Monday 21st November 1955
The radical Bugatti Type 251 Grand Prix racer, with a straight-8 engine mounted transversely behind the driver, made its press debut. The Type 251 of 1955 represented the last hurrah for ‘old’ Bugatti. By now, the company was focusing on maintenance for old vehicles and engines for the military, rendering the Type 251 little more than a footnote at the end of an exceptional book. The Gioacchino Colombo-designed Type 251 was entered in the 1956 French Grand Prix but was forced to retire after 18 laps. Bugatti ceased production in 1956, by which time it had built approximately 7,900 cars.
