The Bugatti Fitted with a Transverse Straight-Eight Engine (1 Photo)
We usually picture a straight-eight engine running longitudinally along the length of a car. On the Bugatti Type 251 race car, however, engineers mounted it transversely right behind the driver. Looking at it from above, it is strikingly clear just how much space this layout demanded. 
The transversely mounted straight-eight engine of the Bugatti Type 251. Archival photo via Reddit.
Developed for Bugatti’s mid-1950s Grand Prix return, the car was powered by a 2,430 cc engine featuring dual overhead camshafts, four twin-choke Weber carburetors, and twin spark plugs per cylinder.
Power was drawn from the center of the crankshaft and transferred to a five-speed gearbox via a gear drive. The radiator remained in the nose, with coolant circulating through the frame's tubular structure.
Two chassis with different wheelbases were prepared for the French Grand Prix on July 1, 1956. When the longer variant failed to resolve the car's handling instability, the team opted for the original car for the race—details chronicled by Denis Jenkinson in the August 1956 issue of Motor Sport.
