At the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed Bugatti's centenary was celebrated in great style. There was a separate class for these French thoroughbreds, which featured not just the familiar Bugattis but also some very rare, rarely seen beauties. In today's update we take a look at four of these that span almost the entire Bugatti history
The earliest is this Type 18 Grand Prix. Built in 1912, it was raced by Ettore Bugatti himself at Le Mans and on the Mont Ventoux. Compared to the other Bugattis of the era, it has an unusually large engine and uses chains to drive the rear wheels. Fully restored to its 1912 condition, complete with a very long tail, the Type 18 was one of the most striking machines that drove up the hill this year.
Also raced at Le Mans, two decades later, was this Type 50S. Based on the Type 50 road car, it was one of three team cars prepared for the 1931 24 Hours race. This particular chassis competed in the legendary endurance race three more times, coming very close to winning in 1935. The featured example is the only survivor out of the three.
Our favorite Bugatti of the weekend was the Type 59 Sports Roadster piloted up the hill by Classic & Sports Car's Mick Walsh. Originally built as a Grand Prix car, it scored its biggest successes as a sports racer. After its long racing career, Type 59 was sold to King Leopold of Belgium. Since then it has been owned by true enthusiasts, who have carefully preserved the machine's highly original condition.
In the Sunday Times Supercar Run the very shiny Veyron Pur Sang was hard to miss. Combining a finish of bare aluminum and carbon fiber, it is one of the most extreme special editions of the Veyron supercar.
Enjoy the links:
2007 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 'Pur Sang' - Images, Specifications and Information
1933 - 1936 Bugatti Type 59 Sports Roadster - Images, Specifications and Information
1931 Bugatti Type 50S Le Mans - Images, Specifications and Information
1912 Bugatti Type 18 Grand Prix - Images, Specifications and Information