Supercharging was introduced in 1927 and this gave a huge increase in power and tractability:-

Type 38A - 1,492cc - 120bhp

Type 35C - 1,990cc - 130bhp

Type 35B - 2,261cc - 140bhp

In all it's different forms with engine sizes between 1,492cc to 2,261cc and both supercharged and unsupercharged there were about 340 made up to 1931 when almost any driver worth noting had owned or driven one in competition. It became Le Pur Sang des Automobiles, and was replaced by the Type 51.

By 1925 the smaller 1.5-litre 4-cylinder "Brescia" racing cars were decidedly uncompetitive and so a new model based on the successful Type 35 was introduced. It used the same chassis, but was fitted with a neat little horseshoe radiator set slightly further back and a similar "Grand Prix" style body. The engine had 4-cylinders, 3 valves per cylinder driven by a single overhead camshaft and was very similar to half an 8-cylinder but with the bore at 69mm.and a much longer stroke at 100mm.giving a capacity of 1,496cc and 60bhp. The longer stroke (the same as the "Brescia") limited the engine revs. but there was plenty of pulling power to make this a competitive racing car in it's class. The supercharged Type 37A introduced in 1927 gave a useful 90bhp. As with all racing Bugattis they were available in road trim and could be driven to race meetings by enthusiastic amateur drivers and then driven home again after the event.

The touring version of the 4-cylinder cars was the Type 40 which was available from 1926. The engine was a de-tuned version of the Type 37 giving a modest 45bhp and the chassis was derived from the Type 38, shortened but retaining the same gearbox and axles. It was increased in capacity to 1,628cc as the Type 40A in 1931 and used the 72mm bore cylinder block from the Type 49. About 830 Type 40s were made fitted with a wide range of coachwork and it was the last 4-cylinder Bugatti to be made before the war.

The late 1920s were the best years for Bugatti, with racing success giving them international acclaim. This translated into sales for their touring cars.

Whether Ettore Bugatti had "delusions of grandeur" or whether he was looking for a use for the frustrated aero engine project the Type 41 "Royale" of 1927 was certainly an amazing car. The sheer size of it was incredible with a wheelbase of 187in.(15.5 feet). The engine was a massive 14,726cc (reduced to 12,760cc for production) reputedly giving 300bhp from 8 cylinders with twin ignition. The 3-speed gearbox was integral with the rear axle, the top gear being an overdrive. The demand for such a large car was so limited that only three were sold, but not until 1932, the prototype and the last two remaining with the Bugatti family until the 1950's. There were about 30 engines manufactured and those not fitted to the cars were eventually used in the Bugatti railcars for the SNCF which were sufficiently successful to result in orders for a further 136 engines for 79 railcars. Some of these engines have subsequently been used to construct replica Type 41s.

Ettore Bugatti was determined to produce a luxury car and so a scaled down version of the "Royale" appeared in late 1929 designated the Type 46. The engine retained the 130mm stroke of the "Royale" but the cylinder bore was reduced to 81mm to give an engine capacity of 5,350cc and 130bhp which was sufficient to propel a large saloon at up to 93mph. It was a much more realistic model and about 400 were made up to 1939 including about 20 of the supercharged Type 46S.

The next significant stage in Bugatti development was the 1931 twin overhead camshaft straight 8- cylinder engine initially developed as a replacement for the Type 35 racing engine. The Type 51 was a Grand Prix car with an engine capacity of 2,270cc and an output of 180bhp and capable of 140mph. A "voiturette" Type 51A with supercharged 1.5 litre engine was also produced in 1931which gave 130bhp.

For 1932 there was the Type 51C , a 2-litre Grand Prix car, and for the new 1,000kg Formula the Type 54 with an engine capacity of 4,840cc and 200bhp. A Type 54 took the World "One Hour" Endurance Record at over 130mph in 1933 driven by Count Czaykowski and Achille Varzi won at the Avus circuit in Berlin at an average speed of 136mph. A four-wheel drive version, the Type 53, was built specifically for hill climb attempts and broke the record at La Turbie before being "written off" after Jean Bugatti crashed it at Shelsley Walsh in 1932.

The last Grand Prix Bugatti was the Type 59 of 1934 with 3,300cc Twin overhead camshaft straight 8-cylinder engine giving 275bhp and capable of 175mph. This car was notable,as had been the Type 35, for it's wheels. The wheel rims were driven from the large diameter brake drums by gear teeth and supported by a mass of thin wire spokes. It retained the live axle design of earlier models.

By now the Bugatti was no longer a force in Grand Prix racing and could not match the performance of the government sponsored Mercedes and Auto Unions from Germany. The last Bugatti Grand Prix cars were the 3-litre and the 4.7-litre.

In the touring car market Bugatti produced some very attractive cars during the 1930s. The Type 43, available from 1927, was a Grand Sport model using a de-tuned version of the engine from the "2,261cc Grand Prix car and capable of 110mph. In 1930, it was joined by the Type 43A, a Roadster with only slightly less performance.

By 1934 Ettore's son Jean Bugatti had a significant influence on company policy. He has been credited with the decision to develop the twin overhead camshaft engines although independent suspension was overruled . He was also a competent stylist and chassis designer and the New Type 57 Sports Car was very much his own work. It had a monoblock engine with a capacity of 3,255c, and the power output was steadily raised from 130bhp to 210bhp in supercharged form. A number of coachbuilders fitted attractive open and closed bodies, some of the most interesting being the "Atlantic" coupes.

The last pre war design was the Type 64 with a Twin overhead camshaft 4.5-litre unsupercharged engine with twin carburetors, Cotal electric gearbox and hydraulic brakes. It was never produced.

Ettore Bugatti was known as "Le Patron" to customers, racing drivers and the workforce and so when the factoy was crippled by a "strike" in 1936 he was devastated. He went to live in Paris and never returned the family estate at Molsheim. A further tragedy was the death of Jean Bugatti whist testing a Type 57C. The final straw must have been the virtual destruction of the factory during the war. He died on the 21^st August 1947 at the age of 65.

Towards the end of the war Ettore Bugatti designed a little 4-cylinder 370cc, twin overhead camshaft engine with 4-valves per cylinder. It was intended for a "Baby" Bugatti car which never materialised, however a member of the Bugatti Owners Club has manufactured one to the original drawings and it is hoped that it will run in 2001.

With Ettore's death the day-to-day running of the company became the responsibility of Roland Bugatti and Pierre Marco and by 1951 they announced the Type 101 with a modern all-enveloping body style by Gangloff of Colmar, who had always had a strong relationship with Bugatti since the 1920s. It even featured a Phillips wireless set. The engine was an 8-cylinder of 3,257cc capacity and gave 135bhp unsupercharged and 200bhp supercharged, coupled to a Cotal electric gearbox . The brakes were a strange dual system where each shoe was operated a separate hydraulic circuit. There was also a smaller 4-cylinder supercharged model Type 102. They were displayed at the Paris salon in 1952 and although well received by the press it was twice the price of the competition and only 6 were made.

The motor car side of the company was acquired by Pierre Marco in the early 1950s and finally sold to Hispano Suiza in 1963. Prior to this a disastrous attempt had been made to re-enter Grand Prix racing in 1956 with a transverse straight 8-cylinder 2.5-litre engined car designated the Type 251. Concurrently a 1.5-litre sports car, the Type 252, was seen in prototype but never developed.