Bugatti Type 55 History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
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Introduced at the 1931 Paris Motor Show, the Type 55 was a road-going derivation of the Type 51 Grand Prix car, using a detuned version of its 2.3-litre supercharged twin-cam straight-eight producing approximately 130 hp at 5,000 rpm. Jean Bugatti styled the majority of the factory bodywork, with 16 of the 38 cars wearing his elegant two-seater roadster body and 7 wearing a coupe.
The Type 55 is regarded by many historians as the first true supercar — a car whose character, performance, and mechanical complexity derived directly from contemporary racing machinery. Its combination of roughly 180 km/h capability, exotic specification, and swooping coachwork made it the definitive prestige sports car of the early 1930s. Only 38 examples were completed before production ended in 1935, making survivors extremely rare and valuable at auction.
Body styles
- Roadster
- Coupe
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