This year marks the 115th anniversary of Ettore Bugatti founding the world-class marque we all know and love. On January 15th of that same year, Ettore’s eldest son Jean Bugatti was born, and he went on to become an integral part of the company’s design and racing team in his own right.
To commemorate these milestones, we thought that now would be the perfect time to gaze into the past at the fascinating history of Bugatti and discover exactly how it became the most revered name in performance cars.
Humble Beginnings
The man who started it all, Ettore Bugatti, was born in Italy in 1881. Various members of his family, including his father and younger brother, are now recognized as notable artists of their time, which undoubtedly had an impact on Ettore’s knack for design and craftsmanship.
As a teenager, the future founder got his start when he took an apprenticeship at Prenetti and Stucchi, an engineering firm based in Milan. He quickly showed an aptitude and fascination with automobiles, even going so far as to design multiple working models before he turned 21. Using his ever-growing skills, he rose through the ranks of various automaking companies, eventually developing his first proper race car, the Type 5, in 1903.
Despite his natural abilities, Ettore had a tendency to ignore general production car design in favor of designing race cars, and his strong personality caused him to butt heads with his fair share of higher-ups. After a string of disappointments and employment terminations, he finally secured investment to open his own factory in Molsheim.
Just like that, Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was officially open for business.
The Founding and the Type 13
Around this time, Ettore developed and built the Type 10, the first “Pur Sang” or “thoroughbred” Bugatti prototype. By today’s standards, the machine is considered far ahead of its time. Ettore prioritized agility and weightlessness, designing it with significantly less displacement than other conventional cars at the time, at only 1.2 liters. It was capable of speeds up to about 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph), and featured a driveshaft and clutch combo that was quite unique in an era of chain-driven jalopies.
Eventually, this revolutionary vehicle formed the basis for the Type 13, which is considered the first true Bugatti, as it was the first to bear the name and the first to be mass-produced at the Molsheim factory. Only a year later, the Type 13 came in second place at the French Grand Prix. This marked the first time a Bugatti vehicle had run a race, and it set a commanding expectation for what was to come.
Progress in auto development was stymied by the First World War. During this time, Bugatti pivoted to designing aircraft engines for the French and American military, and despite the global turmoil, the money from their government contracts allowed the company to expand immensely in just a few short years, giving them a solid springboard for continued growth.
After the war finally ceased, automobile production resumed with increased vigor. In 1920, the Type 13 ran another race, the Grand Prix de la Sarthe at Le Mans, which it won definitively thanks to its driver Ernest Friederich. This win was hailed as a resounding signal of hope, as it was the only major motor race that year due to the still-echoing effects of WWI.
That race was only the beginning—it marked the start of the string of decisive wins, including Bugatti cars winning the top four spots at the Brescia Grand Prix.
Finding Their Stride
Now that Bugatti had officially earned a place of reverence in automobile racing circuits, they decided to up the ante by producing their first eight-cylinder racer, the Type 30, which went on to perform remarkably in the Strasbourg Grand Prix, earning second place. This series of cars is noted for its characteristic lithe cigar shape and raucous engine.
From the early to mid ‘20s, the Type 30 was also redeveloped as Bugatti’s first production touring car, allowing citizens to experience the one-of-a-kind thrill of driving a performance machine. Now that they’d found a foothold in both the racing and production car worlds, Ettore was all set to bring his brainchild to the next level.
The Golden Age
With the unveiling of the Type 35, Bugatti officially entered the realm of legends. Thanks to the 35 and its subsequent models, Bugatti cars grabbed over 2,000 podium positions by the end of the 1920s, including winning first place at the Targa Florio five years in a row, making it one of the most successful race cars in existence. The Type 35’s lightweight design, aerodynamic profile, and unbelievably powerful engine laid the groundwork for decades of innovations, and its DNA is still evident in contemporary Bugatti hypercars.
Other notable models of this era include the Type 51, which won the Monaco Grand Prix and is considered the “pinnacle of Bugatti race car manufacturing,” and the Type 41 Royale, which is both one of the largest and one of the most expensive cars ever produced to this very day.
