Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a French car manufacturer of high-performance automobiles, founded in 1909 in the then German city of Molsheim, Alsace by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti. Bugatti cars were known for their design beauty (Ettore Bugatti was from a family of artists and considered himself to be both an artist and constructor) and for their many race victories. Famous Bugattis include the Type 35 Grand Prix cars, the Type 41 “Royale”, the Type 57 “Atlantic” and the Type 55 sports car.
The death of Ettore Bugatti in 1947 proved to be the end for the marque, and the death of his son Jean Bugatti in 1939 ensured there was not a successor to lead the factory. No more than about 8,000 cars were made. The company struggled financially, and released one last model in the 1950s, before eventually being purchased for its airplane parts business in the 1960s.
In the 1990s, an Italian entrepreneur revived it as a builder of limited production exclusive sports cars. Today, the name is owned by German automobile manufacturing group Volkswagen.
Under Ettore Bugatti
Founder Ettore Bugatti was born in Milan, Italy, and the automobile company that bears his name was founded in 1909 in Molsheim located in the Alsace region which was part of the German Empire from 1871 to 1919. The company was known both for the level of detail of its engineering in its automobiles, and for the artistic manner in which the designs were executed, given the artistic nature of Ettore’s family (his father, Carlo Bugatti (1856–1940), was an important Art Nouveau furniture and jewelry designer).
World War I and its aftermath
During the war Ettore Bugatti was sent away, initially to Milan and later to Paris, but as soon as hostilities had been concluded he returned to his factory at Molsheim.[1] Less than four months after the Versailles Treaty formalised the transfer of Alsace from Germany to France, Bugatti was able to obtain, at the last minute, a stand at the 15th Paris motor show in October 1919.[1] He exhibited three light cars, all of them closely based on their pre-war equivalents, and each fitted with the same overhead camshaft 4-cylinder 1,368cc engine with four valves per cylinder.[1] Smallest of the three was a “Type 13” with a racing body (constructed by Bugatti themselves) and using a chassis with a 2,000 mm (78.7 in) wheelbase.[1] The others were a “Type 22” and a “Type 23” with wheelbases of 2,250 and 2,400 mm (88.6 and 94.5 in) respectively.
Racing successes
The company also enjoyed great success in early Grand Prix motor racing: in 1929 a privately entered Bugatti won the first ever Monaco Grand Prix. Racing success culminated with driver Jean-Pierre Wimille winning the 24 hours of Le Mans twice (in 1937 with Robert Benoist and 1939 with Pierre Veyron).
Bugatti cars were extremely successful in racing. The little Bugatti Type 10 swept the top four positions at its first race. The 1924 Bugatti Type 35 is probably the most successful racing car of all time, with over 2,000 wins.[citation needed] The Type 35 was developed by Bugatti with master engineer and racing driver Jean Chassagne who also drove it in the car’s first ever Grand Prix in 1924 Lyon.[2] Bugattis swept to victory in the Targa Florio for five years straight from 1925 through 1929. Louis Chiron held the most podiums in Bugatti cars, and the modern marque revival Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. named the 1999 Bugatti 18/3 Chiron concept car in his honour. But it was the final racing success at Le Mans that is most remembered—Jean-Pierre Wimille and Pierre Veyron won the 1939 race with just one car and meagre resources.
Family tragedy
The death of Ettore Bugatti’s son, Jean Bugatti, on 11 August 1939 marked a turning point in the company’s fortunes. Jean died while testing a Type 57 tank-bodied race car near the Molsheim factory.
After World War II
World War II left the Molsheim factory in ruins and the company lost control of the property. During the war, Bugatti planned a new factory at Levallois, a northwestern suburb of Paris. After the war, Bugatti designed and planned to build a series of new cars, including the Type 73 road car and Type 73C single seat racing car, but in all Bugatti built only five Type 73 cars.
