The Bugatti

Bugatti

Automobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace, as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti....

 Type 32, commonly called the Tank de Tours, was a streamlined racing car built in 1923. Four examples were made, each with a 2.0 L (1991 cc/121 in³) straight-8

Straight-8

The straight-eight engine or inline-eight engine is an eight-cylinder internal combustion engine with all eight cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...

 engine based on that in the Type 30. "The Tank" finished third in the ACF Grand Prix

1923 French Grand Prix

The 1923 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Tours on July 2, 1923.- Classification :-References:...

 that year. This was the first Bugatti to be fitted with roller-bearing big ends in order to improve the bottom-end reliability (Bugatti was rather later than most manufacturers in the incorporation of a fully pressurised oil system, preferring a splash "spit and hope" delivery method). The Type 32 also broke new ground (for a racing Bug) by using a three-speed and reverse transaxle unit, the exceptionally short wheelbase and long straight-8 engine making a conventional gearbox difficult to accommodate. It also heralded an embrionic hydraulic front brake actuation.

Another tank-bodied Bugatti racer, the 1936 Type 57G

Bugatti Type 57

The Bugatti Type 57 and later variants was an entirely new design by Jean Bugatti, son of founder Ettore. Type 57s were built from 1934 through 1940, with a total of 710 examples produced....

, was much more successful.

Specifications:

• Wheelbase: 78.5 in (1994 mm)
• Track: 41.4 in (1052 mm)
• Power: 90 hp (67 kW)