500 hours development and the same to create, the latest from Amalgam features the 1:8 scale Bugatti Type 59 – 1935 Belgian GP – Wimille car. The model features a ton of detail and leather strapping that allows one access to the powerplant underneath. The production here is limited to 15 pieces with pricing north of $18,000 US.
About the Bugatti Type 59… “The ultimate expression of the Type 35 Grand Prix car, the Type 59 was a testament to Ettore and Jean Bugatti’s talent. In an era when arguably the art of race car design was superseded by the science, the Type 59 remained competitive despite its continued use of ‘old-fashioned’ mechanics. Though often defeated by its more modern and government-funded rivals, it’s long, low and slender bodywork, intricate design features and rarity elevate it not only above its predecessors but also many of its contemporaries. The Type 59 remains Bugatti’s last successful Grand Prix racer.
The Type 59 is generally regarded as an artistic masterpiece: it still retained the heritage of the iconic and all-conquering Type 35, which Ettore Bugatti had designed a decade earlier, but in extending the wheelbase of the new chassis frame, he created an utterly beautiful Grand Prix car with perfect proportions. Under the all-aluminum bodywork lived its straight-eight engine. The power unit was a new development, led by Ettore’s eldest son Jean, not only to power the Type 59 race car but the upcoming Type 57 grand tourer. In Grand Prix specification, it was fitted with twin camshafts, dry sump lubrication and a lightened crankshaft. At its debut, the engine displaced 2.8 litres, which was soon supercharged to just under 3.3 litres, and a separate four-speed gearbox was fitted roughly midway between the engine and rear differential for optimal weight distribution. The Type 59’s steel ladder frame chassis was nearly identical to of its predecessor, the Type 54. Unusually the front and rear axles were constructed from two halves treaded together in the middle, adding some flexibility to the traditional solid axles. Traditionally Ettore Bugatti favoured the two-seater Grand Prix concept and the Type 59 was no exception, the driver was offset to the right of the car’s centre, and his famed fine eye for line led to exquisite detailing such as the superbly engineered piano-wire spoke wheels. This particular addition was supported by strong mechanics: an aluminum back-plate dealt with the torque from the drive and the braking, whilst the spokes themselves only supported radial loads.”
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