Bugatti

Bugatti is one of the most celebrated marques of automobile and the one of the most exclusive Italian/French/German car producers of all time. The company is legendary for producing some of the best sports cars in the world. 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

Although founder Ettore Bugatti was born in Italy, the automobile company that bears his name was located in Molsheim, in the then-German Alsace region (which went back to France in 1919). 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).

Related Topics:
Ettore Bugatti - Molsheim - Alsace - 1919 - Grand Prix motor racing - Monaco Grand Prix - Jean-Pierre Wimille - 24 hours of Le Mans - 1937 - Robert Benoist - 1939 - Pierre Veyron

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Bugatti's cars were as much works of art as they were mechanical creations, with hand-turned finishes on the engine blocks, lightening holes in every conceivable location, and safety wires threaded through almost every fastener in intricately laced patterns. He regarded his arch competitor, Bentley, as "the world's fastest trucks" for turning their attentions more towards durability. Bugatti's disdain for his customers is as legendary as his devotion to his creations; in one apocryphal incident, upon greeting an unhappy customer returning to the factory with "What, you again?", he replied to the subsequent tale of automotive mechanical woe with "Well, see that it does not happen again!" and strode away.

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From the shapes of his engines, he is regarded a Cubist and he once went to a meeting of Cubists.

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Models

Only a few models of each of Ettore Bugatti's vehicles were ever produced, the most famous being the Type 35 Grand Prix cars, the huge "Royale", the flowing Type 57 "Atlantic", and the Type 55 sports car.

Related Topics:
Type 35 Grand Prix - Royale - Type 57 "Atlantic" - Type 55

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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.

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Contract designs

• Prinetti & Stucchi
• 1898 Type 1
• Dietrich-Bugatti
• 1902-1904 Type 3/4
• 1903 Type 5/Hermes/6/7
• Deutz Gasmotoren Fabrik
• 1907 Type 8/9
• Peugeot
• 1913-1916 Type 19 "Bébé"

Prototypes

• 1900?1901 Type 2
• 1903 Type 5
• 1908 Type 10
• 1925 Type 36
• 1929?1930 Type 45/47
• Type 56 (electric car)
• 1939 Type 64 (coupe)
• 1943/1947 Type 73C

Racing cars

• 1910?1914 Type 13/Type 15/17/22
• 1922?1926 Type 29
• 1923 Type 32 "Tank"
• 1924-1930 Type 35/35A/35B/35T/35C/37/39
• 1927-1930 Type 52 (electric racer for children)
• 1936?1939 Type 57G "Tank"
• 1937?1939 Type 50B
• 1931?1936 Type 53
• 1931?1936 Type 51/51A/54GP/59
• 1955?1956 Type 251

Road cars

• 1912?1914 Type 18 "Garros"
• 1913?1914 Type 23/Brescia Tourer (roadster)
• 1922?1934 Type 30/38/40/43/44/49 (touring car)
• 1927?1933 Type 41 "Royale" (limousine)
• 1929?1939 Type 46/50/50T (touring car)
• 1932?1935 Type 55 (roadster)
• 1934?1940 Type 57/57S/Type 57SC (touring car)
• 1951-1956 Type 101 (coupe)

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 Pierre Veyron won the 1939 race with just one car and few resources.

Related Topics:
Bugatti Type 10 - Bugatti Type 35 - Targa Florio - Louis Chiron - Concept car - Le Mans - Jean-Pierre Wimille - Pierre Veyron

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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 57 tank-bodied race car near the Molsheim factory. After that, the company's fortunes began to decline. World War II ruined the factory in Molsheim, and the company lost control of the property. During the war, Bugatti planned a new factory at Levallois in Paris and designed a series of new cars. Ettore Bugatti died on August 21, 1947.

Related Topics:
Airplane - Jean Bugatti - August 11 - 1939 - Type 57 tank-bodied race car - Molsheim - Paris - August 21 - 1947

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The company attempted a comeback under Roland Bugatti in the mid-1950s with the mid-engined Type 251 race car. Designed with help from famed Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Maserati designer Gioacchino Colombo, the car failed to perform up to expectations and the company's attempts at automobile production were halted.

Related Topics:
Roland Bugatti - 1950s - Mid-engined - Type 251 - Alfa Romeo - Ferrari - Maserati - Gioacchino Colombo

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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. Financing was not forthcoming, however, and Exner turned his attention to a revival of Stutz.

Related Topics:
1960s - Virgil Exner - Revival Cars - Ghia - Bugatti Type 101 - 1965 - Turin Motor Show - Stutz

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Bugatti continued producing airplane parts and was sold to Hispano-Suiza (another auto maker turned aircraft supplier) in 1963. Snecma took over in 1968, later acquiring Messier. The two were merged to form Messier-Bugatti in 1977.

Related Topics:
Hispano-Suiza - 1963 - Snecma - 1968 - Messier-Bugatti - 1977

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