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The Type 50 was the first road-going Bugatti to be powered by the DOHC
engine, with the honor of the very first ever going to the 1930 Type 51
Grand Prix racer. The engine was based on the Type 46 unit, but slightly
decreased in size with a different bore and stroke. The design of the
cylinder-head was directly inspired by the Miller engines Ettore Bugatti
had acquired to study at the end of the 1920s. With 225 hp available,
the Type 50 engine was the most powerful production engine Ettore ever
designed.
Although the Type 50 was intended solely for road use, Jean Bugatti
convinced his father to prepare three examples for the 1931 24 Hours of
Le Mans race. For the first time Bugatti had a car with a large enough
engine to take on the Bentleys or 'British lorries' as Ettore referred
to them. Painted in all-black to show Bugatti's discontent with the
French government's refusal to sponsor the racing effort, the Type 50
racers were all withdrawn after a tire-failure on one of the team cars.
One of those 24 Hour racers returned to Le Mans three more times, and
even led the race for a while in the 1935 running.
The road-going Type 50s were delivered as a running chassis ready to be
bodied by the coach builder of the customer's choice. Taking in account
the high price of the chassis, it came as no surprise that only the
finest of coach builders were commissioned to body the Type 50s. Most
chassis' received coupe bodies. One of the most famous versions was the
Jean Bugatti designed Profilee body style, which became inspiration for
the later Ventoux body type found on the Type 57 chassis.
Production of the Type 50 lasted just three years in which 65 examples
were constructed, including the three Le Mans racers. It was outsold by
the Types 46 and 57 many times, which might explain why the Type 50 is
one of the lesser known and written about Bugatti models. The chassis'
pedigree alone should give it a more prominent position in the marque's
history. Combining that with the lavish and beautiful bodies fitted, the
Type 50 could be considered the finest car ever produced by Bugatti.
Founded in Paris, France in 1957, Heller kits are widely regarded as
some of the best fitting and most authentic kits every produced. Being a
French company, Heller is well-known for their European car and truck
models. Unfortunately, Heller went into bankruptcy in 2005 and Heller
kits are no longer being manufactured. As a result, vintage complete
Heller kits are in high demand from builders and collectors alike.
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