View source for Company:Bugatti

{{Short description|French car manufacturer, 1909 to 1963}}
{{Infobox company
| name             = Automobiles Ettore Bugatti
| logo             = Bugatti logo.svg
| type             = [[Finance:Privately held company|Private]]
| fate             = Sold to [[Company:Hispano-Suiza|Hispano-Suiza]] (1963)<ref name="Wood">{{cite book|title=Bugatti, The Man and the Marque|last=Wood|first=Jonathan|publisher=The Crowood Press|isbn=978-1-85223-364-8|year=1992|pages=369–370}}</ref>
| foundation       = {{Start date and age|1909}}
| founder          = Ettore Bugatti
| defunct          = {{End date and age|1963}}
| location_city    = Molsheim, Alsace
| location_country = France
| locations        = 
| area_served      = 
| key_people       = {{unbulleted list| Ettore Bugatti | Jean Bugatti}}
| industry         = {{wipe|Automotive industry}}
| products         = Automobiles
| services         = 
| revenue          = 
| operating_income = 
| net_income       = 
| assets           = 
| equity           = 
| owner            = 
| num_employees    = 
| divisions        = 
| subsid           = 
| homepage         = 
| footnotes        = 
| intl             = 
}}
'''Automobiles Ettore Bugatti''' was a German then French {{wipe|Automotive industry}} of high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-[[Place:German Empire|German]] city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti. The cars were known for their design beauty and numerous race victories. Famous Bugatti automobiles include the Type 35 Grand Prix cars, the [[Engineering:Bugatti Royale|Type 41 "Royale"]], the Type 57 "Atlantic" and the Type 55 sports car.

The death of Ettore Bugatti in 1947 proved to be a severe blow to the marque, and the death of his son Jean in 1939 meant that there was no successor to lead the factory with no more than about 8,000 cars made. The company struggled financially, and it released one last model in the 1950s before eventually being purchased for its airplane parts business in 1963.

In 1987, an Italian entrepreneur bought the brand name and revived it as '''Bugatti Automobili S.p.A.'''

==Under Ettore Bugatti==
[[File:Ettore Bugatti in 1932.jpg|thumb|upright|Ettore Bugatti, 1932|alt=|left]]
The 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 [[Place:German Empire|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===
[[File:Bugatti Typ 13 Brescia Sport-Racing 1922.jpg|thumb|Bugatti Type 13 Brescia Sport-Racing, 1922|alt=]]
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.<ref name=Automobilia1920>{{cite journal|title=Automobilia|journal=Toutes les voitures françaises 1920 (Salon [Oct] 1919)|volume=Nr. 31|pages=63|year=2004|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris}}</ref> 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.<ref name=Automobilia1920/> 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.<ref name=Automobilia1920/> Smallest of the three was a "Type 13" with a racing body (constructed by the Bugatti themselves) and using a chassis with a {{convert|2000|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} wheelbase.<ref name=Automobilia1920/> The others were a "Type 22" and a "Type 23" with wheelbases of {{convert|2250|and|2400|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} respectively.<ref name=Automobilia1920/>

===Racing successes===
[[File:Bugatti Type 35.jpg|thumb|Bugatti Type 35B|alt=]]
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. Bugatti's racing success culminated with driver Jean-Pierre Wimille winning the 24 hours of Le Mans twice (in 1937 with Robert Benoist and in 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 one of the most successful racing cars - 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.<ref>L’Automobiliste, 1971 P. 7</ref> 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.[[File:Hugh llewelyn ZZy 24408 (5729560683).jpg|thumb|Bugatti Railcar|alt=]]

===Aeroplane racing===
[[File:Bugatti 100 Racing Plane @ Oshkosh (2234509290) (2).jpg|thumb|Bugatti 100P Racing Plane|alt=|left]]
In the 1930s, Ettore Bugatti got involved in the creation of a racer [[Engineering:Airplane|airplane]], hoping to beat the Germans in the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize. This would be the [[Engineering:Bugatti Model 100|Bugatti 100P]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://airventuremuseum.org/collection/aircraft/Bugatti%20Model%20100%20Racer.asp#TopOfPage|title=Bugatti Model 100 at the EAA Museum|access-date=2009-01-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bugattiaircraft.com/plane.htm |title=Bugatti Aircraft Association – 100P Airplane |publisher=Bugattiaircraft.com |access-date=2010-12-31}}</ref> 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.

