Makes › Bugatti › Type 59 Grand Prix · Factory competition · 1933–1936 Ultra Rare
Bugatti
Type 59 Grand Prix
Last great Bugatti GP car (3.3-litre, piano-wire wheels)
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Sfoskett~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 6 Built
- Years
- 1933–1936
- Engine
- Front-mounted supercharged straight-eight, DOHC · 3,257 cc / 3.3 LFactory: 3,257 cc
- Power
- 186 kW / 253 PSFactory: 250 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Ettore Bugatti (programme funded and directed by him)
- 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 59 was the last of Bugatti's classic Grand Prix cars, a 3.3-litre supercharged twin-cam eight on Bugatti's distinctive piano-wire wheels. Only six or seven were made, and René Dreyfus won the 1934 Belgian Grand Prix in one.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
Bugatti Type 59 Grand Prix (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Sfoskett~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bugatti Type 59 Grand Prix (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Sfoskett~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bugatti Type 59 Grand Prix (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Sfoskett~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productioncars built (two later converted to sports cars) | 61 | Factory production | Estimated |
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 first appeared in 1933 with a 2866 cc (72 x 88 mm) engine, enlarged to 3257 cc (72 x 100 mm) for the main 1934–36 cars; the Bugatti Trust describes the engine as essentially a dry-sump version of the Type 57SC unit. With a Roots supercharger and two Zenith carburettors it produced about 250 bhp. The cars ran from 1933 to 1936 on a 2.6 m wheelbase with cable brakes and a separate four-speed gearbox.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Type 59 Grand Prix.
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, DOHC2 Registry reported |
| Displacement | 3,257 cc / 3.3 LFactory: 3,257 cc3 Registry reported |
| Bore | 72 mmFactory: 72 mm3 Registry reported |
| Stroke | 100 mmFactory: 100 mm3 Registry reported |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | 186 kW / 253 PSFactory: 250 hp · converted2,3 Registry reportedSource states bhp (brake horsepower, mechanical). |
| Power at | 5,000 rpm2 Independently researched |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Separate central 4-speed gearbox plus reverse3 Registry reported |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | steel ladder frame (from the Type 54), lightened by drilled holes to meet the 750 kg formula4 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | solid two-piece axle, semi-elliptical leaf springs, De Ram shock absorbers4 Independently researched |
| Rear suspension | solid two-piece axle, reversed quarter-elliptic leaf springs, De Ram shock absorbers4 Independently researched |
| Brakes | four-wheel cable-operated mechanical drums4 Independently researched |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Materials | piano-wire spoked wheels splined between rim and brake drum4 Independently researched |
| Wheelbase | 2,597 mmFactory: 2,597 mm2 Independently researched |
| Length | 3,744 mmFactory: 147.4 in · converted4 Independently researched |
| 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 | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 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.
Distinguishing features listed by the Bugatti Trust: Bugatti piano-wire wheels, front springs sliding in blocks above a cross tube, an external multi-tube oil cooler, large lightening holes in the frame, external brake-compensating chain-work, full-width rear springs and de Ram shock absorbers.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
1933 - 1936 Bugatti Type 59 Grand Prix Specifications - Ultimatecarpage.com Level C
- at least 6 cars built (two later converted to sports cars)
-
2
Bugatti Type 59 Grand Prix Specifications Level C Wouter Melissen · Ultimatecarpage.com
- Straight 8, front-mounted, longitudinally oriented; Roots-type
- 250 bhp (187 kW) at 5,000 rpm
- 250 bhp at 5,000 rpm
- Wheelbase 2,597 mm (102.2 in)
-
3
Bugatti Type 59 Level A The Bugatti Trust
- 3257cc (3.3-litre)
- 72 x 100mm
- about 250 bhp
- separate, central, four speeds plus reverse
-
4
1934 Bugatti Type 59 Level B conceptcarz.com
- steel ladder frame of the Type 54 ... lightened by having several holes drilled
- front was suspended by semi-elliptical leaf springs
- rear relied on reversed quarter-elliptic leaf springs
- four-wheel cable-operated mechanical drum brakes
- its piano wire wheels, which used splines between the rim and brake drum
- a wheelbase size of 108 inches and a length of 147.4 inches
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