Bugatti R-100 (oz16925)

About this Plan

Bugatti R-100. Radio control scale model racer. Wingspan 27-1/2 in, wing area 171 sq in, for electric power with Speed 400 motor.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Note this is a low res plan. Currently, this is the best scan we have available. If anyone can submit a clearer scan of this plan, that would be great [fixed now, see update below].

Update 8/8/2026: Added article, thanks to Pit.

Quote: "A Speed 400, electric sport-scale racer. Bugatti R-100, by Tom Fey.

Bugatti is a name firmly associated with pre-WWII cars of exceptional character and engineering, but Ettore Bugatti's firm also built railroad cars and a single airplane, the R-100.

Noted Belgian engineer Louis de Monge designed the R-100 in 1938 to challenge aviation speed records, and he chose two 4.9-liter, 475hp magnesium-block, supercharged straight-8-cylinder Bugatti engines, then coupled them to contra-rotating propellers to drive the airplane. The pilot was meant to lie almost supine in the nose, a drive shaft under each armpit and fly the craft with the aid of a complicated system of interlinked and automatically operated spoilers, flaps and landing gear.

Hidden from the Germans in France through WWII, the all-wood airplane has passed through several owners since then, but thankfully, aviation enthusiasts can enjoy the restored, engineless masterpiece that now hangs in the EAA museum in Oshkosh, WI. This sole l3ugatti R-100 never flew!

I had seen infrequent articles and drawings of this amazing ship and decided that, powered by a Graupner Speed 400 electric motor, it would be a real showstopper model. My friend and model designer Gus Morfis agreed and drew the plan for this highly unconventional airplane.

Despite its unusual planform, the model is relatively straightforward to build. Instead of a step-by-step process, I'll comment on some aspects of the construction that might prove helpful to the builder.

Wing:The wing goes together quite simply; however, remember to cant each rib no.1 inward to provide the required wing dihedral (approximately 9 degrees). I used an oversize piece of 3/8-inch balsa as the leading edge (LE) and allowed the ribs and wing skins to be butt-joined to it. This leaves a square mating surface on the front for attaching the lead-ing-edge extensions (LEX). Don't glue the LEX to the wing until you are ready to fit the wing to the fuselage. The wing trailing edge (TE) is made from 1/4-inch sheet stock and requires consider-able sanding to get the proper chord and thickness to blend with the wing.

Fuselage: The lower fuselage is built upside-down over the plan; the upper bulkheads are later attached to complete the framework. I left the plywood motor mount in one piece and simply dug a small slit (trough) into my building board to accommodate its height. I skinned the upper fuselage from the motor mount back to bulkhead 4 with two pieces of 1/16-inch sheet. I had to remove a roughly toothpick-size sliver from the center-forward portion of each upper sheet to allow it to follow the compound contour of the forward fuselage. I pre-formed each sheet by wetting it with water; then I positioned it over the fuselage framework, secured it with rubber bands and allowed it to dry. After a final fit check, I glued each one into place with fast-drying and easy-sanding Pica Gluit. The rest of the fuselage was sheeted in a similar fashion..."

Update 8/8/2026: Replaced this plan with a clearer copy, scanned at 300 dpi, thanks to DPlumpe.

Supplementary file notes

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