===Railcar===
Ettore Bugatti also designed a successful motorised railcar, the ''Autorail Bugatti''.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Hearst Magazines|title=Streamlined Auto-Rail Car Used in France|magazine=Popular Mechanics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yt8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA885|date=December 1934|publisher=Hearst Magazines|page=885}}</ref>

===Family tragedy===
The death of Ettore Bugatti's son, Jean Bugatti, on 11 August 1939 marked a turning point in the company's fortunes as he died while testing a Type 57 tank-bodied race car near the Molsheim factory.[[File:Bugatti Coach Type 73A (1947) pic1.JPG|thumb|Bugatti Type 73A|alt=]]

==After World War II==
[[Social: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&nbsp;cc supercharged car was stopped when Ettore Bugatti died on 21 August 1947. Following his 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.<ref name=Automobilia1953>{{cite journal |title=Automobilia |journal=Toutes les voitures françaises 1953 (Salon Paris oct 1952) |volume=Nr. 14 |pages=Pages 6 & 10|year=2000|publisher=Histoire & collections|location=Paris}}</ref>

After a long decline, the original incarnation of Bugatti ceased operations in 1952.[[File:Fondation Bugatti-Molsheim-Moteur Type 49 (2).jpg|thumb|Bugatti Type 49 Engine (Musée de la Chartreuse, Molsheim)|alt=]]

==Design==
Bugattis are recognized for their focus on design. [[Engineering:Engine block|Engine block]]s were [[Engineering:Hand scraper|hand scraped]] to ensure that the surfaces were flat so that gaskets were not required for sealing, and many of the exposed surfaces of the engine compartment featured ''[[Engineering:Guilloché|guilloché]]'' finishes on them. Safety wires were threaded through most fasteners in intricately laced patterns. Rather than bolt the springs to the [[Engineering:Axle|axle]]s as most manufacturers did, Bugatti's axles were forged such that the spring passed through an opening in the axle, a much more elegant solution requiring fewer parts. Bugatti himself described his competitor [[Company:Bentley|Bentley]]'s cars as "the world's fastest lorries" for focusing on durability. According to Bugatti, "weight was the enemy".

===Important models built===
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; width:99%;"
|-
!  style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;"| Prototypes
!  style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;"| Racing cars
!  style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;"| Road cars
|-
| valign=top |
* 1900–1901 Type 2
* 1903 Type 5
* 1908 Type 10 "''Petit Pur Sang''"
* 1925 Type 36
* 1929–1930 Type 45/47
* Type 56 ([[Engineering:Electric car|electric car]])
* 1939 Type 64 (coupe)
* 1943/1947 Type 73C
* 1957–1962 [[Engineering:Bugatti Type 252|Type 252]] (2-seat sports convertible)
| valign=top |
* 1910–1914 Type 13/Type 15/17/22
* 1912 Type 16 "''Bébé''"
* 1922–1926 Type 29 "''Cigare''"
* 1923 Type 32 "Tank"
* 1924–1930 Type 35/35A/35B/35T/35C/37/39 "Grand Prix"
* 1927–1930 Type 52 ([[Engineering:Electric vehicle|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
| valign=top |
* 1910 Type 13<ref>Georgano, G.N. ''Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886–1930''. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985)</ref>
* 1912–1914 Type 18
* 1913–1914 Type 23/Brescia Tourer (roadster)
* 1922–1934 Type 30/38/40/43/44/49 (touring car)
* 1927–1933 [[Engineering:Bugatti Royale#Type 41|Type 41]] "Royale"
* 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)
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Bugatti 1913.JPG|1913 Bugatti 22, 3 seat Vinet
File:Bugatti Type 50 i.jpg|Bugatti Type 50 i
File:RL 1938 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic 34 2.jpg|1938 Type 57SC Atlantic from the Ralph Lauren collection
File:1933 Bugatti Type 59 Grand Prix 34 rear.jpg|1933 Type 59 Grand Prix racer from the Ralph Lauren collection
File:Bugatti 43 Cockpit.jpg|Bugatti Type 43 Cockpit
</gallery>

===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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/02/1937-bugatti-atalante-sup_n_154743.html |title=1937 Bugatti Atalante Supercar, One of 17, Found in English Garage, Associated Press, January 2, 2009 |work=The Huffington Post |date=2009-01-02 |access-date=2011-05-27}}</ref>

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 [[Engineering:Mid-engine design|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 [[Company:Stutz Motor Company|Stutz]].

