Bugatti

Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French car manufacturer of high-performance automobiles, founded in 1909 in the then-German city of Molsheim, Alsace by the Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti. The cars were known for their design beauty and for their many race victories. Famous Bugattis include the Type 35 Grand Prix cars, the Type 41 "Royale", the Type 57 "Atlantic" and the Type 55 sports car.

The death of Ettore Bugatti in 1947 proved to be the end for the marque, and the death of his son Jean Bugatti in 1939 ensured there was not a successor to lead the factory. No more than about 8,000 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 1963.

In 1987, an Italian entrepreneur bought the brand and revived it as Bugatti Automobiles.

Bugatti is an automotive brand with more than a century of hard ups and downs, periods of oblivion and universal recognition. Today, Bugatti cars are a symbol of exclusivity, nobility and luxurious style, combining both mixed technologies and unique design. Rarely has anyone managed to capture the imagination of a sophisticated public so much as it was built by the legendary brand Ettore Bugatti and his followers, who equated it with art.

Ettore Arco Bugatti, an Italian by birth, was born on September 15, 1881 in Milan into a family of artists. His father Carlo was a painter, and his elder brother Rembrandt was a talented sculptor, at the age of twenty he became a member of the Academy of Arts. The artistic gift was in Ettore's blood. Already in 1900 he created his first car. Its design was so outstanding that the car received an award for the distribution of an industrial exhibition in Milan. In 1901, Ettore moved to Alsace, France, where until 1904 he worked as a technical director at the De Dietrich automobile factory, unexpectedly new models and attracting participation in mass races.

1907 was a turning point in the life of Etorre Bugatti. After changing several jobs in the automotive industry, he got a job at the Gasmotoren-Fabrik Deutz plant, which produces internal combustion engines, in Cologne. In the same year, Ettore married Barbara Mascherpa, who later gave him two sons and two daughters.

A year later, a talented engineer, and later a successful industrialist, created the first Bugatti Type 10 in the basement of his house in Cologne-Molsheim. The car had an in-line four-cylinder, eight-valve engine with a volume of 1131 cc. see Despite the fact that the car was far from perfect, Ettore found sponsorship, the Type 10 chassis was considered successful and used in future Bugatti models. This is how the history of Bugatti began in 1909.

The first Bugatti lineup outside three models: Type 13, Type 15 and Type 17. The Bugatti Type 13 model finished second at one of the French Grand Prix in 1911. This car became the most famous novelty of the company, which happened the day before, and became the basis for all modifications of Bugatti, in particular for the model 59. In 1914, the sports models Type 16 and Type 18 were released. Interestingly, the first Type 18 was bought by the hero of French aviation Roland Garros. Ettore was named the son of Roland.

After the end of the First World War, Bugatti produced in France, gradually gaining popularity in the automotive market. The turning point came in 1924, when four Bugatti Type 35 models took first to fourth place in the second round of the European Grand Prix. For five years, models numbered 35, 35a, 35b, 35c and 35t did not give rivals a single chance of success. It was the Type 35 that made the Bugatti brand world famous in motorsport, and the sale of the racing car began to bring the greatest profit. From 1924 to 1930, 336 cars were produced. Type 35 Bugatti Total arrived about 1800 victories.

Just as the Type 35 became famous in the world of motorsport, the legendary Type 41 "La Royale", launched in 1927, became one of the most representative and luxurious cars of its time. The long wheelbase of the model (more than 4.27 m) with an engine of almost 13 liters made it easier to drive and made the car maneuverable on city streets. With a car weighing more than 3 tons, it developed an incredible power for those times - 260 hp. The wheels, which were assembled from piano strings, were a real work of art. However, on the occasion of the financial crisis that broke out in 1929, only 6 "La Royale" models were produced, 25 ill-advised.

In the thirties came the heyday of Bugatti, new models came out literally every month. In 1930, the production of Type 44 models began - the mass of the car, the price of which was affordable for many. In parallel, in the same year, the first Type 46 "Petit Royale" was produced - a reduced model of "La Royale". The year 1931 became famous for the company, when Bugatti created the Type 50 with a perfect, for that time, eight-cylinder engine with a double cylinder head, five-liter, with a capacity of 250 hp.

In 1937, a Type 57 racing version with a 3.3-liter engine and a lowered chassis won Bugatti's biggest victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the car took first two places, ahead of a 3-liter Alfa Romeo, a 4-liter Talbot and 4, 5 liter Lagonda. However, soon after the resounding victory in the testing of the Type 57s45 models, Etorre's son, Jean Bugatti, died.

After World War II, luxury car production declined sharply, putting Bugatti on the brink of financial disaster. In 1947, at an automobile exhibition in Paris, the company showed a new model Type 73 with a four-cylinder engine of 1488 cc. see However, in the same year, Ettore Bugatti died, which was a mortal blow for the company. It is the founding father of supporting the prestige of Bugatti. His family never discovered the production of a new model at the plant in Molsheim, and the company existed until 1963, introducing only 6 new cars during this time.

In 1963, the Bugatti company was sold to Hispanu-Suiza, which stopped all work on automobile construction. Thus ended the story of Molsheim Bugatti, or the family firm of the Bugatti family. But this was not the end of Bugatti as a legendary car finishing brand.

At the end of the 80s. Bugatti is experiencing a rebirth. The famed name of Bugatti is rediscovered when, among cars seeking to overcome the barrier of 322 km / h, the power of a powerful extraordinary car that has nothing to do with the classic forms of the Bugatti - EB110 and its sports modification EB110 SS. Its creators received the models just in time for the 110th anniversary of the birth of Ettore Bugatti.

In 1999, the Bugatti brand was acquired by Volkswagen. The first car to be unveiled was a fiberglass EB118 coupe designed by ItalDesign stylist Fabrizio Giugiaro. The EB218 sedan premiered at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show, featuring an all-aluminum body design using Audi's ASF technology.

The next step towards serial production was the demonstration at the Frankfurt Motor Show '99 of the prototype EB 18/3 Chiron, named after the famous French racing driver Louis Chiron. A month later, in Tokyo, VW presented another supercar - the EB 18/4 Veyron. The design of the car is hidden by VW's own design center under the protection of Harmut Warkuss. A characteristic detail of the Veyron's appearance is the tall aluminum air intakes at the rear.

In 2005, the Volkswagen concern began mass production of a new unique model, officially called the Bugatti Veyron 16.4. Already in March 2006, the first car was delivered to the owner. Currently, the company, which has already received more than 100 orders for the new model, plans to increase production. The creators of this car perfected the form and technology, creating the most powerful and expensive automotive modernity, leaving its representatives behind for a long time. Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is a modern, bright and bold interpretation of the philosophy of the founding father of the brand - "art on wheels in the best traditions of the heritage of brands."