Development of a 375 cc supercharged car was stopped when Ettore Bugatti died on 21 August 1947. Following Ettore Bugatti’s death, the business declined further and made its last appearance as a business in its own right at a Paris Motor Show in October 1952.[6]
After a long decline, the original incarnation of Bugatti ceased operations in 1952.
Design
Bugattis are noticeably focused on design. Engine blocks were hand scraped to ensure that the surfaces were so flat that gaskets were not required for sealing, many of the exposed surfaces of the engine compartment featured guilloché (engine turned) finishes on them, and safety wires had been threaded through almost every fastener in intricately laced patterns. Rather than bolt the springs to the axles as most manufacturers did, Bugatti’s axles were forged such that the spring passed though a carefully sized opening in the axle, a much more elegant solution requiring fewer parts. He famously described his arch competitor Bentley‘s cars as “the world’s fastest lorries” for focusing on durability. According to Bugatti, “weight was the enemy”.
Notable finds in the modern era
Relatives of Harold Carr found a rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante when cataloguing the doctor’s belongings after his death in 2009. Carr’s Type 57S is notable because it was originally owned by British race car driver Earl Howe. Because much of the car’s original equipment is intact, it can be restored without relying on replacement parts.[8]
On 10 July 2009, a 1925 Bugatti Brescia Type 22 which had lain at the bottom of Lake Maggiore on the border of Switzerland and Italy for 75 years was recovered from the lake. The Mullin Museum in Oxnard, California bought it at auction for $351,343 at Bonham’s Rétromobile sale in Paris in 2010.
Attempts at revival
The company attempted a comeback under Roland Bugatti in the mid-1950s with the mid-engined Type 251 race car. Designed with help from Gioacchino Colombo, the car failed to perform to expectations and the company’s attempts at automobile production were halted.
In the 1960s, Virgil Exner designed a Bugatti as part of his “Revival Cars” project. A show version of this car was actually built by Ghia using the last Bugatti Type 101 chassis, and was shown at the 1965 Turin Motor Show. Finance was not forthcoming, and Exner then turned his attention to a revival of Stutz.
Bugatti continued manufacturing airplane parts and was sold to Hispano-Suiza, also a former auto maker turned aircraft supplier, in 1963. Snecma took over Hispano-Suiza in 1968. After acquiring Messier, Snecma merged Messier and Bugatti into Messier-Bugatti in 1977.
Modern revivals
Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. (1987–1995)
Italian entrepreneur Romano Artioli acquired the Bugatti brand in 1987, and established Bugatti Automobili S.p.A.. Artioli commissioned architect Giampaolo Benedini to design the factory which was built in Campogalliano, Modena, Italy. Construction of the plant began in 1988, alongside the development of the first model, and it was inaugurated two years later—in 1990.[9]
By 1989 the plans for the new Bugatti revival were presented by Paolo Stanzani and Marcello Gandini, designers of the Lamborghini Miura and Lamborghini Countach. The first production vehicle was the Bugatti EB110 GT. It used a carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer chassis, a 3.5-litre, 5-valve per cylinder, quad-turbocharged 60° V12 engine, a six-speed gearbox, and four-wheel drive.
Famed racing car designer Mauro Forghieri served as Bugatti’s technical director from 1992 through 1994.
On 27 August 1993, through his holding company, ACBN Holdings S.A. of Luxembourg, Romano Artioli purchased Lotus Cars from General Motors. Plans were made to list Bugatti shares on international stock exchanges.
Bugatti presented a prototype large saloon called the EB112 in 1993.
Perhaps the most famous Bugatti EB110 owner was seven-time Formula One World Champion racing driver Michael Schumacher who purchased an EB110 in 1994. Schumacher sold his EB110, which had been repaired after a severe 1994 crash, to Modena Motorsport, a Ferrari service and race preparation garage in Germany.
By the time the EB110 came to market, the North American and European economies were in recession. Poor economic conditions forced the company to fail and operations ceased in September 1995. A model specific to the US market called the “Bugatti America” was in the preparatory stages when the company ceased operations.
