Ignacio Saenz de Camara
On the occasion of the 2011 Bugatti International Meeting, which was held in Spain with the city of Burgos as the nerve center, I had the opportunity to gape at a unique car, one of those that you think you will only see in some distant museum.
At that meeting there were more than sixty copies of the brand created by Ettore Bugatti, but one of them was even more impressive because of its rarity. And it is that instead of the usual eight cylinders, this one had a sixteen engine.
That night, at home, I documented myself and verified that it was one of the two Bugatti T45 Grand Prix prototypes. They had been manufactured in 1929 and scrapped for racing, possibly due to their reduced range and less agile cornering.
At first, it seemed like a good idea. Maintain a frame similar to that of the T 35 and install a sixteen-cylinder engine under its hoods; This much more powerful engine would be made up of two eight-cylinder mechanics installed in parallel.
As in the Bugatti T 35 C, the engine would have three valves per cylinder, two for the intake and one for the exhaust, while each block would be associated with its own Roots compressor. Instead, the dry sump would be shared by both benches.
The two crankshafts transmit their force through pinions and the result is a maximum power of 250 HP at 5.000 Rpm. A figure that doubles the 125 hp of the Bugatti T 35 C!
However, so much power was accompanied by an empty weight increased by 245 Kg., loaded mostly on the front axle. And although the track width had been lengthened by 5 centimeters, such an addition made the T 45 less efficient.
En este sentido, also counted his own a wheelbase increased by 20 cm. This extension made it more stable on the straights but, added to a less balanced mass distribution, decreased its agility to move around twisted areas.
Even so, its lower effectiveness is only for comparison, since a well-driven T 45 is a really fast sports car. So much so that many will find it incredible that this 84-year-old car overtakes them in the blink of an eye.
External details and cockpit
During a break for the participants to visit some Riojan wineries, I had the opportunity I was waiting for. To be able to see and take several photographs of him alone, without the usual clusters around him.
On its front, the unmistakable radiator stands out, protected by a grille and crowned by the Bugatti shield. And at its base, the coppery color of an area where the oil passes to reduce its temperature.
and in the sections turned. Too bad it wasn't competitive enough
The starter crank is hugged by a leather strap to prevent it from being too low when idle. On the wheel hubs, the size of the front drums is impressive, which are driven by a mechanical system based on steel cables.
Also striking is the lightness of the tubular front axle, as well as the absence of headlights on this prototype, originally intended for daytime racing on the track.
The Bugatti T45 gains spectacularity when viewed in profile, and that is a stroller of only 3,25 meters in length. In it, its attractive alloy wheels and the thick exhaust pipe that runs along a good part of the side stand out.
But if we look more closely, we will see that the hoods are secured with leather “belts” and that a circular opening in each one allows us to see the air intake to the carburettors. Also visible on the right side is the steering gearbox, which runs below and parallel to the exhaust manifold.
It is possible to appreciate that the space for the driver is not excessive, and that the gear lever and the handbrake are very within reach but on the outside of the body. There is no trunk, because behind are the two fuel tanks.
It is unavoidable. A mysterious force forces fans to take a look at the clocks in the instrumentation panel. And in the case of this Bugatti, even more so, because it is a car, as we have said, designed for competition.
On the aluminum plate, the finish is meticulous and handmade. And in the central area of the dashboard, the two magnets, each with its eight cables and a closeness that reassured the pilots.
As expected, the frame lacks a speedometer, but has a graduated lap counter up to… 7.000 Rpm! Plus a watch and other dials to control the level of gasoline, the temperature of the water and the oil, as well as the pressure of this viscous element.
The Bugatti T 45 doesn't have doors because it doesn't need them. It is only 1,22 meters tall and, with a minimum of agility, it is easy to put a foot on the interior wooden boards.
Then, hold on to the bodywork or the steering wheel with one hand, move the second foot over and bend the knees to take a seat. Y
in the foreground, the fairly vertical steering wheel, with a wooden rim and its four polished aluminum arms.
At the top, a tiny windshield whose angle of inclination can be adjusted. And already in the left half, the rear-view mirror, which forces the passenger to tilt his body outwards to be able to see what is behind.
