Bugatti
Encyclopedia
Automobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim
, Alsace, as a manufacturer
of high-performance automobiles
by Italian
-born Ettore Bugatti
.
Bugattis were well known for the beauty of their designs (Ettore Bugatti was from a family of artists and considered himself to be both an artist and constructor) and for the large number of races they won. The death of Ettore Bugatti in 1947 proved to be the end for the marque, and the death of his son Jean
in 1939 ensured there wasn't a successor to lead the factory. No more than about 8000 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. Today the name is owned by Volkswagen Group
, who have revived it as a builder of limited production exclusive sports car
s. The new Bugatti has now got 1000 brake horse power and is now the fastest car in the world. This model may not be going commercial and there might just be a few made. One of these Bugatti's would cost around £840,000.
was born in Milan
, Italy, and the automobile company that bears his name was founded in 1909 in the town of Molsheim
located in the Alsace
. The company was known both for the level of detail of its engineering in its automobiles, and for the artistic way 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). The company also enjoyed great 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
).
Famous Bugattis include the Type 35 Grand Prix
cars, the Type 41 "Royale"
, the Type 57 "Atlantic"
and the Type 55
sports car.
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 threaded through almost every fastener in intricately laced patterns. Rather than bolt the springs to the axle
s 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".
is probably the most successful racing car of all time, with over 2,000 wins. 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 21st century Bugatti company remembered him with a concept car named 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.
* The World Constructors' Championship was not awarded before 1958.
, hoping to beat the Germans in the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize. This would be the Bugatti 100P, which never flew. It was designed by Belgian engineer Louis de Monge who had already applied Bugatti Brescia engines in his "Type 7.5" lifting body.
(Autorail Bugatti).
, was killed on 11 August 1939 at the age of 30, while testing a Type 57 tank-bodied race car near the Molsheim
factory. Subsequently 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 the northwestern suburbs of Paris
and designed a series of new cars, including the Type 73 road car and Type 73C single seater racing car (5 built). After World War II
, a 375 cc supercharged car was canceled when Ettore Bugatti died on 21 August 1947. The business underwent a lingering demise, making its last appearance as a business in its own right at a Paris Motor Show in October 1952.
The company attempted a comeback under Roland Bugatti in the mid-1950s with the mid-engined
Type 251 race car. Designed with help from Alfa Romeo
, Ferrari
, and Maserati
designer 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
(another auto maker turned aircraft supplier) in 1963. Snecma
took over in 1968, later acquiring Messier
. The two were merged into Messier-Bugatti in 1977.
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 lifted out of the water. The Mullin Museum in Oxnard, California
bought it at auction for $351,343 at Bonham's Retromobile sale in Paris in 2010.
acquired the Bugatti name in 1987, 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
, Pagani
and Maserati
.
By 1989 the plans for the new Bugatti revival were presented by Paolo Stanzani and Marcello Gandini
, famous designers of the Lamborghini Miura
and Countach
. The first completed car was labelled the Bugatti EB110
GT, advertised as the most technically advanced sports car ever produced.
From 1992 through 1994 famed racing car designer Mauro Forghieri
was technical director.
On 27 August 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 historical names in automotive racing, and plans were made for listing the company's shares on international stock exchanges. Bugatti also presented in 1993 the prototype of a large saloon called the EB112.
By the time the EB110 came to market the North American and European economies were in recession, and operations ceased in September 1995. A model specific to the United States market called the "Bugatti America" was in the preparatory stages when the company closed. Bugatti's liquidators sold Lotus to Proton of Malaysia.
In 1997 German manufacturer Dauer Racing bought the EB110 license and remaining parts stock to Bugatti in order to produce five more EB110 SS units, although they were greatly refined by Dauer. The factory was later sold to a furniture-making company, which also collapsed before they were able to move in, leaving the building unoccupied. The company Dauer Sportwagen stopped producing Supercars. All original Bugatti parts especially the high performance parts of the EB110SS and the equipment were bought in 2011 by the company Toscana-Motors GmbH (Kaiserslautern
/Germany
).
