- Bugatti is not a French brand, but an Italian one founded by Ettore Bugatti in 1909.
- Bugatti was defunct for some time before getting revived in the 90s by an Italian businessman and then acquired by Volkswagen in 1998.
- Volkswagen considers Bugatti as a hobby brand that does not need to make a profit.
- Bugatti started out making trains before making cars.
- Bugatti trains were known for going particularly fast and even breaking world records in the 1930s.
- Bugatti was the most expensive car in the world, but it could potentially be in the future.
- Bugatti won its first victory at the first-ever Monaco Grand Prix in 1929 with a privately entered car.
- Bugatti has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, in 1937 and 1939, with cars driven by Jean-Pierre Wimille.
- Bugatti briefly produced a saloon called the EB 112 in the mid-90s.
- The Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic is the most expensive car in the world, worth as much as $114 million.
- The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is the fastest production sports car, with a top speed of over 250 mph and a price of $2.4 million.
- The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport was created from scratch as other existing car parts wouldn’t support its horsepower goals.
- They designed planes back in the 1930s, including one that was intended to break the world speed record but never flew.
- They also designed airplane engines for the French government during World War One.
- Ettore Bugatti’s son Jean Bugatti was a talented designer who created many of Bugatti’s legendary models, such as the Type 41 Royale and the Type 57 Atlantic.
- Jean Bugatti died tragically at the age of 30 when he crashed a Type 57 tank-bodied racer during a test run.
- Ettore Bugatti’s other son Roland Bugatti took over the family business after his father’s death, but failed to revive it and filed for bankruptcy in 1963.
- Ettore Bugatti was also an artist and a sculptor who created bronze sculptures of animals and human figures.
- Ettore Bugatti was known for his eccentricity and perfectionism, such as using only the finest materials and rejecting customers who he deemed unworthy of his cars.
- Ettore Bugatti once raced against Louis Chevrolet, the founder of Chevrolet, and beat him by four minute.
Ettore Bugatti Biography
Here are some facts about his life and achievements:
- Ettore Bugatti was born in Milan, Italy, on 15 September 1881. He was the son of Carlo Bugatti, a famous Art Nouveau furniture and jewellery designer, and Teresa Lorioli.
- Ettore Bugatti showed an early interest and talent in automobiles. He designed his first prototype, the Type 1, in 1898, when he was an apprentice at a cycle manufacturing company.
- Ettore Bugatti’s second prototype, the Type 2, won a prize at the Milan Trade Fair in 1901 and attracted the attention of Baron Adrien de Turckheim, who offered him a job at his Lorraine-Dietrich car factory in Alsace.
- Ettore Bugatti worked for several car companies, such as De Dietrich, Mathis-Hermes and Deutz, before founding his own company, Automobiles E. Bugatti, in Molsheim, Alsace, in 1909.
- Ettore Bugatti designed and produced many racing and luxury cars that became famous for their speed, beauty and innovation. Some of his most notable models are the Type 13, the Type 35, the Type 41 Royale and the Type 57 Atlantic.
- Ettore Bugatti also designed airplane engines and railcars. He had a passion for aviation and wanted to break the world speed record with his own plane, but it never flew due to technical difficulties.
- Ettore Bugatti was married twice. His first wife was Barbara Bugatti, whom he married in 1907 and had four children with: Jean, Lidia, Roland and L’Ebe. His second wife was Geneviève Marguerite Delcuze, whom he married in 1946.
- Ettore Bugatti suffered several personal tragedies. His son Jean, who was also a talented car designer and his successor, died in a car accident in 1939. His brother Rembrandt, who was a renowned animal sculptor, committed suicide in 1916. His father Carlo died in 1940.
- Ettore Bugatti’s company declined during World War II due to the German occupation of France and the lack of demand for luxury cars. He tried to revive it after the war with a new model, the Type 73C, but it was not successful.
- Ettore Bugatti died in Paris on 21 August 1947 from a lung infection. He was buried in Dorlisheim, near Molsheim.
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