Type 251 The last Grand Prix Bugatti was undertaken to restore prestige to the once-famous name and financed by income from military contracts, which was dwindling as the car took shape. Gioacchino Colombo laid out a highly original design, the T251 having its straight eight engine mounted transversely behind the cockpit in a space frame and with novel detail work, yet with de Dion suspension front and rear. It appeared for only one race, when it was under-powered, had spiteful road holding and was far from competitive. It was not developed largely because Bugatti's cash flow dried up as military contracts withered when the Indo-China (Vietnam) conflict ended.