The 1921, Type 28 prototype
This body was built by Schlumpf, and not by Bugatti
Photo: Jacob Munkhammar, Reference

Type 28 was Ettore Bugattis first attempt into building a large luxurious Bugatti, which would culminate with Type 41, "la Royale". It was shown to the public at the Paris and London Automobile Shows in 1921.
This is the first real eight cylinder Bugatti. (He had earlier experinmented with cars with two four cylinder engines in a row.) It is also the first engine with the characteristic and now so famous angular design.
This car has many novel features, like a steering wheel with only two spokes 90 degrees apart, down-wards, and gauges on a stem inside the wheel together with carburetor and ignition controls - somewhat like an early Citroën! The steering wheel had adjustable length.
Type 28 also sees the first implementations of some of the ideas later to be seen in the Royale, like gearbox in the back axle.
This car was to have four wheel hydraulic brakes (1921 is very early for this), even if the prototype had wire operated brakes.

Even if Type 28 today is seen as the precursor to the Royale, Ettore himself ment Type 44 was its decendant.

When shown in 1921, only the chassis was displayed. In Conway's "Bugatti - le pur-sang des automobiles", 3rd ed., from 1965, it says that 'the original chassis is still at Molsheim'. It is now in the Schlumpf Museum with a Torpedo body. When did it receive its body?