A century ago, on August 3rd 1924, the Bugatti Type 35 was introduced to the world for the first time as five examples of Ettore Bugatti’s new racing car took to the starting grid at the Grand Prix de Lyon. With one held in reserve to showcase to the media, there was an immediate appreciation of the elegance and beauty of the Type 35, but no one could have imagined just how quickly, and how far, the legend of this lightweight Grand Prix racer would grow. Even 100 years later, it continues to inspire the direction of new Bugatti hyper sports car and Bugatti enthusiasts all over the world celebrate its impact.
The series of Grand Prix races between 1922 and 1925 was a period of great innovation in the automotive world, requiring cars to have engines of no more than 2 liters in capacity, weigh a minimum of 650kg and with a minimum width of 80cm, allowing for mandatory
passenger mechanics. It did, in effect, drive the evolution of roadgoing sports cars, and required manufacturers to derive more power with new inventions in engine technology rather than simply increase capacity. Ettore Bugatti’s latest entry into this elite tier of motorsport was the Type 35. The Lyon-Givors race itself was globally renowned, and attracted more than 100,000 spectators, making it the ideal launchpad for Bugatti’s newest racing car. Over 500 miles and 35 laps, the races regularly lasted more than sevenhours so to compete was not just to prove your speed but also to prove reliability. And as if
seven hours of full throttle racing wasn’t enough of a test, Ettore Bugatti asked for the Type 35s to be driven from the factory in Molsheim to the race, on public roads, and back again – a journey of five hours each way even today.
