Bugatti

   Bugatti is one of the most reminiscent brands in the automotive world today, but has a long  and checkered  history, with many false starts, financial crises and intervention of two world wars in its founder's plans. Here is a brief history of Bugatti cars.

   Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a French car manufacturer of high-performance automobile founder 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.

   Ettore Bugatti was born into an artistic family in Milan, Italy on September 15th, 1881. His father was Carlo Bugatti, an Art Nouveau furniture importer and jewlry designer, and his younger brother, Rembrandt was a renowned animal sculptor who unfortunately passed away at a very young age.

  Ettore Bugatti followed his passion to create perfect automobiles ever since he created his first engineering composition at the age of 17 years old in 1898. In 1909, Ettore forever changed the world of car manufacturing when he decided to create his own path and own legend. He turned engineering into a form of art and strived for perfection on all levels like no one else. In Molsheim, he set the foundation of one of the world's most astonishing brands, the home of Bugatti and where Ettore became "Le Patron".

   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 no 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 purchased for its airplane part business in1963.
Volkswagen auto group owns Bugatti now. In the year 1999, Bugatti automobile SAS became a branch of this company.
Read extensively about the Bugatti history
Link 1       Link2

Racing Successes

   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. Racing success came to climax with driver Jean-Pierre Wimille winning the 24 hours of Le Mans twice (in 1937 with Robert Benoist and 1939 with Pierre Veyron).

   The Bugattis were exceptionally 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. The Type 35 was 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. Bugattis swept to victory in the Targo Florio for four years straight (1925-1929).

   Louis Chiron held the most podiums in Bugatti cars and the modern marque revival Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S named the Bugatti 18/3 Chiron concept car in his honour. But it was the final racing success at Le Mans that is most remembered.

Aeroplane Racing

   In the 1930s, Ettore Bugatti got involved in the creation of a racer airplane, hoping to beat the Germans in the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize, which was the Bugatti 100P but never flew (this guy was so ambitious I guess....). It was designed by Belgian engineer Louis de Monge who had already applied Bugatti Brescia engine in his Type 7.5 lifting body.

Continue reading about Rail car