Bugatti Type 59 Grand Prix
The Bugatti Type 59 stands as perhaps the most beautiful racing car ever created, a machine that perfectly encapsulated Ettore Bugatti's belief that a racing car should be as aesthetically pleasing as it was fast. Built for the 1933 and 1934 Grand Prix seasons, the Type 59 represented Bugatti's final serious attempt to compete at the highest level of international motor racing before the overwhelming dominance of the German Silver Arrows.
At the heart of the Type 59 lay a magnificent 3,257cc twin-cam inline-eight cylinder engine equipped with a Roots-type supercharger. This powerplant produced approximately 250 horsepower, a remarkable figure for the era. The engine was a development of the earlier Type 51's unit, featuring twin overhead camshafts and an elegant train of gears to drive them. The supercharger operated at relatively low boost, prioritizing reliability over outright power.
The Type 59's chassis followed traditional Bugatti practice with a rigid axle front suspension and the characteristic reversed quarter-elliptic rear springs. While this configuration was becoming outdated compared to the independent suspension designs being developed by Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz, Bugatti's execution was so refined that the car remained competitive through superior chassis balance and driver feedback.
What truly set the Type 59 apart was its extraordinary visual presence. The piano-wire wheels, later replaced by the famous Bugatti cast alloy wheels with integral brake drums, were works of engineering art. The flowing bodywork, with its horseshoe radiator and tapered tail, achieved a level of aesthetic perfection that photographers and artists have celebrated ever since. Ettore Bugatti himself reportedly considered the Type 59 his most beautiful creation.
Only seven Type 59s were built, making it one of the rarest Grand Prix cars in existence. The car debuted at the 1933 Spanish Grand Prix and scored its most notable victories at the 1934 Belgian Grand Prix with Rene Dreyfus at the wheel. However, the car was increasingly outpaced by the state-funded German teams with their more powerful and technologically advanced machines.
King Leopold III of Belgium purchased a Type 59 for road use, and this car remains one of the most storied automobiles in the world. Today, the Type 59 commands extraordinary prices at auction and in private sales, reflecting both its extreme rarity and its status as perhaps the ultimate expression of Ettore Bugatti's artistic engineering philosophy.
Type 59s are among the rarest and most valuable racing cars in existence. Any acquisition requires extensive provenance research through the Bugatti Trust. Verify chassis numbers against factory records. These cars almost never appear on the open market, typically changing hands through private transactions among the most elite collectors.
Only 7 chassis were built between 1933 and 1934. Cars were campaigned by the Bugatti works team and later sold to private racing drivers. Some were converted for road use after their racing careers, including the famous example owned by King Leopold III of Belgium.