Perhaps the most famous Bugatti EB110 owner was racing driver Michael Schumacher
, seven-time Formula One World Champion, who bought the EB110 in 1994 while racing for the Benetton team. In 2003 Schumacher sold the car—which had been repaired after a severe crash the year he bought it—to Modena Motorsport, a Ferrari service and race preparation garage in Germany.
concept, a touring saloon (sedan), which featured a 408 kW, and the first W-configuration
16-cylinder engine
in 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 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA). At the Tokyo Motor Show
, the EB 218 reappeared, and the Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron
was presented as the first incarnation of what was to be a production road car.
Molsheim
Molsheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. The total population in 2006 was 9,382. Molsheim had been a very fast growing city between the French censuses of 1968 and 1999, passing from 5,739 to 9,331 inhabitants, but this increase came to a noticeable halt...
, Alsace, as a manufacturer
Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
of high-performance automobiles
High performance vehicle
A high-performance vehicle is a vehicle that has been designed with specific performance capabilities, above and beyond those of normal vehicles. Enhancements such as higher engine output , enhanced braking and suspension systems, are all hallmarks of high-performance vehicles...
by Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
-born Ettore Bugatti
Ettore Bugatti
right|thumb|Ettore Bugatti in 1932Ettore Arco Isidoro Bugatti was an Italian-born and French naturalized citizen automobile designer and manufacturer....
.
Bugattis were well known for the beauty of their designs (Ettore Bugatti was from a family of artists and considered himself to be both an artist and constructor) and for the large number of races they won. The death of Ettore Bugatti in 1947 proved to be the end for the marque, and the death of his son Jean
Jean Bugatti
Jean Bugatti was an French/Italian automotive designer and test engineer.Born Gianoberto Maria Carlo Bugatti in Cologne, Germany, he was the eldest son of Ettore Bugatti. Soon after his birth the family moved to the village of Dorlisheim near Molsheim in Alsace where his father built the new...
in 1939 ensured there wasn't a successor to lead the factory. No more than about 8000 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. Today the name is owned by Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....
, who have revived it as a builder of limited production exclusive sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
s. The new Bugatti has now got 1000 brake horse power and is now the fastest car in the world. This model may not be going commercial and there might just be a few made. One of these Bugatti's would cost around £840,000.
Under Ettore Bugatti
Founder Ettore BugattiEttore Bugatti
right|thumb|Ettore Bugatti in 1932Ettore Arco Isidoro Bugatti was an Italian-born and French naturalized citizen automobile designer and manufacturer....
was born in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy, and the automobile company that bears his name was founded in 1909 in the town of Molsheim
Molsheim
Molsheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. The total population in 2006 was 9,382. Molsheim had been a very fast growing city between the French censuses of 1968 and 1999, passing from 5,739 to 9,331 inhabitants, but this increase came to a noticeable halt...
located in the Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
. The company was known both for the level of detail of its engineering in its automobiles, and for the artistic way 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
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
furniture and jewelry designer). The company also enjoyed great success in early Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
, winning the first ever Monaco Grand Prix
Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world, alongside the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans...
. The company's success culminated with driver Jean-Pierre Wimille
Jean-Pierre Wimille
Jean-Pierre Wimille was a Grand Prix motor racing driver and a member of the French Resistance during World War II.-Biography:...
winning the 24 hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
twice (in 1937 with Robert Benoist
Robert Benoist
Robert Marcel Charles Benoist was a French Grand Prix motor racing driver and war hero.-Early life:Born near Rambouillet, Île-de-France, France, Robert Benoist was the son of Baron Henri de Rothschild's gamekeeper...
and 1939 with Pierre Veyron
Pierre Veyron
Pierre Veyron was a Grand Prix motor racing driver active from 1933 through until 1953. He enrolled at university to study engineering but was convinced to take up racing by a friend; Henri Labataille, a mechanical engineer from Pau, was very active in motor car racing and flying and supported his...
).
Famous Bugattis include the Type 35 Grand Prix
Bugatti Type 35
The Type 35 was the most successful of the Bugatti racing models. Its version of the Bugatti arch-shaped radiator that had evolved from the more architectural one of the Bugatti Type 13 Brescia, was to become the one that the marque is most known for though even in the ranks of the various Type 35s...
cars, the Type 41 "Royale"
Bugatti Royale
The Bugatti Type 41, better known as the Royale, was a large luxury car with a 4.3 m wheelbase and 6.4 m overall length. It weighed approximately 3175 kg and used a 12.7 L straight-8 engine...
