Bugatti Type 50 - The autobiography of Bugatti's first Le Mans car

This authoritative volume tells the story of the Bugatti Type 50 and, in particular, chassis 50177 — the car that led the Le Mans 24 Hours in its opening season in 1931 before being withdrawn after its sister car suffered a serious high-speed crash. It is a story of ambition, speed, glamour and promise unfulfilled.

• Signed by authors Mark Morris and Julius Kruta
• The story of Bugatti Type 50 chassis 50177, Bugatti’s first Le Mans car
• Covers the 1931 Le Mans 24 Hours and the Type 50’s later Le Mans appearances in 1933, 1934 and 1935
• Explores the genius of Ettore and Jean Bugatti and the development of the Type 50
• Includes detailed insight into the car’s twin-cam engine, technical features and coachwork
• Documents the post-war life of chassis 50177, including its journey to America with Luigi Chinetti
• Features the 23-year ownership of passionate collector Miles Coverdale
• Illustrated with fine period photography, race reports and driver biographies

Thrilling race accounts reveal the Bugatti Type 50 as a car of enormous potential, while the wider story captures the glamour, risk and drama of 1930s endurance racing. The book also traces chassis 50177’s remarkable later life, uncovering the people and events that shaped its survival and legacy.

Written by respected Bugatti historians Mark Morris and Julius Kruta, it is an essential collector’s book for Bugatti enthusiasts, pre-war racing historians, Le Mans devotees and admirers of the world’s finest automotive books.

A highly collectible Great Cars edition devoted to one of Bugatti’s most fascinating racing machines.