The Bugatti Type 50 was the sporting coupe version of the Type 46 touring car. It rode on a shorter wheelbase, used a smaller but much more powerful 5.0-litre twin-cam engine, and was built in small numbers between 1930 and 1934.
Bugatti Type 50 at a glance
| Maker | Bugatti, Molsheim |
|---|---|
| Production | 1930–1934 |
| Class | sporting coupe, based on the Type 46 |
| Engine | 4,972 cc twin-cam straight-eight |
| Bore × stroke | 86 mm × 107 mm |
| Valves | two per cylinder, twin camshafts |
| Power | 225 hp |
| Wheelbase | 3,099 mm (122 in) |
| Bodywork | coupe, many with landaulet roofs and two-tone paint |
| Built | 65 Type 50 and Type 50T cars together |
The Type 50 is described in the English Wikipedia article on the Type 46; this page uses that section.
History of the Bugatti Type 50
The Type 46 family
The Type 50 belongs to the Bugatti family that began with the Type 46: touring cars produced from 1929 to 1936 with a 5.4-litre straight-eight of three valves per cylinder, a single overhead camshaft, 140 hp and a 3,505 mm wheelbase. The Type 46 weighed 1,134 kg and carried its three-speed gearbox in unit with the live rear axle, which gave high unsprung weight and a harsh ride; even so, it was a favourite of Ettore Bugatti. A supercharged Type 46S of 1930 gave 160 hp but was not a success, with only 18 built.
A sporting Type 46
The Type 50 was the sporting coupe version of that car. It rode on a shorter 3,099 mm wheelbase and used a smaller 5.0-litre version of the engine, but the engine was very different in character: squarer dimensions of 86 by 107 mm, twin camshafts and two valves per cylinder, giving 225 hp — far more than the 140 hp of the larger Type 46 unit. Many Type 50s had landaulet roofs and two-tone paint in the Bugatti style.
The touring Type 50T
A sedan version, the Type 50 Touring or Type 50T, returned to the 3,505 mm wheelbase of the Type 46 while keeping the 5.0-litre engine. It was tuned for torque rather than power, with 200 hp. In total 65 Type 50 and Type 50T cars were produced between 1930 and 1934.
The racing Type 50B
Bugatti also built a racing version, the Type 50B, with the same 5.0-litre two-valve engine supercharged to 470 hp. It was used from 1937 through 1939, and a pair of these engines, with specially cast magnesium crankcases, was installed in the Bugatti P100 aeroplane.
Design and features
- Twin-cam engine: a 5.0-litre straight-eight with two camshafts and two valves per cylinder.
- 225 hp: much more power than the larger 5.4-litre Type 46 unit.
- Shorter chassis: a 3,099 mm wheelbase against 3,505 mm for the Type 46.
- Racing and aviation: the blown Type 50B gave 470 hp and two of its engines flew in the Bugatti P100.
Bugatti Type 50 versions
- Type 50 (1930–1934): the sporting coupe, 225 hp.
- Type 50T: touring saloon on the long Type 46 wheelbase, 200 hp.
- Type 50B (1937–1939): racing version with a supercharger, 470 hp.
The Type 50 was the sporting sister of the Type 46 and sat above the smaller Type 40; its bodywork ideas carried on in the Type 57. More cars are in the Bugatti collection.
Sources
- Bugatti Type 46, English Wikipedia: Type 50, 50T and 50B versions, engines, production