, the Type 57 "Atlantic"
Bugatti Type 57
The Bugatti Type 57 and later variants was an entirely new design by Jean Bugatti, son of founder Ettore. Type 57s were built from 1934 through 1940, with a total of 710 examples produced....
and the Type 55
Bugatti Type 55
The Bugatti Type 55 was a road-going version of the Type 54 Grand Prix car. A roadster, it had a short 108.3 in wheelbase and light 1800 lb weight....
sports car.
Design
Bugatti's cars were as much works of art as they were mechanical creations. Engine blocks were hand scrapedHand scraper
A hand scraper is a single-edged tool used to scrape metal from a surface. This may be required where a surface needs to be trued, corrected for fit to a mating part, needs to retain oil , or even to give a decorative finish.Surface plates were traditionally made by scraping...
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
Guilloché
Guilloché is a decorative engraving technique in which a very precise intricate repetitive pattern or design is mechanically engraved into an underlying material with fine detail...
(engine turned) finishes on them, and safety wires threaded through almost every fastener in intricately laced patterns. Rather than bolt the springs to the axle
Axle
An axle is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to its surroundings, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle...
s 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
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
cars as "the world's fastest lorries" for focusing on durability. According to Bugatti, "weight was the enemy".
| Prototypes | Racing Cars | Road Cars |
|---|---|---|
|
Bugatti Type 32 The Bugatti Type 32, commonly called the Tank de Tours, was a streamlined racing car built in 1923. Four examples were made, each with a 2.0 L straight-8 engine based on that in the Type 30. "The Tank" finished third in the ACF Grand Prix that year... «Tank» Bugatti Type 52 The Bugatti Type 52 was a half-scale Bugatti Type 35 electric racing car for children. About 500 examples were produced at the Molsheim factory between 1927 and 1936, and the cars were frequently used both as playthings and for more serious racing among the children of the European elite.The number... (electric racer Electric vehicle An electric vehicle , also referred to as an electric drive vehicle, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion... for children) Bugatti Type 53 The 5.0 L engine from the Bugatti Type 50 road car was fitted to the chassis of the Type 51 racer to create the 1931 Type 53. This model was historically significant in that it used four wheel drive... |
Bugatti Type 13 The Type 13 was the first real Bugatti car. Production of the Type 13 and later Types 15, 17, 22, and 23, began with the company's founding in 1910 and lasted through 1920 with 435 examples produced. Most road cars used an 8-valve engine, though five Type 13 racers had 16-valve heads, one of the... Bugatti Type 101 In order to restart Bugatti, a new car was needed for the 1950s. The result was the 1951 Type 101. An evolution of the Type 57, it is considered by many to be the last true Bugatti car, until 1956; with just seven produced. Powered by the 3.3 L straight-8 from the Type 57... (coupe) Bugatti Type 252 The Bugatti Type 252 was a sports car produced by Bugatti between 1957 and 1962. However the Bugatti Type 252 never went beyond a prototype. This single model now resides in the Cité de l’Automobile museum in Mulhouse, France.... (2-seater sports convertible) |
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 35Bugatti Type 35
The Type 35 was the most successful of the Bugatti racing models. Its version of the Bugatti arch-shaped radiator that had evolved from the more architectural one of the Bugatti Type 13 Brescia, was to become the one that the marque is most known for though even in the ranks of the various Type 35s...
is probably the most successful racing car of all time, with over 2,000 wins. Bugattis swept to victory in the Targa Florio
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
for five years straight from 1925 through 1929. Louis Chiron
Louis Chiron
Louis Alexandre Chiron was a Grand Prix driver.-Career:As a teenager, Louis Chiron fell in love with cars and racing. He learned to drive at a young age and joined the Grand Prix circuit after World War I where he had been requisitioned from the artillery section to serve as a chauffeur...
