Unfortunately, modern Bugatti is just the successor of the once independent and legendary company that created the famous luxury models. Alas, in our time it is insanely difficult to survive, releasing only cars, which are not so much means of transportation as luxury items.
Independence Bugatti lost back in 1963, which was preceded by serious financial problems. Then the family company was taken over Hispanu-Suiza, which also once had an unsuccessful luxury car business but had to eventually switch to aircraft parts. Car production Bugatti was discontinued by the end of the 80s.
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| Type 41 Royale "Coupe Napoleon". Ettore Bugatti's personal car. Next to the car in the picture is the personal driver of the founder. |
However, first things first. Ettore Bugatti was a versatile person - a wonderful engineer and a good artist. So, there is nothing surprising in the fact that his cars combined both excellent "stuffing" and an exceptionally stylish and attractive appearance. Already the first models overcame the mark of 100 km / h.
The company was founded in 1909 in Molsheim, France (Molsheim, France). She quickly managed to become very famous. This was especially facilitated by success on the race tracks. The First World War did not particularly harm the company, although it caused interruptions in production.
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| 1937 Bugatti 57S Atalante. Very rare model. |
By the mid-20s, the number of victories was already measured in thousands, and cars Bugatti famous all over the world. The golden age for the company came in the first half of the 30s - luxury models appeared one after another, sometimes with a difference of only a few months. At the same time, the company was engaged in the production of aircraft engines. Developments were carried out in the railway direction. Although the number of race victories was significantly reduced, this could not undermine the prestige of the brand. It was only by 1937 that the glory of the winners was regained.
The year 1939 was marked by tragedy: the son of the founder, Jean Bugatti, died in the race. However, on reputation Bugatti this did not have time to affect, since the Second World War began. The plant was destroyed, production stopped. And shortly after the end of the war, in 1947, Ettore Bugatti dies. The company, which had just begun the path to revival, did not manage to survive it, the personality of the founder was too important for its image. The family business, headed by Roland Bugatti, presented to the public some rather interesting models that were never destined to become popular. As mentioned above, in 1963 Bugatti lost its independence. Hispanu-Suiza they were only interested in developments in the production of aircraft engines.
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| Bugatti EB110 |
The rebirth of the brand experienced in 1987, when the Italian businessman Romano Atrioli (Romano Artioli) bought the rights to the brand Bugatti. So there was Bugatti SpA. Soon a car was introduced that could overcome the speed limit of 300 km / h. It is very high speeds that have distinguished Bugatti cars ever since.
The Bugatti EB110 appeared in 1991. The car, whose name included the initials of Ettore Bugatti, immediately attracted close attention. In terms of its capabilities, it surpassed all the creations of competitors. Even Michael Schumacher bought it with pleasure. However, success could not bring enough money for the normal existence of the company. In 1996, the company takes a desperate step and absorbs another supercar manufacturer - lotus, hoping to use his work. However, this not only did not help, but worsened the situation even more. In 1999 Bugatti SpA joined the Audi AG, which in turn belongs to Volkswagen Group.
