Introduced in 1930, Bugatti Type 50 heralded a new era by introducing the marque’s first twin-cam engine. Its supercharged 4.9-litre straight-eight was prodigiously powerful – and in the days when winning the Le Mans 24 Hours required brute force, the Type 50 led the race at Bugatti’s first attempt.
The car that led that race, chassis number 50177, is the focal point of this book. The authors also tell the story of the Type 50 in general, its predecessor the Type 46, the engineering genius of Ettore and Jean Bugatti, and the talented drivers who raced 50177. The fact that this car had to be withdrawn from its leading position at Le Mans in 1931 for safety reasons, after a sister car crashed heavily at high speed, is just one of the many fascinating tales within the 320 pages of this superbly illustrated book.
Sharing a wealth of fresh information, the 13th title in the Great Cars series is researched and written by two leading marque experts, one the Honorary Registrar of the Bugatti Owners’ Club, the other a regular judge at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The book
Co-authored by Julius Kruta, a freelance automotive historian and Mark Morris, a researcher and consultant, the new book titled: “THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BUGATTI’S FIRST LE MANS CAR,” mirrors the genius of Ettore and Jean Bugatti, the bloodline of large-capacity Bugatti engines, and the Type 46 from which the Type 50 was derived.
The authors also did an in-depth exploration of the Type 50’s design and development, the Miller-inspired twin-cam engine, and the car’s technical features and coachwork as well as the 1931 Le Mans 24 Hours and the four tyre failures experienced by Type 50s, the last disastrous.
In the book, the authors has not only recalled more Le Mans visits by Type 50s in 1933, 1934, and 1935, and the frustrations of unfulfilled promise, they elucidate the profiles of eight drivers who raced the Type 50, including 1931 Monaco Grand Prix winner Louis Chiron; two-time Targa Florio winner Albert Divo; 1931 Belgian GP winner Caberto Conelli; two-time Targa Florio, multiple Grand Prix, and Mille Miglia winner Achille Varzi; and Bugatti test driver, development engineer and 1939 Le Mans winner Pierre Veyron.
You will also read about the later life of 50177 and its 23 years in the ownership of pioneering car collector and Bugatti historian Miles Coverdale.
Jacketed Hardback, the book is divided to 320 pages, formatted 285mm x 235mm and illustrated with over 400 images
About The authors
Mark Morris is one of the leading independent Bugatti authorities, researcher and consultant, and is Honorary Registrar of the Bugatti Owner’s Club.
Julius Kruta is a freelance automotive historian and adviser who began his career at Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. in marketing, before serving from 2003 to 2018 as the brand’s Head of Tradition. He is the author of five books on the marque and has been a judge at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in America and the most important concours events in Europe.
ISBN: 978-1-907085-48-2
Authors: Mark Morris and Julius Kruta
Publishers: Porter Press International
Publication date: February 4, 2019
RRP: £60.00 / €70.00