held the most podiums in Bugatti cars, and the 21st century Bugatti company remembered him with a concept car named in his honour. But it was the final racing success at Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
that is most remembered—Jean-Pierre Wimille
Jean-Pierre Wimille
Jean-Pierre Wimille was a Grand Prix motor racing driver and a member of the French Resistance during World War II.-Biography:...
and Pierre Veyron
Pierre Veyron
Pierre Veyron was a Grand Prix motor racing driver active from 1933 through until 1953. He enrolled at university to study engineering but was convinced to take up racing by a friend; Henri Labataille, a mechanical engineer from Pau, was very active in motor car racing and flying and supported his...
won the 1939 race with just one car and meagre resources.
| Year | Race | Driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | Voiturettes Grand Prix | Ernest Friderich | |
| 1925 | Targa Florio Targa Florio The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973... |
Bartolomeo Costantini Bartolomeo Costantini Bartolomeo "Meo" Costantini was an Italian aviator and racing car driver, known for being the sporting manager of the Bugatti car manufacturer.-Military service:... |
Type 35 Bugatti Type 35 The Type 35 was the most successful of the Bugatti racing models. Its version of the Bugatti arch-shaped radiator that had evolved from the more architectural one of the Bugatti Type 13 Brescia, was to become the one that the marque is most known for though even in the ranks of the various Type 35s... |
| 1926 | French Grand Prix French Grand Prix The French Grand Prix was a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships.... |
Jules Goux Jules Goux Jules Goux, born Valentigney 6 April 1885 - died Valentigney 6 March 1965, was a Grand Prix motor racing champion and the first Frenchman, and the first European, to win the Indianapolis 500.-Biography:... |
Type 39 A |
| Italian Grand Prix Italian Grand Prix The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. The first Italian Grand Prix motor racing championship took place on 4 September 1921 at Brescia... |
Louis Charavel | ||
| Spanish Grand Prix Spanish Grand Prix The Spanish Grand Prix is a Formula One race currently held at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, as part of the annual Formula One championship season.-History:... |
Bartolomeo Costantini | ||
| Targa Florio | Bartolomeo Costantini | Type 35 T | |
| 1927 | Targa Florio | Emilio Materassi Emilio Materassi Emilio Materassi was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver.-Early life:Born in Borgo San Lorenzo, near Florence, Italy, Emilio began working in a bicycle shop, learning the basics of applied mechanics... |
Type 35 C |
| 1928 | French Grand Prix | William Grover-Williams William Grover-Williams William Charles Frederick Grover-Williams , also known as "W Williams", was a Grand Prix motor racing driver and special agent who worked for the Special Operations Executive inside France. He organized and coordinated the Chestnut network... |
Type 35 C |
| Italian Grand Prix | Louis Chiron Louis Chiron Louis Alexandre Chiron was a Grand Prix driver.-Career:As a teenager, Louis Chiron fell in love with cars and racing. He learned to drive at a young age and joined the Grand Prix circuit after World War I where he had been requisitioned from the artillery section to serve as a chauffeur... |
||
| Spanish Grand Prix | Louis Chiron | ||
| Targa Florio | Albert Divo Albert Divo Albert Divo was a Grand Prix motor racing driver. He was born in Paris, France. In 1922, Divo competed in the International Tourist Trophy endurance race on the Isle of Man... |
Type 35 B | |
| 1929 | French Grand Prix | William Grover-Williams | Type 35 B |
| German Grand Prix German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix is an annual automobile race.Because Germany was banned from taking part in international events after World War II, the German GP only became part of the Formula One World Championship in 1951... |
Louis Chiron | ||
| Spanish Grand Prix | Louis Chiron | ||
| Monaco Grand Prix Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world, alongside the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans... |
William Grover-Williams | ||
| Targa Florio | Albert Divo | Type 35 C | |
| 1930 | Belgian Grand Prix Belgian Grand Prix The Belgian Grand Prix is an automobile race, part of the Formula One World Championship.... |
Louis Chiron | |
| Czechoslovakian Grand Prix Czechoslovakian Grand Prix The Czechoslovakian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor racing event first held on September 28, 1930 at the Masaryk Circuit now referred to as the Brno Circuit. It was held in the town of Brno in Czechoslovakia .From 1934 onwards, the race was dominated by the German Silver Arrows... |
Heinrich-Joachim von Morgen and Hermann zu Leiningen | ||
| French Grand Prix | Philippe Étancelin Philippe Étancelin Philippe Étancelin was a French Grand Prix motor racing driver who joined the new Formula One circuit at its inception.-Biography:... |
Type 35 C | |
| Monaco Grand Prix | René Dreyfus René Dreyfus René Dreyfus was a French driver who raced automobiles for 14 years in the 1920s and 1930s, the Golden Era of Grand Prix motor racing.-Early life:... |
