The best known Bugatti racing cars are probably the Type 35, 51 and 59 Grand Prix models. But racing cars were the smaller part of the Bugatti production line. The majority of the cars were not even sports cars, they were in fact touring cars.
Of the touring cars the Bugatti Type 57, 3.3 liter eight-cylinder car produced between 1934 and 1939 is the most outstanding. example of Ettore Bugatti’s work.
The Type 57 twin camshaft engine produced 130 horse power and were available from March 1934. During the production of the Type 57 some sports versions were made, namely the 57S, Type 57C and a very few 57SC’s. In total, approximately 725 of all the model Type 57’s were produced.
The engine was a remarkable piece of engineering even by today’s standards. The single piece crankshaft had full pressure lubrication while the twin-camshafts were driven from the pinion at the rear of the engine. The crankcase was of cast aluminum with Bonalite invar-strut pistons being fitted in most of the cars.
The inlet manifold, mounted on the right of the engine, changed design several times during the time the Type 57 was in production with significant improvements. The exhaust manifold was made from cast-iron and mounted on the opposite side.
The suspension system used the typical Bugatti reversed quarter elliptical at the back with semi-elliptical springs up front. The braking system was cable operated although towards the end of the production run in 1938 this was changed to a Lockheed hydraulic system.
The performance of a1934 Type 57 was reported by Motor Sport as reaching 105 mph while…
“The 57S has a truly astonishing performance being capable of 115 mph which is remarkably good for an unblown sports car”
Fast as these cars were they were also comfortable to drive even in the London traffic according to the late Sir Malcolm Cambell who, I suspect enjoyed rather more the superb road-holding, really brilliant acceleration and very powerful brakes.
