bugatti

Bugatti is one of the most celebrated marques of automobile and the one of the most exclusive Italian yet also French car producers of all time. The company is legendary for producing some of the best sports cars money could buy. The original Bugatti failed with the advent of World War II, but has been resurrected twice, most recently under the Volkswagen Group.

Under Ettore Bugatti

Automobile designer and manufacturer Ettore Arco Isidoro Bugatti was born on September 15, 1881 in Brescia, Italy, into a notably artistic family that had its roots in Milan. He was the elder son of Teresa Lorioli and her husband Carlo Bugatti (1856–1940), an important Art Nouveau furniture and jewelry designer. His younger brother was a renowned animal sculptor, Rembrandt Bugatti (1884–1916), his aunt, Luigia Bugatti, was the wife of the painter Giovanni Segantini, and his paternal grandfather, Giovanni Luigi Bugatti, was an architect and sculptor. Although born in Italy, the automobile company Ettore Bugatti founded was located in Molsheim, in the Alsace region of France. The company was known for its advanced engineering in its premium road cars and its success in early Grand Prix motor racing, winning the first ever Monaco Grand Prix. The company's 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).

Models

Only a few models of each of Ettore Bugatti's vehicles were ever produced, the most famous being the Type 35 Grand Prix car, the huge "Royale", and the Type 55 sports car. Throughout the production run of approximately 7,900 cars, each Bugatti model was designated with the prefix T for Type, which referred to the chassis and drive train.