||
| 1931 | Belgian Grand Prix | William Grover-Williams and Caberto Conelli Caberto Conelli Carlo Alberto Conelli, count de Prosperi, best known as Caberto Conelli was a sometime Italian racecar driver.... |
|
| Czechoslovakian Grand Prix | Louis Chiron | ||
| French Grand Prix | Louis Chiron and Achille Varzi Achille Varzi Achille Varzi , was an Italian Grand Prix driver.-Career:Born in Galliate, province of Novara , Achille Varzi was the son of a prosperous textile manufacturer... |
Type 51 Bugatti Type 51 The Type 51 series succeeded the famous Type 35 as Bugatti's premier racing car for the 1930s. Unlike the dominant Type 35s of the prior decade, the Type 51 were unable to compete with the government-supported German and Italian offerings.-Type 51:The original Type 51 bowed in 1931... |
|
| Monaco Grand Prix | Louis Chiron | ||
| 1932 | Czechoslovakian Grand Prix | Louis Chiron | |
| 1933 | Czechoslovakian Grand Prix | Louis Chiron | |
| Monaco Grand Prix | Achille Varzi | ||
| 1934 | Belgian Grand Prix | René Dreyfus René Dreyfus René Dreyfus was a French driver who raced automobiles for 14 years in the 1920s and 1930s, the Golden Era of Grand Prix motor racing.-Early life:... |
|
| 1936 | French Grand Prix | Jean-Pierre Wimille Jean-Pierre Wimille Jean-Pierre Wimille was a Grand Prix motor racing driver and a member of the French Resistance during World War II.-Biography:... and Raymond Sommer Raymond Sommer Raymond Sommer was a Grand Prix motor racing driver.... |
Type 57 G Bugatti Type 57 The Bugatti Type 57 and later variants was an entirely new design by Jean Bugatti, son of founder Ettore. Type 57s were built from 1934 through 1940, with a total of 710 examples produced.... |
| 1937 | 24 hours of Le Mans 24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining... |
Jean-Pierre Wimille and Robert Benoist Robert Benoist Robert Marcel Charles Benoist was a French Grand Prix motor racing driver and war hero.-Early life:Born near Rambouillet, Île-de-France, France, Robert Benoist was the son of Baron Henri de Rothschild's gamekeeper... |
Type 57 G |
| 1939 | 24 hours of Le Mans | Jean-Pierre Wimille and Pierre Veyron Pierre Veyron Pierre Veyron was a Grand Prix motor racing driver active from 1933 through until 1953. He enrolled at university to study engineering but was convinced to take up racing by a friend; Henri Labataille, a mechanical engineer from Pau, was very active in motor car racing and flying and supported his... |
Type 57 C |
Bugatti in Formula One
| Year | Chassis | Engine(s) | Tires | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bugatti Type 251 | Bugatti Straight-8 Straight-8 The straight-eight engine or inline-eight engine is an eight-cylinder internal combustion engine with all eight cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase... |
ARG 1956 Argentine Grand Prix The 1956 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 22 January 1956 at Buenos Aires. It was the first round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.... |
MON 1956 Monaco Grand Prix The 1956 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 May 1956 at Monaco. It was the second round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.... |
500 1956 Indianapolis 500 The 1956 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Wednesday, May 30, 1956 at Indianapolis. It was the third round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.... |
BEL 1956 Belgian Grand Prix The 1956 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 3 June 1956 at Spa-Francorchamps. It was the fourth round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.... |
FRA 1956 French Grand Prix The 1956 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 1 July 1956 at Reims. It was the fifth round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Juan Manuel Fangio - 2:23.3... |
GBR 1956 British Grand Prix The 1956 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 July 1956 at Silverstone. It was the sixth round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :... |
GER 1956 German Grand Prix The 1956 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 5 August 1956 at Nürburgring. It was the seventh round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Juan Manuel Fangio - 9:51.2... |
ITA 1956 Italian Grand Prix The 1956 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 2 September 1956 at Monza. It was the eighth and final round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.... |
0* | -* | |||
| Maurice Trintignant Maurice Trintignant Maurice Bienvenu Jean Paul Trintignant was a motor racing driver and vintner from France. He competed in the Formula One World Championship for fourteen years, between 1950 and 1964, one of the longest careers in the early years of F1... |
Ret |
The Bugatti 100P
In the 1930s, Ettore Bugatti got involved in the creation of a racer airplaneFixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
, hoping to beat the Germans in the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize. This would be the Bugatti 100P, which never flew. It was designed by Belgian engineer Louis de Monge who had already applied Bugatti Brescia engines in his "Type 7.5" lifting body.