Bugatti continued manufacturing airplane parts and was sold to [[Company:Hispano-Suiza|Hispano-Suiza]], also a former auto maker turned aircraft supplier, in 1963.<ref name="Wood"/> Snecma took over Hispano-Suiza in 1968. After acquiring Messier, Snecma merged Messier and Bugatti into Messier-Bugatti in 1977.

==Modern revivals==

==={{anchor|Bugatti Automobili|Bugatti Automobili S.p.A.}}Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. (1987–1995)===
[[File:BUGATTI AUTOMOBILI.jpg|thumb|View of the assembly line building of the Bugatti Automobili factory in Campogalliano]]
[[File:2007-06-15 18 Bugatti EB 110 (bearb - kl).jpg|thumb|Bugatti EB110 (1996)]]
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.{{sfnp|AISA|2011|p=28}} By 1989, the plans for the new Bugatti revival were presented by Paolo Stanzani and Marcello Gandini, designers of the [[Engineering:Lamborghini Miura|Lamborghini Miura]] and [[Engineering:Lamborghini Countach|Lamborghini Countach]].

The first production vehicle was the Bugatti EB110 GT which featured a 3.5-litre, 5-valve per cylinder, quad-[[Engineering:Turbocharger|turbocharged]] 60° V12 engine, a six-speed gearbox, and [[Engineering:Four-wheel drive|four-wheel drive]]. Stanzani proposed an aluminium honeycomb chassis, which was used for all early prototypes. He and president Artioli clashed over engineering decisions so Stanzani left the project and Artioli sought Nicola Materazzi to replace him in June 1990. Materazzi, who had been the chief designer for the [[Engineering:Ferrari 288 GTO|Ferrari 288 GTO]] and [[Engineering:Ferrari F40|Ferrari F40]] replaced the aluminium chassis with a carbon fibre one manufactured by Aerospatiale and also altered the torque distribution of the car from 40:60 to 27:73. He remained Director until late 1992.<ref name="TG">{{cite web|url=https://www.topgear.com/car-news/supercars/ps9m-bugatti-centodieci|title=Bugatti Centodieci|date=16 August 2019|first=Jason|last=Barlow|publisher=Top Gear|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref><ref name="Cironi">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVOEOEJAceI| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/hVOEOEJAceI| archive-date=2021-10-30|title=Edonis e il fallimento Bugatti|date=15 August 2015|first=Davide|last=Cironi|publisher=Drive Experience|access-date=7 May 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Racing car designer Mauro Forghieri served as Bugatti's technical director from 1993 through 1994.<ref name="Revue">{{cite web|url=https://www.bugattirevue.com/revue4/eb-race.htm|title=Bugatti EB110 Race Successes|first=Jaap|last=Horst|publisher=Bugatti Revue|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref> On 27 August 1993, through his holding company, ACBN Holdings S.A. of Luxembourg, Romano Artioli purchased [[Company:Lotus Cars|Lotus Cars]] from General Motors. Plans were made to list Bugatti shares on international stock exchanges.

Bugatti presented a prototype large saloon called the [[Engineering:Bugatti EB 112|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 became defunct prior to moving in, leaving the building unoccupied.<ref>{{cite web |author=Copyright. Est February 2003. |url=http://www.trade-247.com/80.html |title=Bugatti on TradeTwentyfourSeven website |publisher=Trade-247.com |access-date=2010-12-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323151700/http://www.trade-247.com/80.html |archive-date=2012-03-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref> After Dauer stopped producing cars in 2011, Toscana-Motors GmbH of Germany purchased the remaining parts stock from Dauer.

Ex vice-president Jean-Marc Borel and ex-employees Federico Trombi, Gianni Sighinolfi and Nicola Materazzi established the B Engineering company and designed and built the [[Engineering:B Engineering Edonis|Edonis]] using the chassis and engine from the Bugatti EB110 SS, but simplifying the turbocharging system and driveline (from 4WD to 2WD).<ref name="Edonis">{{cite web|url=https://europe.autonews.com/article/20010226/ANE/102260809/b-engineering|title=B Engineering|first=Luca|last=Ciferri|date=13 December 2005 |publisher=Autonews|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref>

===Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. (1998–present)===
{{main|Company:Bugatti Automobiles}}

====Pre-Veyron====

[[File:Bugatti veyron in Tokyo.jpg|thumb|Bugatti Veyron 16.4]]
[[Company:Volkswagen Group|Volkswagen Group]] acquired the Bugatti brand in 1998. Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. commissioned Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign to produce Bugatti Automobiles's first concept vehicle, the [[Engineering:Bugatti EB 118|EB118]], a [[Engineering:Coupé|coupé]] that debuted at the 1998 Paris Auto Show. The EB118 concept featured a {{convert|408|kW|PS bhp|0|lk=on|adj=on}}, W-18 engine. After its Paris debut, the EB118 concept was shown again in 1999 at the Geneva Auto Show and the Tokyo Motor Show. Bugatti introduced its next concepts, the [[Engineering:Bugatti EB 218|EB 218]] at the 1999 [[Engineering:Geneva Motor Show|Geneva Motor Show]] and the 18/3 Chiron at the 1999 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA).

