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But would it have detracted from Austin's original ethos of KISS (Keep It Simple Stanley) and meant it would have cost more to make with the extra material needed.
The 7's A-Frame also acts as the spring holders whereas there are dedicated spring supports for the Bugatti layout.
Would certainly have made it more popular than it already was in motorsport I reckon.
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Agreed - nowhere near as simple. Did anyone ever modify a Seven chassis to give it reversed 1/4 elliptic rear suspension, I wonder? (Could bolt an extension into chassis where springs usually go?)
Seems Ettore also liked splash lubrication.
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Location: Cheshire
Car type: Race Ulster, 1926 Special, 1927 Chummy, 1930 Box
He did. It was a bit more sophisticated than ours though.
Alan Fairless
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Some of the early Bugatti cars only had one jet - though later ones had two, as per Sevens. What was more sophisticated - the geometry?
Seems some early Bugatti cars had a 6'6" wheelbase.
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Location: Bala North Wales
Car type: 1933 RP Standard Saloon
The Typ 13 Bugatti was designed to be a sporting car from the outset, and were aimed at a very different (and moneyed) market. The Seven, on the other hand was designed to woo motorcycle combinationists from their spartan machines to a vehicle with more creature comforts, and was priced accordingly.
Bugattis always were a car for the connoisseur and were expensive to buy and expensive to maintain. Throughout his car manufacturing career, Ettore only built about 10,700 cars in all. The Seven, on the other hand was designed to be simple, cheap, easy to maintain and, in the 17 years of production some 291000 were made.
It is true that the Seven was well designed and could, with some modification, be turned into a sporting car as evidenced by the design's racing history, but these cars were not the same as the standard production cars by any means. Many Bugattis, on the other hand, could virtually be taken from the dealer's showroom to the racetrack as built.
It IS interesting to compare the two designs, but I suspect that any similarities between the two reflect the general engineering ethos of the time rather than any similarity of design philosophy.
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Seems that the lightness and small size seen in the Bugatti has a parallel in the Seven design that contributed to the design efficiency and low cost, even though the intent was very different. In both cases, focussing quality where it was needed, led to success in different markets.
The Bugatti chassis rail appears to be more slender when viewed from above than the Austin chassis. It was of a deeper section through the middle of the car where the bending is greatest.
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Location: Cheshire
Car type: Race Ulster, 1926 Special, 1927 Chummy, 1930 Box
It’s worth remembering that both the Austin 7 and the Type13 both have roots yin the Bebe Peugeot. However the Bugatti was never a cheap car and the design reflects this.
Alan Fairless
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Alan, Interesting statement. Look out for the next Association Magazine!
Bugatti chassis drawing.jpg (Size: 39.06 KB / Downloads: 461)