Bugatti’s liquidators sold Lotus Cars to Proton of Malaysia. German firm Dauer Racing purchased the EB110 licence and remaining parts stock in 1997 in order to produce five more EB110 SS vehicles. These five SS versions of the EB110 were greatly refined by Dauer. The Campogalliano factory was sold to a furniture-making company, which subsequently collapsed before moving in, leaving the building unoccupied.[10] After Dauer stopped producing cars in 2011, Toscana-Motors GmbH of Germany purchased the remaining parts stock from Dauer.
Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. (1998–present)
Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. is a French high-performance luxury automobiles manufacturer and a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, with its head office and assembly plant in Molsheim, Alsace, France. Volkswagen purchased the Bugatti trademark in June 1998 and incorporated Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. in 1999.
Bugatti presented several concept cars between 1998 and 2000 before commencing development of its first production model, the Veyron 16.4, delivering the first Veyron to a customer in 2005.
History
At the urging of then-chairman Ferdinand Piëch, Volkswagen purchased the rights to produce cars under the Bugattimarque in June 1998. This followed the earlier Volkswagen purchases of the Lamborghini marque (by VW’s Audi subsidiary), the Rolls-Royce factory in Crewe, United Kingdom, and the Bentley marque.
On 22 December 2000, Volkswagen officially incorporated Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S., with former VW drivetrain chief Karl-Heinz Neumann as president. The company purchased the 1856 Château Saint Jean, formerly Ettore Bugatti‘s guest house in Dorlisheim, near Molsheim, and began refurbishing it to serve as the company’s headquarters. The original factory was still in the hands of Snecma, who were unwilling to part with it. At the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August 2000, VW announced that they would instead build a new modern atelier (factory) next to and south of the Château. The atelier was officially inaugurated on 3 September 2005.
Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen AG [3]
After the Veyron’s discontinuation in 2014, the new Bugatti model was revealed to be the Chiron in 2016. With an 8-liter W16 engine delivering 1500 horse power and an electronically limited top speed of 260 miles per hour and a price of about €2,400,000, the Chiron attempts to vastly surpass the Veyron’s performance.
Concept cars
Italdesign Giugiaro designs
Volkswagen commissioned Italdesign‘s Giorgetto Giugiaro to design a series of concept cars to return the marque to prominence. The first example, the EB 118, was a two-door coupé and was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 1998. It was followed by the four-door EB 218 touring sedan, introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1999. Later that year, the 18/3 Chiron was shown at the IAA in Frankfurt.
Volkswagen designs
Volkswagen designed the final Bugatti concept, the EB 18/4 GT in house. Bugatti introduced the EB 18/4 at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show.
W18 Engine
All of these early concepts featured a 555 PS (408 kW; 547 hp) 18-cylinder engine. This was the first-ever W-configuration engine on a passenger vehicle, with three blocks of 6 cylinders each. It shared many components with Volkswagen’s modular engine family.
16C Galibier
The 16C Galibier was first unveiled during Celebration of the Centenary of the Marque in Molsheim. The presentation was only for Bugatti customers. The car show in Molsheim showed the car in blue carbon fibre and aluminum parts. One year later Bugatti showed the world the 16C Galibier Concept at “VW Group Night” at the Geneva Auto Show in a new black and aluminum color combination.
The Galibier, a 1000 HP sedan, was first shown as a concept in 2010 and when they planned to put it into production in 2015, It would have cost about $1.4 million. It would use the same 16-cylinder 8.0-litre engine as the Veyron but instead of four turbos, the 16C Galibier would instead use two superchargers to deliver better torque. Production would require new facilities in Molsheim, France, to be refitted, which pushed back potential deliveries until 2015.[4]
In 2013 it was announced that the car will never be produced as they wish to focus on a Veyron replacement.