====Veyron era (2005–2015)====

Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. began assembling its first regular-production vehicle, the [[Engineering:Bugatti Veyron|Bugatti Veyron 16.4]] (the 1001 PS super car with an 8-litre W-16 engine with four turbochargers) in September 2005 at the Bugatti Molsheim, France assembly "studio".<ref name=cnn_2005>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/funonwheels/09/16/bugatti_veyron/ |title=Bugatti: 1,001 horsepower, $1.24 million |publisher=CNN |date=2005-09-16 |access-date=2012-07-28}}</ref><ref name=bugatti_molsheim>{{cite web |url=http://www.bugatti.com/en/tradition/history/molsheim/atelier.html |title=Manufacturing the Veyron |publisher=Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S |date=2011-11-30 |access-date=2012-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719225124/http://www.bugatti.com/en/tradition/history/molsheim/atelier.html |archive-date=2013-07-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 23 February 2015, Bugatti sold its last Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, which was named La Finale.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/news/a25087/the-very-last-bugatti-veyron-has-been-sold |title=The very last Bugatti Veyron has been sold |work=Road and Track |date=23 February 2015 |access-date=23 February 2015 |first=Robert |last=Sorokanich}}</ref>

====Chiron era (2016–present)====
[[File:Bugatti Chiron Sky View, Paris Motor Show 2018, IMG 0301.jpg|thumb|Bugatti Chiron]]
The [[Engineering:Bugatti Chiron|Bugatti Chiron]] is a [[Engineering:Mid-engine design|mid-engined]], two-seated sports car, designed by Achim Anscheidt,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.porsche.com/international/_georgia_/aboutporsche/christophorusmagazine/archive/377/articleoverview/article14/ |title=Porsche Achim Anscheidt, B AA 9117 H |first=Antje |last=Wewer |website=Porsche AG – Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG |access-date=2016-10-03}}</ref> developed as the successor to the [[Engineering:Bugatti Veyron|Bugatti Veyron]].<ref name="DTRENDS NOV">{{cite news |last1=Branman |first1=Miles |title=Bugatti's world-challenging Chiron supercar will let you take its roof off |url=http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/bugatti-chiron-targa-specs-news-rumors/ |work=Digital Trends |location=US |date=2015-11-24 |access-date=2016-10-28}}</ref> The Chiron was first revealed at the [[Engineering:Geneva Motor Show|Geneva Motor Show]] on March 1, 2016.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-events/geneva/2016/bugatti-chiron-revealed-at-the-2016-geneva-motor-show/ |title=Bugatti Chiron revealed at Geneva 2016: the world has a new fastest production car |first=James |last=Taylor |work=CAR Magazine |location=UK |date=2016-02-29 |access-date=2016-03-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.caranddriver.com/2016-geneva-auto-show |title=2016 Geneva Auto Show – Auto Show |work=Car and Driver |location=US |access-date=2016-03-23}}</ref>

==See also==
* Musée National de l'Automobile de Mulhouse, home of the Schlumpf Collection of Bugatti cars

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite conference |url=http://www.aisastoryauto.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/aisa100_lowres.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.aisastoryauto.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/aisa100_lowres.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title="Un progetto nello spirito Bugatti"; "Quasi un sacrilegio" |conference=Bugatti in Italia; Schio, Milan, 12 November 2011 |first1=Giampaolo |last1=Benedini |first2=Romano |last2=Artioli |work=Associazione Italiana per la storia dell'automobile, conference 100 |publisher=AISA |language=it |ref={{sfnref|AISA|2011}}}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [http://www.Bugatti.com Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080412172359/http://www.octagonfox.com/biblio.html Bugatti bibliography]
* [http://www.bugatti-trust.co.uk The Bugatti Trust]
* [http://www.les24heures.fr/index.php/1937/129-1937-voitures/483-1937-1-2-bugatti-t57g Bugatti at LeMans]

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{{Sourceattribution|Bugatti}}