Another exciting landmark of the era was the inaugural meeting of the first-ever Bugatti Owner’s Club in March of 1929. This association persists today, and it’s recognized as one of the oldest of its kind.
Then, in 1931, the Bugatti Factory Team debuted at the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Helmed by Jean Bugatti, the team went on to win the race in 1937, and again in 1939 in one of the most famed racing stories of all time.
Decline and Tragedy
Beginning in the early ‘30s, Ettore transitioned into other ventures such as high-speed railcar production and airplane racing, continuing to run his automobile empire from a distance while his son and successor Jean took over many of the design duties. Despite all their successes, the company was not immune to the tribulations of worldwide economic hardship, and sales began to grind to a halt. Eventually, tensions flared between Ettore and factory workers after a 1936 strike, which drove the founder further away from the company he created.
In 1939, mere weeks after the second victory at Le Mans, Jean Bugatti perished in a car crash while test-driving the Type 57, leaving the company without an heir apparent. Then, just a few weeks after that, World War II officially began, plunging Europe into darkness and forcing Ettore to sell the Molsheim factory in the face of occupation.
When the war ended at last in 1945, the factory was returned to Bugatti, but ownership disputes and a lack of capital investment hampered future production. Just two short years later, Ettore Bugatti passed away in 1947, leaving the company in disarray.
After a couple of successions and ill-fated ventures, the original Automobiles Ettore Bugatti officially stopped production in 1956.
Attempts at Revival
Bugatti was purchased in 1963 by Hispano-Suiza, a Spanish engineering company, which was later bought by a French company and rebranded as Messier-Bugatti for a short period. No significant new models were developed during this time.
The most long-lived temporary resurrection of the Bugatti name came in 1987, when the rights to the trademark were purchased by entrepreneur Romano Artioli, who reestablished the brand as Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. The company was based in Northern Italy and operated for a number of years. During its time, they produced the Bugatti EB110, a 12-cylinder turbocharged supercar that cranked out nearly 550 horsepower. Only about 140 units were ever made, making it a highly sought-after collector’s car. Unfortunately, the world economy fell on hard times once again, and the company shuttered its doors in 1995.
Modern Bugatti
Finally, after half a century in limbo, the marque found a permanent home when it was acquired by Volkswagen in 1998. That same year, they debuted the EB118 at the Paris Auto Show. The two-door coupe was spec’d with an 18-cylinder engine, and stood as a promise that Bugatti was officially back and ready to regain its rightful place atop the world of performance autos, but it was just the beginning.
After a series of concepts, the company finally set its sights on a new mass-production hypercar: the Bugatti Veyron, named after Pierre Veyron, one of the two drivers to win the victory at the ‘39 Le Mans. The company decided they could only do the Veyron justice if they had the perfect venue, and in that spirit, they completed their new Atelier in Molsheim, right where it all began. Production for the Veyron began in 2005. Cranking out nearly 1,000 horsepower and able to go from zero to a hundred in under three seconds, the Veyron exceeded Ettore and Jean’s wildest dreams and officially reestablished Bugatti as a force to be reckoned with.
Never to be outdone, they continued to design ever more powerful and luxurious machines. In 2009, they unveiled the Veyron Centenaire models, and in 2010, the 1183-horsepower Veyron Super Sport set the Guinness World Record for fastest production sport car.
In 2016, another all-new model was premiered, named for famed driver Louis Chiron, then in 2018, yet another, this one bearing the name of Albert Divo. The Bugatti Chiron and Bugatti Divo are now two of the most exclusive and powerful hypercars anywhere in the world.
In the years since, the almighty marque has reached even greater heights, with more new models like the Chiron Pur Sport and Bugatti Centodieci. The company also set another astounding record in 2019, when a specially-tuned Chiron Super Sport was clocked at over 300 miles per hour.
Despite years of struggle, more than anything, the Bugatti story is a shining example of genius and persistence that promises to continue on for decades to come.
Join the Future of Bugatti with Braman
Are you ready to become a part of the 115-year legacy? Give us a call at (786) 577-5216 or contact us online to discover how you can lease a Bugatti Chiron in Miami today.