Railways
Ettore Bugatti also designed a successful motorised railcar, the AutorailAutorail
The French word Autorail describes a single powered vehicle capable of carrying passengers. French designed vehicles are some of the most interesting made...
(Autorail Bugatti).
The end
His son, Jean BugattiJean Bugatti
Jean Bugatti was an French/Italian automotive designer and test engineer.Born Gianoberto Maria Carlo Bugatti in Cologne, Germany, he was the eldest son of Ettore Bugatti. Soon after his birth the family moved to the village of Dorlisheim near Molsheim in Alsace where his father built the new...
, was killed on 11 August 1939 at the age of 30, while testing a Type 57 tank-bodied race car near the Molsheim
Molsheim
Molsheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. The total population in 2006 was 9,382. Molsheim had been a very fast growing city between the French censuses of 1968 and 1999, passing from 5,739 to 9,331 inhabitants, but this increase came to a noticeable halt...
factory. Subsequently 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 the northwestern suburbs of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and designed a series of new cars, including the Type 73 road car and Type 73C single seater racing car (5 built). After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a 375 cc supercharged car was canceled when Ettore Bugatti died on 21 August 1947. The business underwent a lingering demise, making its last appearance as a business in its own right at a Paris Motor Show in October 1952.
The company attempted a comeback under Roland Bugatti in the mid-1950s with the mid-engined
Mid-engine design
A mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine between the rear and front axles. Another term for this is mid-ship.-Benefits:The mid-engine layout is typically chosen for its relatively favorable weight distribution...
Type 251 race car. Designed with help from Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
, Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
, and Maserati
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
designer Gioacchino Colombo
Gioacchino Colombo
Gioacchino Colombo was an Italian automobile engine designer.Colombo was born in Legnano. He began work as an apprentice to Vittorio Jano at Alfa Romeo. In 1937, Colombo designed the 158 engine for the Alfetta and caught the attention of Enzo Ferrari. Ferrari asked Colombo to design a small V12...
, the car failed to perform to expectations, and the company's attempts at automobile production were halted.
In the 1960s, Virgil Exner
Virgil Exner
Virgil Max "Ex" Exner, Sr. was an automobile designer for numerous American companies, notably Chrysler and Studebaker. He is known for his "Forward Look" design on the 1955-1963 Chrysler products and his fondness of fins on cars for both aesthetic and aerodynamic reasons.-Early life:Born in Ann...
designed a Bugatti as part of his "Revival Cars
Exner Revival Cars
Exner Revival Cars were created by noted automobile designer, Virgil Exner, produced a series of "Revival Car" concepts for a December, 1963 issue of Esquire magazine. His designs included an updated model for four famous American marques: Stutz, Duesenberg, Packard, and Mercer. He later...
" project. A show version of this car was actually built by Ghia using the last Bugatti Type 101
Bugatti Type 101
In order to restart Bugatti, a new car was needed for the 1950s. The result was the 1951 Type 101. An evolution of the Type 57, it is considered by many to be the last true Bugatti car, until 1956; with just seven produced. Powered by the 3.3 L straight-8 from the Type 57...
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
Stutz
Stutz may refer to:*Harry C. Stutz , American automobile pioneer and manufacturer of luxury cars and fire engines*Josef Stutz , Swiss Conservative politician*Stutz Motor Company, American luxury cars producer...
