Bugatti

Bugatti
legal form	Holding company
founding	1909
resolution	1963
Seat	Molsheim , France;
management	Ettore Bugatti (1909–1947) ; Roland Bugatti (1947–1963)
Branch	Automobile manufacturer

Bugatti competition vehicles in the French racing car color

Four-valve engine of the Bugatti Brescia

8-cylinder engine type 50B from 1938

Bugatti Type 35B in the Musée National de l'Automobile

Bugatti Type 51 cockpit, Wilson preselector gearbox

Bugatti 43 cockpit

Bugatti was an automobile manufacturer in Molsheim in Alsace . Ettore Bugatti was the founder . Production ran from 1909 to 1963.

The vehicles manufactured by Bugatti were among the most successful racing cars as well as the finest and best sports cars and limousines of their time and made the brand a legend. The original Bugatti operation ceased after the Second World War . Since then, the brand has been revitalized twice. First, in 1987 , Romano Artioli founded Bugatti Automobili SpA in Italy. In 1998 the Volkswagen Group took over the design and naming rights. Since then, Bugatti has continued to exist as Bugatti Automobiles SAS

history

The automobile designer and manufacturer Ettore Arco Isidoro Bugatti was born on September 15, 1881 in Milan ( Italy ) to a family of artists with roots in northern Italy. He was the older son of Carlo Bugatti (1856–1940), a furniture maker of the Art Nouveau era and jewelery designer, and his wife Teresa Lorioli. His younger brother, Rembrandt Bugatti (1884–1916), worked as an animal sculptor. His aunt Luigia Bugatti was the partner of the painter Giovanni Segantini . His paternal grandfather, Giovanni Luigi Bugatti , was an architect and sculptor.

Ettore Bugatti founded his automobile factory in 1909 in Molsheim in Alsace , which at that time belonged to the German Empire and only after the First World War it belonged to France . The company was known for its excellent engineering skills in high-class automobiles and for success in the early Grand Prix races; Bugatti won the first Monaco Grand Prix . The success culminated in two double victories in the Le Mans 24-hour race with driver Jean-Pierre Wimille (1937 with Robert Benoist and 1939 with Pierre Veyron ).

Ettore Bugatti also designed a successful rail bus , the SNCF XB 1000 and the airplane 100P , which however never flew. His son Jean Bugatti died on August 11, 1939 at the age of 30 while testing a 57C racing car near the Molsheim factory .

After that the star sank. The Second World War ruined the factory in Molsheim, and society did not recover from it. After the war, the Type 101 was presented, which - with a three-digit number - should represent the dawn of a new era. The car, which was only built in a few individual pieces (sedan and convertible), was based on the chassis of the T 57, which was no longer state-of-the-art even before the war. The tastes of the customers had changed, and the bodies of the 101 were extravagant, but no longer possessed the elegance of the Jean Bugatti designs, and so the response was muted. After Ettore's death, his son Roland Bugatti ran the business, albeit with little luck. A racing car he designed from the 1950s was also unsuccessful. The company carried out repairs and conversions of old Bugattis until 1963, when the brand merged with the automotive legend Hispano-Suiza , who also went under during the war (which, despite the name, produced early in France).

At the historic site of the original factory, there is now a manufacturing facility of Messier-Bugatti (part of the SAFRAN group ), which produces parts for rail transport and aviation. The company founders were Ettore Bugatti and George Messier . In 1998 the Volkswagen Group took over the design and naming rights to Bugatti. Since then, Bugatti has existed as Bugatti Automobiles SAS Before that, there was Bugatti Automobili SpA in Italy, founded in 1987 by Romano Artioli. The original company headquarters, the little castle “Chateau St. Jean”, and the accompanying coach houses were extensively renovated under VW and serve today - as in Ettore's time - as a representative of the Bugatti brand . The old production facility was replaced by a futuristic “atelier” on the other side of the castle, so that Bugatti is still producing (or now again after the Artioli episode) at the historical location in Molsheim.

