Romano Artioli
Encyclopedia
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 Germany.
He also imported Japanese cars, owning Autoexpò which in 1982 became the first Italian importer of Suzuki
.
He had a large collection of Bugatti automobiles,
and was encouraged by Ferruccio Lamborghini
and Paolo Stanzani to establish Bugatti International, a holding company that bought the Bugatti trademark name in 1987.
Artioli became chairman of the Bugatti Automobilie S.p.A., which made the Bugatti EB110
between 1991 and 95.
In 1993, his wife Renata Kettmeir formed the Bolzano-based Ettore Bugatti luxury item maker, also using the Bugatti "EB" logo. Their involvement ended September 1995 due to bankruptcy
, and the company was eventually bought by Volkswagen
in April 1998.
Artioli purchased Lotus from General Motors in August 1993 and became its chairman until 1996 when he stepped down to be Special Projects director until 1998.
He sold a majority stake to Proton in 1996 to fund his losses due to the insolvency of Bugatti.
His daughter Elena Artioli (born 1970) is a politician for the Südtiroler Volkspartei and
Lega Nord Sud Tirolo
.
The Lotus Elise
was named after Romano Artioli's granddaughter Elisa Artioli.
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...
entrepreneur and one-time owner of Bugatti
Bugatti
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....
and Lotus automobile makers.
Artioli was born in Moglia
Moglia
Moglia is a comune in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 150 km southeast of Milan and about 30 km southeast of Mantua.-External links:*...
of the Province of Mantua
Province of Mantua
The Province of Mantua is a province in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Mantua.-Communes:It includes 70 comuni , ranging in area from Viadana, with 102.19 km², to Mariana Mantovana, with 8.81 km²....
, and raised in Bolzano where he in the 1980s ran one of the largest 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...
dealerships in the world, selling in northern Italy and southern Germany.
He also imported Japanese cars, owning Autoexpò which in 1982 became the first Italian importer of Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
.
He had a large collection of Bugatti automobiles,
and was encouraged by Ferruccio Lamborghini
Ferruccio Lamborghini
Ferruccio Elio Arturo Lamborghini was an Italian industrialist. Born to grape farmers from the comune of Renazzo di Cento in the Emilia-Romagna region, his mechanical know-how led him to enter the business of tractor manufacturing in 1948, when he founded Lamborghini Trattori, which quickly became...
and Paolo Stanzani to establish Bugatti International, a holding company that bought the Bugatti trademark name in 1987.
Artioli became chairman of the Bugatti Automobilie S.p.A., which made 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....
between 1991 and 95.
In 1993, his wife Renata Kettmeir formed the Bolzano-based Ettore Bugatti luxury item maker, also using the Bugatti "EB" logo. Their involvement ended September 1995 due to bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
, and the company was eventually bought by Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
in April 1998.
Artioli purchased Lotus from General Motors in August 1993 and became its chairman until 1996 when he stepped down to be Special Projects director until 1998.
He sold a majority stake to Proton in 1996 to fund his losses due to the insolvency of Bugatti.
His daughter Elena Artioli (born 1970) is a politician for the Südtiroler Volkspartei and
Lega Nord Sud Tirolo
Lega Nord Sud Tirolo
Lega Nord Sud Tirolo/Lega Nord Südtirol is a regionalist political party in Italy which is the provincial section of Lega Nord in South Tyrol...
.
The Lotus Elise
Lotus Elise
The 1996 Lotus Elise weighed . Because of its relatively low weight, it was able to accelerate 0- in 5.8 seconds despite its relatively low power output of...
was named after Romano Artioli's granddaughter Elisa Artioli.