Part 4 - A Bugatti in your garage? Some good reasons to having one Multifaceted like Leonardo
01 July 2023 2 min read 3 images
Photo credit: Bugatti, Wheelsage
In his work, Ettore Bugatti communicated a deep personal delight in perfection. He was like a Renaissance prince, almost an alchemist, a man devoted to directing the workshop of his ideas. His cars reveal countless details that speak for his remarkable personality, taste and originality. The fact that he had studied art and came from a family of artists would not have been sufficient without his natural genius for mechanics.
Take his approach to wheels, for example: Bugatti realized that the handling of his cars was an essential aspect of performance. In this, he was way ahead of his time, since it was not until the post-war period that automobile construction began to focus on the efficiency of transmitting power to the ground and on good handling for the driver. Weight reduction of the non-suspended parts, especially wheels, wheel rims and brake drums, made a huge contribution to improved handling. Following the multi-spoke wheels of the Brescia Type 13, which won at the 1921 Italian Grand Prix, the last edition before the event was transferred to Monza, the 1924 Type 35 made Bugatti the first constructor to mount light, eight-spoke cast aluminum wheels.
Although they initially required meticulous tooling, they overcame the earlier need for laborious centering. Moreover, in racing they allowed for greater efficiency in what would now be called the pit stop, because the integral brake drums permitted faster replacement. It was a solution that became a symbol of the victorious Bugattis: like many of Ettore’s ideas, it also heralded future developments. The Type 59 featured piano wire wheels that were a perfect combination of aesthetics and function, with metal segments carefully mounted inline, just like on a piano.
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