ears	Number Produced	Road, Sports, or Prototype	Engine	Notes
ype 2	1900–1901	\|P \|3050 cc I4
ype 5	1903	\|P \|12867 cc I4
ype 10	1908	\|S \|1131 cc I4 \|SOHC; Came second in the 1911 French Grand Prix
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-13" title="Bugatti Type 13">Type 13	1910–1914	\|S \|1368 cc I4 \|SOHC 4-valve; Placed 1,2,3,4 in the 1921 Voiturettes Grand Prix in Brescia
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-13" title="Bugatti Type 13">Type 15	1910–1912	\|S \|1368 cc I4 \|Long wheelbase (2400mm) Type 13
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-13" title="Bugatti Type 13">Type 17	1910–1912	\|S \|1368 cc I4 \|Long wheelbase (2550mm) Type 13
ype 18	1912–1914	6 or 7	R	5030 cc I4	3-valve
ype 19	1913-1916	3095	R	855 cc I4	Sold as Peugeot "Bb" Designed by Bugatti and made by Peugeot 2 versions BP1 and BP2
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-13" title="Bugatti Type 13">Type 22	1913–1914	\|S \|1368 cc I4 \|Same SOHC 4-valve engine as the "Brescia"; updated Type 15
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-23" title="Bugatti Type 23">Type 23	1913–1914	\|R \|1368 cc I4 \|2-valve version of the "Brescia" engine; updated Type 17
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-23" title="Bugatti Type 23">Type 23 Brescia Tourer	1920–1926	2000	R	1368 cc I4	Same SOHC 4-valve engine as the "Brescia"; post-war multivalve Type 23
ype 29	1922–1926	\|S \|1991 cc I8 \|SOHC 3-valve, 60 hp (45 kW); Second place in 1922 ACF Grand Prix
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-49" title="Bugatti Type 49">Type 30	1922–1926	\|R \|1991 cc I8 \|Same engine as Type 29; also 1923 Indy car
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-32" title="Bugatti Type 32">Type 32	1923	\|P \|1991 cc I8 \|Same engine as Type 29; "Tank" body; Finished third in 1923 ACF Grand Prix
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-35" title="Bugatti Type 35">Type 35	1924–1930	96	S	1991 cc I8	Same engine as Type 29; 90 hp (67 kW)
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-35" title="Bugatti Type 35">Type 35 B	1924–1930	38	S	2262 cc I8	Stroked Type29 engine, 135 hp (101 kW); Won 1929 French Grand Prix
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-35" title="Bugatti Type 35">Type 35 Targa Florio	1924–1930	13	S	2262 cc I8	Modified Type 35 B; 100 hp (75 kW); Swept the Targa Florio from 1925-1929
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-35" title="Bugatti Type 35">Type 35 C	1924–1930	\|S \| \|Won 1928 & 1930 French Grand Prix
ype 36	1925	\|S \|1493 cc I8 \|De-stroked Type 29 engine
ype 37	1926–1930	212	S	1496 cc I4	New SOHC 3-valve engine, 60 hp (45 kW)
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-49" title="Bugatti Type 49">Type 38	1926–1927	\|R \|1991 cc I8 \|Type 29 engine
ype 39 A	1926–1929	\|S \|1493 cc I8 \|Type 36 engine, 120 hp (89 kW); Won 1926 French Grand Prix
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-49" title="Bugatti Type 49">Type 40	1926–1930	about 800	R	1496 cc I4	Type 37 engine
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Royale" title="Bugatti Royale">Type 41	1927–1933	6	R	12736 cc I8	SOHC 3-valve, 300 hp (224 kW); The "Royale"
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-49" title="Bugatti Type 49">Type 43	1927–1931	\|R \|2262 cc I8 \|Type 35 B engine, 120 hp (89 kW)
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-49" title="Bugatti Type 49">Type 44	1927–1931	1,095	R	2991 cc I8	Bored Type 35 B engine, SOHC 3-valve
ype 45	1929–1930	1	P	3801 cc U16	1+1 cam 3-valve "U" engine
ype 46	1929–1936	400	R	5359 cc I8	New SOHC 3-valve engine, 140 hp (104 kW)
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-49" title="Bugatti Type 49">Type 49	1930–1934	470	R	3257 cc I8	Bored Type 44 engine
ype 50	1930–1934	\|R \|4972 cc I8 \|New DOHC 4-valve engine, 225 hp (168 kW); touring car
ype 50 B	1937–1939	\|S \|4972 cc I8 \|470 hp (350 kW) Type 50 engine; sports car
ype 50 T	1937–1939	\|R \|4972 cc I8 \|200 hp (150 kW) Type 50 engine; coup
ype 51/51A	1931–1935	40	S	2262 cc I8	DOHC 4-valve supercharged engine; Modified Type 35 chassis; Won 1931 French Grand Prix
ype 53	1931–1932	3	S	4972 cc I8	Type 50 engine, 300 hp (224 kW)
ype 54 GP	1932–1934	4 or 5	S	4972 cc I8	Type 50 engine, 300 hp (224 kW)
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-55" title="Bugatti Type 55">Type 55	1932–1935	38	R	2262 I8	Type 51 engine, 130 hp (97 kW)
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Atlantic" title="Bugatti Atlantic">Type 57	1934–1940	\|R \|3257 cc I8 \|Bored Type 51 engine, 135 hp (101 kW); touring car
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Atlantic" title="Bugatti Atlantic">Type 57 C	1937–1940	about 750	S	3257 cc I8	160 hp (119 kW); racing car
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-57" title="Bugatti Type 57">Type 57 G	1936–1939	\|P \|4743 cc I8 \|"The Tank"; Won 1936 French Grand Prix, and 1937 and 1939 Le Mans
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Atlantic" title="Bugatti Atlantic">Type 57 S	1936–1938	\|R \|3257 cc I8 \|175 hp (130 kW); "Atlantic"
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Type-57" title="Bugatti Type 57">Type 57 S45	1936–1939	\|P \|4743 cc I8 \|
a href="/encyclopedia/Bugatti-Atlantic" title="Bugatti Atlantic">Type 57 SC	1937–1938	\|R \|3257 cc I8 \|200 hp (150 kW); "Atlantic"
ype 59	1934–1936	6 or 7	S	3257 cc I8	250 hp (186 kW)
ype 64	1939	\|R \|4432 cc I8 \|
ype 73C	1943/1947	\|S \|1488 cc I4 \|DOHC 3-valve
ype 101	1951	\|R \|3257 cc I8 \|135 hp (101 kW); Modern touring car
ype 251	1955–1956	\|S \|2486 cc I8 \|DOHC

Racing Success

Bugatti cars were extremely successful in racing, with many thousands of victories in just a few decades. 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. The company swept the Targa Florio for five years straight from 1925 through 1929. Louis Chiron held the most podiums in Bugatti cars, and the 21st Century Bugatti company remembered him with a concept car named in his honor. But it was the final racing success at Le Mans that is most remembered—Jean-Pierre Wimille and Louis Veyron won the 1939 race with just one car and few resources.

