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Franschhoek Motor Museum: Bugatti Type 23

This week in our feature on the FMM (Franschhoek Motor Museum), we feature the 1925 Bugatti Type 23. The ...

Franschhoek Motor Museum: Bugatti Type 23

Posted on 02 March 2009 by Scott

This week in our feature on the FMM (Franschhoek Motor Museum), we feature the 1925 Bugatti Type 23.

The extremely successful Type 13 was nicknamed “Brescia” after the resounding 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishes in the voiturette class of the Italian Grand Prix of 1921. The Type 23 Bugatti is its touring version. It boasts the hallmarks of classic Bugatti design, including a single overhead camshaft engine of 1½ Litres and a sweet gearbox enabling lightning gear changes. The peculiar Bugatti rear suspension with reversed quarter-elliptic springs is also used. The brakes, on the rear wheels only, were not quite as good. They were indecently fast for their day with even the touring versions (known as the Brescia Modifié) able to maintain 120 km/h all day long. The Brescia Bugatti and its derivatives were in production from 1922 until 1926.

The extremely successful Type 13 was nicknamed “Brescia” after the resounding 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishes in the voiturette class of the Italian Grand Prix of 1921. The Type 23 Bugatti is its touring version. It boasts the hallmarks of classic Bugatti design, including a single overhead camshaft engine of 1½ Litres and a sweet gearbox enabling lightning gear changes. The peculiar Bugatti rear suspension with reversed quarter-elliptic springs is also used. The brakes, on the rear wheels only, were not quite as good. They were indecently fast for their day with even the touring versions (known as the Brescia Modifié) able to maintain 120 km/h all day long. The Brescia Bugatti and its derivatives were in production from 1922 until 1926.

Specifications Year 1925 Country of Origin France Engine Capacity 1496 cm³ No. of Cylinders 4 cylinder in-line, Single overhead camshaft Power Output 40HP/30kW @ 3500 r/min Drive Type Rear wheel drive Aspiration Naturally aspirated No. of Gears 4-speed manual transmission

Specifications
Year	1925
Country of Origin	France
Engine Capacity	1496 cm³
No. of Cylinders	4 cylinder in-line, Single overhead camshaft
Power Output	40HP/30kW @ 3500 r/min
Drive Type	Rear wheel drive
Aspiration	Naturally aspirated
No. of Gears	4-speed manual transmission