Veyron era (2005-2015)
Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. began assembling its first regular-production vehicle, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 (the 1001 BHP super car with an 8-litre W-16 engine with four turbochargers) in September 2005 at the Bugatti Molsheim, France assembly “studio”.[11][12] On 23 February 2015, Bugatti sold its last Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, which was named La Finale.[13]
Chiron era (2016-present)
The Bugatti Chiron is a mid-engined, two-seated sports car, designed by Achim Anscheidt,[14] developed as the successor to the Bugatti Veyron.[15] The Chiron was first revealed at the Geneva Motor Show on March 1, 2016.
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – VISION GRAN TURISMO W16 CONCEPT 2015
AUTOART – BUGATTI – EB18.3 CHIRON 1999
ABC – – BUGATTI – EB18.3 CHIRON 1999
ATC Bugatti 16C Galibier
STREET CAR
BRUMM – BUGATTI – TYPE 32 TANK 1923
WHITEBOX – BUGATTI – TYPE T35B 1924
ELIGOR – BUGATTI – TYPE 35B COURSE 1927
RAMI – BUGATTI – TYPE 35C COURSE 1924
LUXCAR – BUGATTI – 35B SPIDER 1935
IXO-MODELS – BUGATTI – ROYALE TYPE 41 ESDERS CABRIOLET 1927
RIO-MODELS – BUGATTI – TYPE 41 ROYALE 1927
RIO-MODELS – BUGATTI – TYPE 41 ROYALE TORPEDO CABRIOLET CLOSED 1927
IXO-MODELS – BUGATTI – TYPE 41 ROYALE SEMI-CONVERTIBLE 1928
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – TYPE 41 ROYALE SEMI-CONVERTIBLE 1929
MATCHBOX – BUGATTI – 41 ROYALE 1930
SOLIDO – BUGATTI – 41 ROYALE 1930
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – TYPE 41 ROYALE COACH WEYMANN 1929
RIO-MODELS – BUGATTI – 41 ROYALE WEYMANN 1929
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – TYPE 41 ROYALE CABRIO WEINBERGER SPIDER 1931
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – TYPE 41 ROYALE COACH KELLNER 1932
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – TYPE 41 ROYALE LIMOUSINE PARKWARD 1933
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – TYPE 50T CHASSIS N 50174 1930
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – 50T SUPERPROFILEE 2-DOOR 1932
RIO-MODELS – BUGATTI – T50 5000cc 1932
RIO-MODELS – BUGATTI – T50 1933
MATRIX SCALE MODELS – BUGATTI – TYPE 51 DUBOS COUPE # 51133 1931
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – TYPE 54 ROADSTER 1931
CHROMES – BUGATTI – TYPE 59 sn59121 SPIDER SUPERCHARGED 3.3 LITRES GRAN PRIX TWO SEATER 1933
BRUMM – BUGATTI – TYPE 59 – TIRATURA LIMITATA PER DE DIETRICH – LIMITED EDITION FOR DE DIETRICH 2011
BRUMM PROM – BUGATTI – TYPE 59 PROMO 100 JAHRE AUTOMOBIL 1886-1986
BRUMM PROM – BUGATTI – TYPE 59 SPIDER – 90 YEARS BUGATTI 1809 – 1999
TIPO 55
VROOM – BUGATTI 55 COUPE 1933 KIT
VROOM – BUGATTI 55 ROADSTER 1932
TIPO 57
WHITEBOX – BUGATTI – TYPE 57 GALIBIER 1935
IXO-MODELS – BUGATTI – TYPE 57 GALIBIER 1935
NICKEL – BUGATTI – T57 STELVIO GRABER CABRIOLET OPEN 1936
CHROMES – BUGATTI – T57 GALIBIER GANGLOFF DEMI BERLINE sn57603 1937
NICKEL – BUGATTI – T57 STELVIO GRABER CABRIOLET CLOSED 1936
LUXCAR – BUGATTI – MOD.57 GALIBIER 1938
SPARK-MODEL – BUGATTI – 57 GALIBIER 1939
MATRIX SCALE MODELS – BUGATTI – TYPE 57 GUILLORE 1937
