BUGATTI T32 n°18 GP ACF TOURS 1923
Four Bugatti T32s were specially designed and built for the 1923 Tours Grand Prix, which took place one month after the first 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The highly enveloping bodywork was remarkably avant-garde, as was the new Voisin (the manufacturer that had won the 1922 Strasbourg Touring Car Grand Prix).
But neither Bugatti nor Voisin were favorites in this long-prepared race, which drew large crowds to the Valley of the Kings of France, despite it being held on a Monday.
Of the four Bugattis entered, the No. 18 Bugatti of Prince de Cystria got off to a good start and held its own, even though it wasn’t at the front of the field. On the 12th lap, at the Membrolle bend, Lee Guiness’ No. 2 Sunbeam missed its turn, ran into the sand, and retired.
