Bugatti is showcasing its most successful racing car ever built, the Type 35, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, alongside two other classic models, the Type 57SC Roadster and Type 55 Super Sport Roadster.
The automaker’s display area also includes the fastest production car in the world, the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, which was homologated at 431.072 km/h (268 mph) in 2010.
The Type 35 is also a record holder, with its nearly 2,000 victories and podiums making it the most successful racing car of all time. The car on display dates from 1926 and comes from the Bugatti’s own archive.
The Type 35 has won all the major races between the mid-1920s and 1930s, including five consecutive victories in the Targa Florio, the world’s toughest road race at the time. Powered by a 120PS (118hp) 2.3-liter in-line eight-cylinder engine, the Type 35 tips the scales at just 750 kg (1,653 lbs) and has a 50/50 front/rear axle weight distribution.
Another star of Bugatti’s booth is the Type 57SC Corsica Roadster, one of the fastest roadsters of its era. The two-seater roadster with chassis number 57531 had the body engineered by renowned French company Corsica. The model is the sporty version of the standard Type 57 touring car and was launched at the Paris Motor Show in 1935. The chassis was 320 mm (12.6 in) shorter and sat lower - the “S” in the model name stands for “Surbaissé”, which is French for “lowered”. The “C” stands for “Compressor”.
With a displacement of 3,257 cubic-centimeters, the engine produced an impressive 170PS (168hp), allowing the Type 57SC Corsica Roadster to reach a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph), extremely impressive for a roadster at the time.
Finally, the Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport Roadster with chassis number 55208 is a touring car with a Grand Prix engine. The car features the lightweight Type 51 engine and the extremely rigid chassis from the Type 47, which was capable of holding a heavy engine. The brakes and wheels on the 55 were identical to those of the Type 51, while the transmission was carried over from the Type 49.
Type 55 was able to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than 10 seconds, thanks to the 10-cylinder engine which produced 135PS (133hp) at 5,500 rpm.
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