Ettore Bugatti died on August 21, 1947 and was buried in the family grave of the Bugattis in Dorlisheim .

Models

Only a few models of Ettore Bugatti's cars were produced: the most famous were the Type 35 racing car, the giant Royale , and the Type 55 sports car.

At the suggestion of a customer, Ettore Bugatti decided in the 1920s to build the T 41 Royale , a sedan that would outclass the luxury manufacturers of the time such as Rolls-Royce , Hispano-Suiza or Duesenberg in terms of dimensions, luxury and performance . The project was realized, but the envisaged royal families of Europe were not interested in the car, and the global economic crisis caused the remaining possible customers to break away. So only six chassis of the T 41 were built, which received a total of eleven different bodies. This project almost ruined the brand; Ettore Bugatti was only able to save himself by receiving a government contract to design a rail vehicle, which he equipped with four of the Royale eight-cylinder engines, each with an output of 200 hp. The SNCF XB 1000 was in operation between Paris and Le Havre, Caen, Cherbourg and Deauville until 1956.

The most produced and economically most successful car was the T 57 , which was the only chassis / vehicle produced in series at Bugatti in the years before the war.

An early form of Art Deco design and one of the most spectacular designs by Jean Bugatti was the Atlantic type based on the T 57, which apart from a lost prototype was only built three times. Characteristic are its crouched appearance, the vertical, riveted ridges running lengthways across the body and the teardrop-shaped side windows.

Throughout the entire production of 7,950 vehicles (between 1909 and 1956), the models were named with the letter T (for type) and a number that indicated the chassis and drive train.

