BUGATTI Type 49 Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

Designed as a Grand Touring car, the Type 49 was the last that featured a single-camshaft, inline-eight engine built by Bugatti.

Unlike other Bugatti cars from that era built for speed, the Type 49 might have been considered a personal luxury convertible. It was built with passion, and even though it built less than 1000 units, it became a famous vehicle that attracted attention.

On the outside, the horse-shoe shape of the radiator was unique on the market. The spare wheels flanked the engine compartment. Its long, curved wheel-arches supported the headlights with a chromed bar. One of the most interesting features of the car was the turbine-wheels, which were cast in aluminum. Most of the cars from that era still featured artillery-wheels or steel wheels with caps. But not the Type 49. Bugatti mounted a separate trunk behind the short cabin accessible only from the outside.

Inside, the French carmaker installed a leather-clad interior and real wood on the dash and door panels. All the levers and buttons were metallic, and some of them were polished. The four-spoke steering wheel was big and featured a wood-crown. Bugatti took good care of its customers and offered the car with a split front bench and a smaller bench in the back. While it was hard to believe that someone could sit behind the driver, the carmaker still installed them.

Under the hood, the inline-eight engine featured a twin-spark ignition system. Even though it featured one camshaft, it had three valves per cylinder: two for intake and one for the exhaust. Bugatti paired it to a four-speed manual gearbox.