Description

The Bugatti Type 32 “Course” was one of the most daring and unconventional race cars ever produced by the marque. Introduced in 1923 for the French Grand Prix at Tours, the Type 32 broke sharply from Bugatti’s established design language. Known informally as the “Tank” due to its unique, aerodynamic shape, it was an experimental attempt to push the boundaries of automotive engineering and aerodynamics in the early 1920s.

The most striking feature of the Type 32 was its streamlined, enclosed bodywork. In contrast to the typically exposed, narrow race cars of the period, the Type 32 had a stubby, rounded form with a low profile and a covered underbody—an effort to reduce drag and improve high-speed performance. Its unusual silhouette made it appear almost like a wingless aircraft fuselage on wheels, and it shocked onlookers when it debuted at the Grand Prix.

Beneath the radical bodywork, the Type 32 featured a short wheelbase and a compact layout, powered by a 2.0-litre straight-eight engine with a single overhead camshaft and three valves per cylinder. This engine was a development of the one found in the Type 30, and in racing form it produced over 90 horsepower. Despite the car’s relatively high weight for its size, the powertrain gave it strong straight-line speed, and the low body helped with high-speed stability.

However, the car’s advanced aerodynamics came at a cost. The short wheelbase and enclosed design led to handling issues, particularly at speed. The Type 32 was prone to instability in corners, and its brake system—still quite primitive by modern standards—struggled to cope with the car’s performance. As a result, only one of the four Type 32s entered in the 1923 French Grand Prix finished the race, and it placed third.

Despite its limited competitive success, the Type 32 was a bold statement from Ettore Bugatti and a critical experiment in aerodynamic design. It demonstrated the company’s willingness to innovate and explore radical concepts in pursuit of performance. While the “Tank” design would not return in this exact form, its lessons were later applied to the much more successful Type 57G “Tank” of the late 1930s.

Today, the Type 32 is regarded as a fascinating and rare piece of Bugatti history—a testament to the marque’s fearless creativity and willingness to challenge conventional thinking in motorsport.