Bugatti Type-59 Grand Prix. Chassis 59121. 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed, by Wouter Melissen - Ultimatecarpage.com
The Type 59 was the final Bugatti race car of the 1930s from 1933/34. It's original 2.8L engine was underpowered compared to the current opposition racers and it was fitted with an enlarged 3.3L (3257 cc/198 in³) version of the straight-8 Type 57's engine sitting in a modified Type 54 chassis.
The engine was lowered for a better center of gravity, and the frame was lightened with a number of holes drilled in the chassis.
The signature piano wire wheels used splines between the brake drum and rim, and relied on the radial spokes to handle cornering loads. 250 hp (186 kW) was on tap, and 8 were made.
The Type 59 did not debut until late in the 1933 season at the Spanish Grand Prix in San Sebastian, where the two cars raced finished a solid fourth and sixth.
The upgraded Type 59's only managed to score a lucky victory in the 1934 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, when all top runners crashed out, making a one-two win with the second car.
Late in the year a Type 59 finished first in the minor Algiers Grand Prix.