Bugatti: Four Type 13s triumphed 100 years ago
CIRCUITO DI MONTICHIARI At the 1921 Grand Prix of the Voiturettes, four Bugatti Type 13s took the top places - cementing the brand's motorsport expertise. The nickname Brescia remains to this day. To mark the anniversary, the Bugatti Club Italia organized a special event: 40 historic Bugatti models - including Types 13, 22 and 23 [...]
To mark the anniversary, the Bugatti Club Italia organized a special event: 40 historic Bugatti models - including the Types 13, 22 and 23 - celebrated the quadruple victory of one hundred years ago on the roads around Lake Garda.
The start and finish has always been the city of Brescia. For more than 35 years, the Bugatti Club Italia has kept the history of the luxury brand alive - even before the first super sports car of the modern era was created in 1991.
Superior chassis and powerful engines
Bugatti heralded a turning point with the Type 13 Brescia in 1921. The open sports car put an end to large and heavy racing cars. Thanks to its lightweight body, superior chassis and powerful engines, the car outpaced its competitors from 1921 onwards.
The French race driver and mechanic Ernest Jules Friedrich relied on the Type 13 for a long time, previously won at the famous race in Le Mans. In Brescia at the race in the Voiturettes class, he drove concentrated lap after lap and reached the finish line first - ahead of team-mates Pierre de Vizcaya, Michel Baccoli and Pierre Marco.
Interesting technical innovations
Voiturettes were lightweight and agile racing cars. Bugatti's Type 13 was just such a vehicle: 490 kilograms, 1.45-liter four-cylinder engine with first 40 hp, then 50 hp.
Ettore Bugatti combined his ideas in the Type 13 built from 1910 onwards, constantly refining the technology in the years that followed and consistently focusing on lightweight construction and high-quality workmanship. From 1919, the engine was fitted with a four-valve cylinder head for the first time. White metal was also used for the first time for crankshaft bearings and pistons.
Bugatti permanent winner in competitions
In the 1920s, Bugatti cars won almost all competitions. After the quadruple victory in Brescia, the French manufacturer sold 711 Type 13 Brescia cars with the four-valve cylinder head, plus 388 cars with engines that had a ball-bearing crankshaft.
All subsequent four-valve vehicles officially bear the name Brescia, in memory of this unique success.
