This Bugatti poster features the Type 51 which was manufactured between 1931 and 1935 with a total of only 40 models being produced in that period.
They were Ettore Bugatti’s attempt to replace the ageing Type 35s with a more modern racing car boasting greater power and performance, with an engine modelled on the successful American car, The Miller 91.
In its first season the Type 51 emerged victorious at the Monaco and French Grand Prix among others, with Louis Chiron and Achille Varzi as principal drivers in the team. This was followed by victory in the 1933 Monaco Grand Prix with Varzi at the wheel, beating Chiron, who had defected to the mighty Alfa Romeo camp, into fourth place.
But these were among the few highlights of its racing career. The more powerful Alfa Romeos, Maseratis, and Mercedes were becoming far too dominant, and Bugatti was finding it difficult to compete with teams that had government support such as the Germans and Italians.