1928 Bugatti Type 38A

Of all the Type 38s made, one of the most interesting is this Murphy Roadster. What makes the car so special is the fact that it was the only Bugatti chassis sent to America to receive a custom body.

The story of the Murphy Roadster oddly enough begins with the company American Miller. They raced their cars in the late twenties at events such as Indianapolis. Two of their cars raced in Europe and caught the attention of Ettore Bugatti. So much so, that he traded Leon Durray, the owned of American Miller, a Type 35 and a bare Type 38 chassis for two Miller Specials.

As it would turn out, Bugatti was interested in the valvetrain of the Miller engine. He closely studied the dual overhead cam valvetrain. This valvetrain was later adopted on future Bugatti models under Miller trademark.

Afterwards, Leon Durray, the recipient of the bare Type 38 chassis, then had the liberty of affixing any body to his Bugatti . He enlisted Murphy Body Co. of Pasadena to complete this task. Subtle details included a tapered windscreen and a chrome bumper.

The Murphy Roadster is an important car as it is the only chassis to originally receive American coachwork. Presently, Jay Leno owns this car which is in Concours condition. It is seen above at the 2002 Pebble Beach Concours.

Pictures & Gallery

See full 1928 Bugatti Type 38A here

 

Specs & Performance

engine	Inline-8
position	Front Longitudinal
aspiration	Supercharged
valvetrain	SOHC 3 Valves per Cyl
fuel feed	Twin Zenith or Solex Carbs
displacement	1990 cc / 121.4 in³
bore	60 mm / 2.36 in
stroke	88 mm / 3.46 in
power	89.5 kw / 120.0 bhp @ 5000 rpm
specific output	60.3 bhp per litre
bhp/weight	139.21 bhp per tonne
driven wheels	RWD
front brakes	Drums
f brake size	mm / in
rear brakes	Drums
r brake size	mm / in
f suspension	Rigid Axle w/Elliptic Springs
r suspension	Rigid Axle w/Reversed Quaarter-Elliptic Springs
curb weight	862 kg / 1900 lbs
wheelbase	3124 mm / 123.0 in
front track	1250 mm / 49.2 in
rear track	1250 mm / 49.2 in
gear ratios	:1