Every car is an argument about what matters, and the Bugatti Type 13 makes its case with 1131 cc Deutz-Bugatti derived I4 and 10 PS. Bugatti built from 1907 to 1909 — when a car was a rich man's adventure and every maker was a workshop. The shape is credited to Ettore Bugatti. 435 were built.
The story
The Bugatti Type 13 was the first car produced solely with the "Bugatti" name plate. Production of the Type 13, and later Types 15, 17, 22, and 23, began with the company's founding in 1910 and lasted through 1920, with 435 examples produced. Most road cars used an eight-valve engine, though five Type 13 racers had 16-valve heads, some of the first ever produced.
The road cars became known as pur-sang ("thoroughbred") in keeping with Ettore Bugatti's feelings for his designs. The car was brought back after World War I with a multivalve engine to bring fame to the marque at Brescia. The production Brescia tourer also brought in much-needed cash.
What is underneath
The engine is 1131 cc Deutz-Bugatti derived I4; the output is 10 PS. On the scales it comes to 365 kg. That is roughly 27 horsepower per tonne: leisurely, which for a car of its age and purpose is the point. Drive goes through a 4-Speed Manual. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 2590 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
In the Bugatti line-up the Bugatti Type 13 has a clear place: it replaced the Bugatti Type 9C-A; the factory was Molsheim, Alsace, Germany. Nearby in the Bugatti catalogue sit the Bugatti 57 Galibier and the Bugatti 8-cylinder line.
Owning one today
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Bugatti Type 13 has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.