.
Bugatti continued manufacturing airplane parts and was sold to Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish automotive and engineering firm, best known for its luxury cars and aviation engines in the pre-World War II period of the twentieth century. In 1923, its French subsidiary became a semi-autonomous partnership with the parent company and is now part of the French SAFRAN...
(another auto maker turned aircraft supplier) in 1963. Snecma
Snecma
Snecma is a major French manufacturer of engines for commercial and military aircraft, and for space vehicles. The name is an acronym for Société Nationale d'Étude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation .In 2005, the Snecma group, which included Snecma ,...
took over in 1968, later acquiring Messier
Messier
Messier can refer to:Surnames:*Charles Messier, French astronomer*Éric Messier, former NHL defenseman*Marc Messier, Canadian actor from Quebec*Mark Messier, NHL forward*Jean-Marie Messier, former CEO of Vivendi UniversalOther:*Messier object...
. The two were merged into Messier-Bugatti in 1977.
Recent news about Bugattis
On 2 January 2009, it was revealed that a rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante had been found in the garage of a deceased surgeon in England. Only 17 of this model were made, all by hand.On 10 July 2009, a 1925 Bugatti Brescia Type 22 which had lain at the bottom of Lake Maggiore
Lake Maggiore
Lake Maggiore is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest of Italy and largest of southern Switzerland. Lake Maggiore is the most westerly of the three great prealpine lakes of Italy, it extends for about 70 km between Locarno and Arona.The climate is mild...
on the border of Switzerland and Italy for 75 years was lifted out of the water. The Mullin Museum in Oxnard, California
Oxnard, California
Oxnard is the 113th largest city in the United States, 19th largest city in California and largest city in Ventura County, California, by way of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is an important agricultural center, with its distinction as the...
bought it at auction for $351,343 at Bonham's Retromobile sale in Paris in 2010.
Bugatti Automobili SpA
Italian entrepreneur Romano ArtioliRomano Artioli
Romano Artioli is an Italian entrepreneur and one-time owner of Bugatti and Lotus automobile makers.Artioli was born in Moglia of the Province of Mantua, and raised in Bolzano where he in the 1980s ran one of the largest Ferrari dealerships in the world, selling in northern Italy and southern...
acquired the Bugatti name in 1987, and established Bugatti Automobili SpA. The new company built a factory designed by the architect Giampaolo Benedini in Campogalliano
Campogalliano
Campogalliano is a comune in the Province of Modena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 45 km northwest of Bologna and about 8 km northwest of Modena...
, Italy, a town near Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, home to other performance-car manufacturers De Tomaso
De Tomaso
De Tomaso Automobili SpA is an Italian car-manufacturing company. It was founded by the Argentine-born Alejandro de Tomaso in Modena in 1959. It originally produced various prototypes and racing cars, including a Formula One car for Frank Williams' team in 1970. The company developed a reputation...
, Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
, Pagani
Pagani
Pagani Automobili S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of sports cars and carbon fibre. The company was founded in 1992 by Horacio Pagani, and is based in San Cesario sul Panaro, near Modena, Italy.-History:...
and Maserati
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
.
By 1989 the plans for the new Bugatti revival were presented by Paolo Stanzani and Marcello Gandini
Marcello Gandini
Marcello Gandini is an Italian car designer, widely known for his work with the automotive design house Gruppo Bertone, notably his design of the Lamborghini Countach. Together with Giorgetto Giugiaro and Leonardo Fioravanti, Gandini forms a noted triumvirate of Italian car designers, all born in...
, famous designers of the Lamborghini Miura
Lamborghini Miura
The Lamborghini Miura was a sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1966 and 1972. The car is widely considered to have begun the trend of high performance, two-seater, mid-engined sports cars...
and Countach
Lamborghini Countach
The Lamborghini Countach is a mid-engined supercar that was produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1974 to 1990. Its design both pioneered and popularized the wedge-shaped, sharply angled look popular in many high performance sports cars...