ace	Driver	Car
921	Voiturettes Grand Prix	Ernest Friderich
925	Targa Florio	Meo Constantini	Type 35
926	French Grand Prix	Jules Goux	Type 39 A
926	Italian Grand Prix	Louis Charavel
926	Spanish Grand Prix	Meo Constantini
926	Targa Florio	Meo Constantini	Type 35 T
927	Targa Florio	Emilio Materassi	Type 35 C
928	French Grand Prix	William Grover-Williams	Type 35 C
928	Italian Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
928	Spanish Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
928	Targa Florio	Albert Divo	Type 35 B
929	French Grand Prix	William Grover-Williams	Type 35 B
929	German Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
929	Spanish Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
929	Monaco Grand Prix	William Grover-Williams
929	Targa Florio	Albert Divo	Type 35 C
930	Belgian Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
930	Czechoslovakian Grand Prix	Heinrich-Joachim von Morgen and Hermann zu Leiningen
930	French Grand Prix	Philippe Etancelin	Type 35 C
930	Monaco Grand Prix	Ren Dreyfus
931	Belgian Grand Prix	William Grover-Williams and Caberto Conelli
931	Czechoslovakian Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
931	French Grand Prix	Louis Chiron and Achille Varzi	Type 51
931	Monaco Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
932	Czechoslovakian Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
933	Czechoslovakian Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
933	Monaco Grand Prix	Achille Varzi
934	Belgian Grand Prix	Ren Dreyfus
936	French Grand Prix	Jean-Pierre Wimille and Raymond Sommer	Type 57 G
937	24 hours of Le Mans	Jean-Pierre Wimille and Robert Benoist	Type 57 G
939	24 hours of Le Mans	Jean-Pierre Wimille and Pierre Veyron	Type 57 C

The End

Ettore Bugatti also designed a successful motorized railcar, the Autorail, and an airplane, but it never flew. His son, Jean Bugatti, was killed on August 11, 1939 at the age of 30, while testing a Type 57C tank-bodied race car near the Molsheim factory. After that, the company's fortune began to decline. World War II ruined the factory in Molsheim, and the company was never able to recover. The company attempted a comeback in the mid-1950s with the mid-engined 251 race car, with help from famed Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Maserati designer Gioacchino Colombo. But the car failed to perform up to expectations and the company was soon shuttered. Ettore Bugatti died on August 21, 1947 and was interred in the Bugatti family plot at the municipal cemetery in Dorlisheim near Molsheim in the Bas-Rhin dpartement of the Alsace region of France.

Latter-day Bugattis

Under Romano Artioli

In 1987 Romano Artioli, an Italian entrepreneur, acquired the legendary Bugatti name and established Bugatti Automobili SpA. The new company built a factory designed by the architect Giampaolo Benedini in Campogalliano, Italy, a town near Modena, home to other performance-car manufacturers De Tomaso, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati. By 1989, the plans for the new Bugatti-revival were presented by Paolo Stanzani and Marchello Gandini, famous designers of the Lamborghini Miura and Countach. The first completed car was labeled the Bugatti EB110 GT, advertised as the most technically advanced supercar ever produced. On August 27, 1993, through his holding company, ACBN Holdings S.A. of Luxembourg, Romano Artioli purchased the Lotus car company from General Motors. The acquisition brought together two of the greatest names in automotive racing history and plans were made for listing the company's shares for sale on international stock exchanges. Bugatti also presented in 1993 the prototype of a large sedan called the EB 112. By the time the EB110 came to market the North American and European economies were in recession and operations ceased in September of 1995. A model specific to the United States market called the "Bugatti America" was in the prepatory stages when the company closed.

Under Volkswagen AG

Volkswagen AG purchased the rights to produce cars under the Bugatti marque in 1998. They commissioned ItalDesign to produce the Bugatti EB 118 concept, a touring sedan which featured a 555 bhp DIN (408 kW) output and the first W-configuration 18-cylinder engine on any passenger vehicle, at the Paris Auto Show. In 1999 the Bugatti EB 218 concept was introduced at the Geneva Auto Show; later that year the Bugatti 18/3 Chiron was introduced at the IAA in Frankfurt. At the Tokyo Motor Show the EB 218 reappeared and the Bugatti EB 18/4 Veyron was presented as the first incarnation of what was to be a production road car. All had eighteen cylinders. In 2000 Volkswagen founded Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. and introduced the EB 16/4 Veyron concept, a 16 cylinder car producing 1001 bhp DIN (736 kW), at the Paris, Geneva, and Detroit auto shows. Development continued throughout 2001 and the EB 16/4 Veyron was promoted to "advanced concept" status. In late 2001 Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. announced that the car, officially called the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, would go into production in 2003. As of September 2004, the Veyron is expected to be released in the second half of 2005. It will be produced in a new facility, the Atelier located near the historical roots of the brand, the Chteau Saint-Jean in Molsheim. It is expected that following the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, in 2009, Bugatti will produce a smaller front-engined 2+2, of about 100,000 EUR, called the Wimille, after Jean-Pierre Wimille. The Wimille would also be produced in Molsheim.

Collectors

Today original Ettore Bugatti cars are amongst the most sought after in the world by collectors, fetching prices as high as US$10 million. The best-known collectors of Bugatti were Hans and Fritz Schlumpf, two brothers who ran a textiles business in Mulhouse, close to the Bugatti factory. Between 1958 and 1975 (when their business failed) they secretly amassed a remarkable collection of the cars. Now known as the Schlumpf Collection, it has been turned into one of the world's great car museums, the Muse Nationale de l'Automobile.