Bugatti Type 32 "TANK" History
Bugatti
designed a revolutionary car for the 1923 GP of France at Tours: this
incredible car was named Type 32 and nicknamed the “tank”
for its particular look. Four examples were made, each with a 2.0 L
(1991 cc/121 in³) straight-8 engine based on that in the Type 30.
The Bugatti T 32 tank was the first example in history of aerodynamics applied to the automotive industry: Bugatti observed the section of an airplane wing and had the intuition of designing a car with the same shape to facilitate airflows. This genial intuition, as most of pioneer works, had a major drawback due to inexperience in this modern field: the airflow created by the frontal section of the car tended to lift the car from the ground. Four T32 entered the Tours GP and the one driven by Friederich managed to end third: these car were very fast (up to 120mph)and competitive but also very difficult to be handled. The T32 had additional remarkable characteristics:
-the wheel base was just short of 2 meters (1994 mm or 78,5 in.) and the track just 1.05 meters (1052 mm or 41.4 in.),
-first racing car with “suspended” chassis in the history of racing: the axle is sustained by leaf-spring in order to lower the car barycentre of 20/30 centimetres, a solution anticipating the “ground effect” developed later by Colin Chapman in the late sixties.
-first Bugatti with hydraulic brakes in the front and mechanical brakes in the back.
-first racing car with rear gear incorporating a differential.
-first racing car with an engine developed only for competition with special solutions such as overhead camshaft with 5 main bearings, 3 light valves per cylinder, 60mm of bore diameter and stroke length of 88mm.
This car could have changed the history of racing cars if further developed but with only one race per year in the early twenties it was not possible to refine this incredible and revolutionary car so in the winter of 1923 Bugatti turned to a more conventional approach and developed for the next year French Grand Prix the famous Bugatti Type 35 which dominated the racing world for the following 10 years winning more than 200 races.
The Bugatti T 32 tank was the first example in history of aerodynamics applied to the automotive industry: Bugatti observed the section of an airplane wing and had the intuition of designing a car with the same shape to facilitate airflows. This genial intuition, as most of pioneer works, had a major drawback due to inexperience in this modern field: the airflow created by the frontal section of the car tended to lift the car from the ground. Four T32 entered the Tours GP and the one driven by Friederich managed to end third: these car were very fast (up to 120mph)and competitive but also very difficult to be handled. The T32 had additional remarkable characteristics:
-the wheel base was just short of 2 meters (1994 mm or 78,5 in.) and the track just 1.05 meters (1052 mm or 41.4 in.),
-first racing car with “suspended” chassis in the history of racing: the axle is sustained by leaf-spring in order to lower the car barycentre of 20/30 centimetres, a solution anticipating the “ground effect” developed later by Colin Chapman in the late sixties.
-first Bugatti with hydraulic brakes in the front and mechanical brakes in the back.
-first racing car with rear gear incorporating a differential.
-first racing car with an engine developed only for competition with special solutions such as overhead camshaft with 5 main bearings, 3 light valves per cylinder, 60mm of bore diameter and stroke length of 88mm.
This car could have changed the history of racing cars if further developed but with only one race per year in the early twenties it was not possible to refine this incredible and revolutionary car so in the winter of 1923 Bugatti turned to a more conventional approach and developed for the next year French Grand Prix the famous Bugatti Type 35 which dominated the racing world for the following 10 years winning more than 200 races.
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T32 Tank Book
A book 100% dedicated to the Bugatti 32
Tank is in the working and is expected to be pubblished in 2008.....
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