Makes › Bugatti › Type 55 · Rare production · 1931–1935 Ultra Rare
Bugatti
Type 55
Super Sport road car with Type 54 engine in Type 54 GP chassis; Jean Bugatti roadster
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 38 Built
- Years
- 1931–1935
- Engine
- Front-mounted supercharged straight-eight, DOHC · 2,262 cc / 2.3 LFactory: 2,262 cc
- Power
- 96.9 kW / 132 PSFactory: 130 hp · converted
- Top speed
- 180 km/hFactory: 180 km/h
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Jean Bugatti
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The Type 55 Super Sport put Grand Prix hardware into a road car: the Type 54 racing chassis with a supercharged twin-cam 2.3-litre engine and wheels from the Type 51. Clothed mostly in Jean Bugatti's roadster body with long sweeping wings, it is one of the defining sporting Bugattis of the early 1930s.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionType 55 cars made, 1932–35 | 381Strongest evidence | Factory production | Independently researched |
| Total model productioncars built – secondary estimate | 152 | Factory production | Disputed |
Ultimatecarpage gives around 15 cars; the Bugatti Trust (marque archive) gives 38 made. The archive figure is preferred.
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
The Type 55 was introduced at the 1931 Paris Motor Show and built until about 1935. Its 2262 cc straight-eight, derived from the Type 51 Grand Prix engine, had double overhead camshafts and a Roots supercharger and is quoted at about 130 bhp by the Bugatti Trust; drive went through a Type 49 gearbox in a special casing. Most cars carried Jean Bugatti's two-seat roadster body, though coupé bodies were also built.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Type 55.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Front-mounted supercharged straight-eight, DOHC3,1 Registry reported |
| Displacement | 2,262 cc / 2.3 LFactory: 2,262 cc1 Registry reported |
| Bore | 60 mmFactory: 60 mm1 Registry reported |
| Stroke | 100 mmFactory: 100 mm1 Registry reported |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | 96.9 kW / 132 PSFactory: 130 hp · converted1 DisputedSource states bhp. |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Separate central 4-speed gearbox plus reverse1 Registry reported |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | 2,751 mmFactory: 108.3 in · converted1 Registry reported |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 180 km/hFactory: 180 km/h3 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Features listed by the Bugatti Trust: Grand Sport or coupé body on cast alloy wheels with integral rims, long sweeping wings, 330 mm cable-operated drums, a 2.75 m wheelbase, and a T49 gearbox in a special casing behind a 60 x 100 mm twin-cam supercharged eight.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
Bugatti Type 55 Level A The Bugatti Trust
- Number Made: 38 (Type 55 data)
- 8 cylinders, dohc, Roots supercharger
- Displacement: 2262 cc
- 60 x 100 mm
- approximately 130 bhp
- separate, central, 4-speed plus reverse
- Wheelbase: 108.3 in (2.75 m)
-
2
1931 - 1935 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster Specifications - Ultimatecarpage.com Level C
- around 15 cars built
-
3
Bugatti Type 55 Roadster Specifications Level C Ultimatecarpage.com
- straight-eight, front, longitudinally mounted, Roots-Type Supercharger
- Top speed: 180 km/h (112 mph)
Keep exploring
More from Bugatti
-
Bugatti
Brouillard
1 Built
-
Bugatti · 2022
Chiron Profilée
1 Built
-
Bugatti
F.K.P. Hommage
1 Built
-
Bugatti · 2019
La Voiture Noire
1 Built
More from France
-
Peugeot · 1902
Type 37
Production not yet verified
-
Bucciali · 1931–1932
TAV 6 / TAV 8
Production not yet verified
-
Salmson · 1953–1957
2300 S
227 Built
-
De Dion, Bouton et Trépardoux · 1887
Steam quadricycle
Production not yet verified
70 other makes from FranceACMAAixamAlcatelAlpineAmilcarArzensAvions VoisinBACBallotBerlietBolloreBuccialiCGCharron, Girardot et VoigtChenard-WalckerCitroënClément-PanhardDAMSDarracqDBDB (Deutsch-Bonnet)De DietrichDe Dion-BoutonDe Dion, Bouton et TrépardouxDe La ChapelleDelageDelahayeDelaunay-BellevilleDerbyDSExagonFacel VegaFarmanFord FranceGentyGordiniHommellHopiumHotchkissJimenezAll makes →