. The first completed car was labelled the Bugatti EB110
Bugatti EB110
The Bugatti EB110 is a mid-engine sports car from Bugatti Automobili SpA. It was unveiled on September 15, 1991, in both Versailles and in front of the Grande Arche at La Défense in Paris, France, exactly 110 years after Ettore Bugatti's birth....
GT, advertised as the most technically advanced sports car ever produced.
From 1992 through 1994 famed racing car designer Mauro Forghieri
Mauro Forghieri
Mauro Forghieri is an Italian Formula One car designer.-Early life and Ferrari:Forghieri was born in Modena, the only child of Reclus and Afra Forghieri. His father, a turner, did war work during World War II for the Ansaldo mechanical workshops of Naples...
was technical director.
On 27 August 1993, through his holding company, ACBN Holdings S.A. of Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, Romano Artioli purchased the Lotus
Lotus Cars
Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics...
car company from General Motors. The acquisition brought together two of the greatest historical names in automotive racing, and plans were made for listing the company's shares on international stock exchanges. Bugatti also presented in 1993 the prototype of a large saloon called the EB112.
By the time the EB110 came to market the North American and European economies were in recession, and operations ceased in September 1995. A model specific to the United States market called the "Bugatti America" was in the preparatory stages when the company closed. Bugatti's liquidators sold Lotus to Proton of Malaysia.
In 1997 German manufacturer Dauer Racing bought the EB110 license and remaining parts stock to Bugatti in order to produce five more EB110 SS units, although they were greatly refined by Dauer. The factory was later sold to a furniture-making company, which also collapsed before they were able to move in, leaving the building unoccupied. The company Dauer Sportwagen stopped producing Supercars. All original Bugatti parts especially the high performance parts of the EB110SS and the equipment were bought in 2011 by the company Toscana-Motors GmbH (Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
/Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
).
Perhaps the most famous Bugatti EB110 owner was racing driver Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
, seven-time Formula One World Champion, who bought the EB110 in 1994 while racing for the Benetton team. In 2003 Schumacher sold the car—which had been repaired after a severe crash the year he bought it—to Modena Motorsport, a Ferrari service and race preparation garage in Germany.
Bugatti Automobiles
Volkswagen AG purchased the rights to produce cars under the Bugatti marque in 1998. They commissioned ItalDesign to produce the Bugatti EB118Bugatti EB118
The Bugatti EB118 show car debuted in 1998. It featured a 6.3 litre turbocharged W18 engine had permanent all wheel drive. The design of the car was intended to echo the 1931 Bugatti Type 50, and it features a longitudinal groove echoing the Bugatti Atlantic...
concept, a touring saloon (sedan), which featured a 408 kW, and the first W-configuration
W engine
A W engine is a type of reciprocating engine arranged with its cylinders in a configuration in which the cylinder banks resemble the letter W, in the same way those of a V engine resemble the letter V....
16-cylinder engine
W16 engine
A W16 engine is a sixteen cylinder piston internal combustion engine in a four-bank W configuration. All W16 engines consist of two 'offset double-row' banks of eight cylinders, coupled to a single crankshaft....
in 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
Bugatti 18/3 Chiron
The Bugatti 18/3 Chiron was a concept sports car designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. It was a mid-engine design with the same W18 engine found in the EB 118 and EB 218 concept cars. The front resembles the Bugatti Veyron...
was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA). At the Tokyo Motor Show
Tokyo Motor Show
The is a biennial auto show held in October-November at the Makuhari Messe, Chiba City, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association , it is a recognized international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs...
, the EB 218 reappeared, and the Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron
Bugatti Veyron
The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engined grand touring car. The Super Sport version is the fastest road-legal production car in the world, with a top speed of . The original version has a top speed of...
was presented as the first incarnation of what was to be a production road car.
See also
- Musée National de l'Automobile de MulhouseMusée National de l'Automobile de MulhouseCité de l’Automobile, Musée national de l’automobile, Collection Schlumpf is located in Mulhouse, France and houses the Schlumpf Collection of classic automobiles...
, home of the Schlumpf Collection of Bugatti cars - Bugatti Type 8Bugatti Type 8The Type 8 and later Type 9 were automobiles designed by Ettore Bugatti for the Deutz Gasmotoren Fabrik in 1907. These used long-stroke four-cylinder engines....