Unlike the Type 35, only a few units of the Type 59 were made: just 12 chassis and eight engines. The aesthetically dazzling race car was fitted with the newly developed piano wire wheels, which gave the car a novel appearance. Originally intended to have a 2.8-liter engine, the car was fitted with a larger 3.3-liter engine before it even made its debut at the Spanish Grand Prix in San Sebastian. However, its sensational appearance could not disguise the fact that even before its first race, this car was already technically outclassed by competing German models.