It is stated that 1932 was the pinnacle of pre-war design in America, when fender lines, proportions, and engineering technology came together in perfect harmony to produce the best blend of looks and performance ever seen in this country, and now properly recognized.

Bugatti, like many other leading automakers in the early twentieth century, exploited its racing prowess to raise the profile of its road cars. The Type 55, developed by Bugatti in 1932, had clear ties to motorsport: it was a direct descendant of the Type 51 race car, and it was powered by a supercharged 2.3-liter dual-overhead-cam inline-eight engine. The 38 Type 55 Bugattis built sported bodywork, which was often open-topped and emphasized the model's racing history.

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Road To Success: The Historic Significant Design Of The 1932 Bugatti Type 55

1932 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster
via: RM Sotheby's

An automobile like the Bugatti Type 55 Roadster, with its in-house styling, lends validity to a similar thesis for European design, but it actually represents a pinnacle of progress and collaboration between Le Patron, Ettore Bugatti, and the advent of his son Jean as a major influence on the company. The Type 55 carries all of Jean's design characteristics, riding on a chassis and running gear designed entirely by his father, but with twin cam power developed by Jean. It must have been a very fulfilling endeavor for them to design and build this car together, and it is a showcase of their respective abilities.

On the technical aspect, Ettore's exquisite eight-cylinder inline engine, which had established the foundation for thousands of Grand Prix victories, had now followed suit, influenced largely by Miller's Packard Cable Specials. The supercharged 2.3-liter engine was employed in a road automobile for the first and only time. The chassis was the Type 54 Grand Prix car's beefed-up, deep-sided frame, with the successful GP car's reverse quarter elliptic rear springing and front axle arrangement. The power was connected to the road by a new gearbox, identical to the one used in the Type 49.

1932 Type 55 Bugatti Roadster
via: RM Sotheby's

The powerful mechanics were dressed in legendary coachwork, a cut down no door roadster with light bustle back tail, sculpted moldings, dazzling alloy wheels, and lines so well-matched with two more at the back. The car is well-designed in every way, from its warm nickel silver radiator to those.

Between 1932 and 1935, only 38 of these Super Sport Bugattis were produced, with only 38 of them leaving the Molsheim factory. Only 14 of the 3 dozen or so cars left the factory with the authentic Jean Bugatti Roadster coachwork, and only 11 of those are still in use today. Many of this small group are housed in institutions or collections with institutional status, such as the Musee National de L'Automobile, which contains the Schlumpf brothers’ collection, and the Revs Institute in Florida, which means they are rarely available for sale.

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The 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Is Listed On RM Sotheby's: It's A Classic Car That Has Been Owned By Several Famous Figures

1932 Type 55 Bugatti Roadster
via: RM Sotheby's

According to the testimony of marque expert David Sewell, the Swiss Bugatti Agent – Bucar of Zurich ordered chassis 55219 on behalf of their client Mr. Edmond Reiffers, a notary in the city of Luxembourg, in the winter of 1932. A manufacturing employee delivered the unfinished chassis along with a temporary seat to the border, which was barely 100 miles distant, later that spring.

Mr Reiffers intended to order his own coachwork for the car, but not before one of his three sons, Ernest, entered it in many local competitions organized by the Automobile Club of Luxembourg with only a bonnet, headlights, and seat! Finally, Pritchard & Demollin of Angluer, Belgium built a four-seat cabriolet body for the Type 55 in October of the same year. Despite the additional weight of the coachwork, his sons continued to race the Type 55 and would also use it for hunting expeditions, demonstrating the car's versatility.

1932 Type 55 Bugatti Roadster
via: Rm Sotheby's

The car was sold to Rudi Cloos, a Luxembourg-based entrepreneur, in 1938. However, the Bugatti was moved twice more inside the Grand Duchy during the next two years before being buried during the war. The automobile was discovered and registered to Pierre Schickes, an electrician, when peace finally dawned in 1945. Unfortunately, under his tenure, the Bugatti would suffer front-end damage. The car's front wings were modified after the accident, and they now droop down to the front cross-member; the rest of the coachwork remained undamaged. By 1955, ownership had passed to a Belgian named Gillard, but in 1957, the Type 55 was purchased by Jean de Dobbeleer of Brussels, a well-known Bugatti dealer.