A car for the wealthy, the Bugatti Type 50 was released in 1930 and lasted through 1933, with only 65 units built.
Sharing many of its underpinnings with the Type 46, the Type 50 was more expensive with the addition of a smaller, but more powerful engine. It was the most powerful powerplant Bugatti built by that time and was capable of producing over 200 hp.

Besides the 200 hp, in the sprint to 100 km/h, the Type 50 needed around 8 seconds and that was impressive for 1930.

Designed to offer high-performance, the Type 50 was actually a sport sports car designed for daily driving.

Along with the Type 50, a longer wheelbase version was offered, namely the Type 50T, a vehicle that offered increased interior room.

Quite common for that era, Bugatti supplied a rolling chassis for various coach builders to customise the vehicle according to the customer’s desire. That’s the reason why the Type 50’s specifications greatly varied.

Bugatti entered the 1931 24 Hours of Le Mans competition with 3 Type 50s. With one of the vehicles suffering a tire failure, all 3 abandoned the race. Bugatti kept participating to the competition and only in 1935 the Type 50 managed to lead the race for a while.

The Type 50 T (Touring) version was introduced to the large public in 1930 and featured a longer wheelbase as compared to its initial T50 model.
In fact, the 50 T shared its chassis construction with the Type 46 model while equipped with a newly-developed 5.0L engine delivering up to 200 hp (less than the short-version Type 50). Also, the new Type 50 T was available with an optional 4-door saloon coachwork. Both Type 50 and Type 50 T models were produced in 65 units from 1930 to 1934, while also providing the base for the Type 50 Grand Sport prototype in 1930 (powered by a 24 Hours of Le Mans-designed 4.9L 8-inline unit).