Description
The future…
The Bugatti Type 30, unveiled in 1922, marked a turning point in Ettore Bugatti’s engineering philosophy and is where he truly began to spread his wings. The Type 30 was the first Bugatti to adopt the marque’s new inline eight-cylinder engine, a jewel of engineering born from wartime aeronautical research. With just two litres of displacement, this engine brimmed with sophistication: double overhead cams, three valves per cylinder and a silky, smooth running characteristic that set it apart from its rivals of the day. It produced 75 horsepower, enough to propel this torpedo-bodied machine to nearly 160 km/ h, an astonishing record a century ago.
The Grand Prix torpedo’s coachwork combined lightweight construction with Bugatti’s characteristic elegance: a long, tapered tail and the iconic horseshoe radiator. The chassis, derived from the brand’s earlier four-cylinder Bugattis, was narrow and precise, paired with semi-elliptic leaf springs for optimum handling.
Although the Type 30 was soon eclipsed by the legendary Type 35, the Type 30 remains a reference: the first volume-produced Bugatti eight and a car that announced the dawn of Bugatti’s Golden Age on the Grand Prix stage.
The famous Bugatti owner and historian, Hugh G. Conway, wrote: “Thus was born the Type 30 2 Litres, which was first shown as a series of race cars for the Grand Prix of the Automobile Club de France in 1922 at Strasbourg, where they finished 2nd and 3rd (...). Racing versions also ran at Indianapolis in 1923, with little success (...). But they generated keen interest and foreshadowed better results to come.”
This Bugatti Type 30 consists of an authentic chassis, supposedly one of the three ordered by the wealthy Argentine driver Martin “Macoco” de Álzaga. According to the Bugatti register, it is the car driven by Pierre de Viscaïa at Indianapolis in 1923. The three Type 30s ordered by Martin de Álzaga, chassis nos. 4013, 4014 and 4016, formed part of a batch of five Bugattis that all raced at Indianapolis in 1923. Chassis No. 4016 circulated among several owners in Argentina before being entrusted to Mr. Facundo José Albarrán in 1952. The history after 1952 is incomplete, up to the discovery of chassis No. 4016 in Argentina in 2002.
Chassis No. 4016 was then sold in France, where meticulous reconstruction was undertaken with original Molsheim Bugatti parts. As with many other cars subjected to heavy use, whose engines were later modified or modernised, the engine now fitted to chassis No. 4016 is a slightly later Type 35A. Most of the other parts are original to Molsheim, as evidenced by the numbers stamped on the gearbox, the rear axle casing, the flywheel, etc.
Since 2016, the Bugatti Type 30 has been in the hands of a pre‑war enthusiast collector with a soft spot for Bugatti. Chassis No. 4016 has taken part in various rallies, including the 2018 International Rally in the United States, the 2019 Bugatti International Rally in Ireland and the 2022 Bugatti International Rally in France.
The Bugatti is accompanied by a dossier containing various documents from the 1920s and 1930s, an old Argentinian registration booklet, historic documents relating to the car and period newspaper cuttings.
The Bugatti Type 30 has benefited from careful maintenance and has always been kept in perfect working order in the owner’s workshop. From the outset, it was decided to preserve as much of the patina as possible, and although the car looks well patinated, its mechanics are in perfect condition.
As the very first generation of the legendary Bugatti eight-cylinder Grand Prix cars, Bugatti eight-cylinder machines that would dominate motor racing throughout the 1920s and 1930s, this example marks a milestone in Bugatti’s history and offers a rare chance to experience the excitement of the early performance of the Grand Prix eight-cylinder engines.
The Bugatti Type 30 is licensed on Danish registration documents (EU) in force.
