draft carburetors, produced around 100 horsepower at 4,500 RPM, and was paired with a four-speed gearbox with right-hand gear change.

Many of the mechanical components including its chassis, axles, and gearbox, were shared with the Type 13 'Brescia.' The early examples were produced on frames similar to the Type 22 or 23 and had hydraulic brakes at the front. Later examples used traditional four-wheel Bugatti cable brakes. The suspension was via conventional leaf springs.

A few Bugatti Type 30s were built for motorsport competition, most notably for the 1922 Strasbourg Grand Prix, the Grand Prix at Monza the same year, and the 1923 Indianapolis 500.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2022