THE TYPE 55 SUPER SPORTS Like many premier automakers in the early 20th century, Bugatti used its success in competition to elevate the profile of its road cars.

In the case of the Type 55, introduced by Bugatti in 1932, the ties to motorsport were quite explicit: it was a direct descendent of the Type 51 racecar, and was similarly powered by a supercharged 2.3-liter dual-overhead-cam straight eight-cylinder engine.

The application of the supercharger—a first for a Bugatti road car—to the Jean Bugatti-designed powerplant proved necessary due to the simple fact many of their clients were informal privateers who enthusiastically raced their cars.

Since the factory’s Grand Prix cars had required additional power to remain competitive, it naturally followed that Bugatti customers might benefit from the same update to their road cars; after all, the point of racing was to win, and then recycle that success into further sales.

Simply put, racing alone was not enough for any marque, and t...