CHROMES – BUGATTI – B57 CABRIOLET OPEN JAMES JOUNG sn57069 1934
MATRIX SCALE MODELS – BUGATTI – TYPE 57 ROADSTER ”GRAND RAID” GANGLOLFF 1934
LUXCAR – BUGATTI – T57 STELVIO COUPE CABRIOLET OPEN DROPHEAD ch.sn57192 1934
NICKEL – BUGATTI – T57 STELVIO COUPE CABRIOLET OPEN DROPHEAD ch.sn57202 1934
CHROMES – BUGATTI – T57 CABRIOLET 57156 OPEN P.NEE 1934
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – T57 SPIDER OPEN CHASSIS 57.563
MATRIX SCALE MODELS – BUGATTI – TYPE 57 AEROLITHE 1934
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – TYPE 57SC COMPETITION COUPE AEROLITHE 1935
CHROMES – BUGATTI – T57 sn57274 VAN VOOREN CABRIOLET 1935
BRUMM – BUGATTI – 57S ATLANTIC COUPE 1934
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – TYPE 57SC ATLANTIC 2-DOOR 1936
WHITEBOX – BUGATTI – TYPE 57SC ATLANTIC 1937
CHROMES – BUGATTI – T57S sn57473 ATLANTIC COUPE 1936
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – 57SC COUPE ATLANTIC 1938 – WITH BOX
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – 57SC ATLANTIC 1938
IXO-MODELS – BUGATTI – TYPE 57S COUPE ATLANTIC 1938
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – TYPE 57SC ATLANTIC COUPE 2-DOOR (ORIGINAL VERSION) CHASSIS 57.591 1938
BRUMM – BUGATTI – 57S ROADSTER OPEN 1936
BRUMM – BUGATTI – 57S CLOSED CHIUSA 1936
CHROMES – BUGATTI – T57 sn57782 COACH VENTOUX GANGLOFF SPECIAL THILL 1936
CHROMES – BUGATTI – T57SC ATALANTE CABRIOLET GANGLOFF sn57533 1937
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – TYPE 57S COUPE CHASSIS N 57.562 1937
SPARK-MODEL – BUGATTI – 57S ROADSTER DERAIN 1937
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – 57C CABRIOLET GANGLOOF CHASSIS N. 57749 1939
SPARK-MODEL – BUGATTI – T57 SC ATALANTA COUPE 1937
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – TYPE 57C ATALANTE 1939
LUXCAR – BUGATTI – 57SC ARAVIS 1938
LUXCAR – BUGATTI – 57 VENTOUX COUPE 1938
LUXCAR – BUGATTI – 57SC CORSICA OPEN ROOF 1938 (SPOKED WHEELS)
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – 57C CORSICA ROADSTER 1938
RIO-MODELS – BUGATTI – 57SC ATLANTIC 1938
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – 57SC ATLANTIC 1938
ATLAS – BUGATTI – 57SC ATLANTIC 1938
BRUMM – BUGATTI – 57 S COUPE 1934-36
CHROMES – BUGATTI – T57 COACH VENTOUX GANGLOFF SPECIAL ROUSSEL sn57546 1937
SPARK-MODEL – BUGATTI – 57S GANGLOFF SPIDER 1937
ABC – BUGATTI – T57C SPIDER CLOSED ch.57629 WORBLAUFEN 1938
CHROMES – BUGATTI – T57 ARAVIS CABRIOLET sn57589 D’IETEREN 1938 – ACTUAL CAR
MATRIX SCALE MODELS – BUGATTI – TYPE 57C CABRIOLET VANVOOREN SHAH OF IRAN 1939
CHROMES – BUGATTI – T57 ARAVIS SPIDER 57732 LETOURNEUR & MARCHAND M CHEVALIER 1939
CHROMES – BUGATTI – T57C SPIDER ARAVIS sn57826 LETOURNEUR & MARCHAND 1939
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – TYPE 57C COUPE 2-DOOR 1939
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – TYPE 57C ARAVIS CABRIOLET SOFT TOP CLOSED 2-DOOR 1939
CHROMES – BUGATTI – T57/64 AERO-DYNAMIC sn57625 PRE-PROTOYPE 1939
CHROMES – BUGATTI – T57S ATLANTIC SN57473 1936 CONFIGURATION 1955
BRUMM PROM – BUGATTI – 57 SC SPIDER – LA PETITE SUZANNE – DE AGOSTINI
Bugatti tipo 64
GLM-MODELS – BUGATTI – TYPE 64 1939
CHROMES – BUGATTI – T57/64 AERO-DYNAMIC sn57625 PRE-PROTOYPE 1939
TIPO 101
MATRIX SCALE MODELS – BUGATTI – TYPE T101 COUPE CHASSIS #101504 1951
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – TYPE 101 1951
TOPMODEL – BUGATTI – TYPE 251 1956
EB110
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – EB110
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – EB110
REVELL – BUGATTI – EB110 1991
REVELL – BUGATTI – EB110 1992
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – EB110 1992
Pro Line – Bugatti EB 110
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – EB110 1994
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – EB110 1994 – PERSONAL CAR MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – EB110 SUPER SPORTS 1992
NOREV – BUGATTI EB 110 S SUPER SPORT 1993
ALEZAN MODELS – BUGATTI EB 110
NOREV – BUGATTI EB 110
NOREV – BUGATTI EB 110
Norev – Bugatti EB110 Modele De Developpement
Provence Moulage Bugatti EB110
ALEZAN MODELS – BUGATTI EB 110 . STYLE STUDY N°1 . 1991
ALEZAN MODELS – BUGATTI EB 110 . STYLE STUDY N°2 . 1991
EB 16.4 VEYRON
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – VEYRON STUDY 2003
FLINE – – BUGATTI – VEYRON STUDY 2003
ATLAS MES VOITURES MYTHIQUES – BUGATTI EB 16/4 VEYRON 2005
ATLAS – BUGATTI EB 16/4 VEYRON 2005
PROVENCE – MOULAGE – BUGATTI EB 18/4 VEYRON 2000
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – VEYRON 16.4 GRAND SPORT L’OR BLANC 2008
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – EB16.4 VEYRON 2009
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – EB16.4 VEYRON 2009
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – EB16.4 VEYRON 2009
AUTOART – BUGATTI – EB16.4 VEYRON 2009
AUTOART – BUGATTI – EB16.4 VEYRON SHOWCAR 2009
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – VEYRON EDITION CENTENARIE 2009
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – VEYRON 16.4 SUPER SPORT 2010 – WORLD RECORD CAR
EDICOLA – Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport 2010
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – EB16.4 VEYRON 2010
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – EB16.4 VEYRON GRAND SPORT 2010
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – EB16.4 VEYRON GRAND SPORT 2010
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – EB16.4 VEYRON GRAND SPORT SPIDER 2010
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – VEYRON 16.4 GRAND SPORT VITESSE PARIS MOTORSHOW 2012
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – VEYRON 16.4 GRAND SPORT VITESSE GENEVE MOTORSHOW 2012
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – VEYRON 16.4 GRAND SPORT VITESSE LA FINALE 2012
MINICHAMPS – BUGATTI – VEYRON 16.4 SUPER SPORT 2011 – TOP GEAR – WORLD RECORD CAR – FIGURES
MR COLLECTION – Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Supersport
Looksmart Bugatti Super Sport in Blue Carbonium 2010
MR COLLECTION – Bugatti Chiron
LOOKSMART – BUGATTI – CHIRON 2016
MODEL K – BUGATTI – CHIRON 2016
EDICOLA – BUGATTI – CHIRON 2016
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