Type	construction time	number produced	Engine type	annotation
Type 2	1900-1901	1	3050 cc I4
Type 5	1903	2	12867 cc I4	OHV valve control
Type 10	1908	1	1131 cc I4	OHC ; finished second in the 1911 French Grand Prix
Type 13	1910-1914	435	1368 cc I4	OHC four-valve; Places 1, 2, 3 and 4 at the 1921 Grand Prix in Brescia
Type 15	1910		1327 cc I4	OHC two-valve; Four seater
Type 17	1910		1327 cc I4	OHC two-valve; Four seater
Type 18	1912-1914	6 or 7	5030 cc I4	Three-valve
Type 19	1911	1	855 cc I4	T-head ; Prototype of the Lion-Peugeot BP1 resp. Peugeot BB ("Bébé") (3095 copies) Fig .: Peugeot BB.
Type 20	1911	6th	1500 cc I4	T-head ; Prototype for Lion-Peugeot ; did not go into series
Type 22	1913-1914		1368 cc I4	Same SOHC four-valve engine as the Brescia
Type 23	1913-1914		1368 cc I4	Two-valve version of the Brescia engine
Type 28	1921	1	2995 cc I8	OHC three-valve valve; Prototype luxury touring car
Type 29	1922-1926	7th	1991 cc I8	OHC three-valve engine, 60 hp (45 kW); Second at the ACF Grand Prix 1922. The Type 29 finished ninth in 1923 in Indy 500 under Prince of Cystria .
Type 30	1922-1926	about 600	1991 cc I8	Touring and sports cars with engines based on the Type 29
Type 32	1923	5	1991 cc I8	Advanced Type 29 engine; Tank body; Third at the 1923 ACF Grand Prix in Tours
Type 34	1923	study	14732 cc	with Bugatti aircraft engine
Type 35	1924-1930	96	1991 cc I8	Further development of the Type 29 engine; Crankshaft with five bearings (roller and ball bearings), connecting rod with roller bearings. 90 hp (67 kW), max. Speed 6000 / min
Type 35 A	1926	130	1991 cc I8	"Tecla"; OHC three-valve valve; Grand Prix racing car "Imitation"; Motor type 30, spoked wheels ex works, photo aluminum wheels
Type 35 B	1924-1930	38	2262 cc I8	Type 35 engine with larger stroke and Roots supercharger, 135 PS (101 kW); won the French Grand Prix in 1929
Type 35 Targa Florio	1924-1930	13	2262 cc I8	Modified Type 35 B; 100 hp (75 kW); for the Targa Florio from 1925 to 1929
Type 35 C	1924-1930		1991 cc I8	Engine with Roots supercharger, 125 HP; Top speed 205 km / h; won the French Grand Prix in 1928 and 1930
Type 35 T	1927		2262 cc I8	OHC three-valve valve; Grand Prix racing cars; Targa model
Type 36	1925		1493 cc I8	Type 29 short stroke version
Type 37	1926-1930	212	1496 cc I4	New OHC three-valve engine, 60 HP (45 kW)
Type 37 A	1928-1930	67	1496 cc I4	like Type 37 but with Roots blower ; OHC three-valve valve; Grand Prix racing car, two-seater
Type 38	1926-1927	about 100	1991 cc I8	Type 29 engine
Type 38 A	1927		1991 cc I8	OHC three-valve valve; Touring cars; Motor like type 30 and 35 A.
Type 39	1926	approx. 20	1493 cc I8	OHC three-valve engine, Roots compressor; Grand Prix racing car; Chassis like Type 35
Type 39 A	1926-1929		1493 cc I8	Type 36 engine, Roots compressor, 120 PS (89 kW); won the French Grand Prix in 1926
Type 40	1926-1930	about 800	1496 cc I4	Type 37 engine
Type 40 A	1930		1627 cc I4	OHC-12 valve; Touring, block from the Type 49 engine
Type 41	1927-1933	6th	12736 cc I8	OHC three-valve valve; 300 hp (224 kW); Royale
Type 43	1927-1931	about 170	2262 cc I8	Type 35 B engine with Roots compressor, 120 PS (89 kW)
Type 43 A	1928		2261 cc I8	OHC three-valve valve; Touring sports two-seater with Type 35 B engine
Type 44	1927-1931	1,095	2992 cc I8	OHC three-valve valve; Touring cars and limousines, over 1000 copies
Type 45	1929-1930	1	3801 cc U16	1 + 1 camshaft three-valve underground engine
Type 46	1929-1936	400	5359 cc I8	New SOHC three-valve engine, 140 PS (104 kW)
Type 46 S	1930		5359 cc I8	OHC three-valve valve; sporty luxury touring car
Type 47	1930		2986 cc I6	OHC-48 valve; Factory racing car; similar to Type 45
Type 48	1931	approx. 20	994 cc I4	OHC-36 valve; Peugeot development contract 201-X (racing version)
Type 49	1930-1934	470	3257 cc I8	Drilled Type 44 engine
Type 50	1930-1934	about 100	4972 cc I8	New DOHC four-valve engine, 225 hp (168 kW); Touring car
Type 50 B	1937-1939		4972 cc I8	470 hp (350 kW) Type 50 engine; Sports car
Type 50 T	1937-1939		4972 cc I8	200 HP (150 kW) Type 50 engine; Coupe
Type 51	1931-1935	40	2262 cc I8	DOHC two-valve engine with Roots supercharger; won the French Grand Prix in 1931
Type 51 A	1931		1493 cc I8	DOHC two-valve; Grand Prix racing car; like Type 39 A
Type 51 C	1931		1991 cc I8	DOHC two-valve; Grand Prix racing car; like Type 35 C; rare type
Type 52	1926- circa 1930	over 100	12 volt electric motor	Miniature of the T 35; 20 km / h; 1 forward, reverse gear; modern replicas. Fig .: 1929
Type 53	1931-1932	2 or 3	4972 cc I8	Type 50 engine, 300 hp (224 kW); with all-wheel drive for mountain races
Type 54	1931		4972 cc I8	DOHC two-valve; Race car; Type 50 engine developed
Type 54 GP	1932-1934	4 or 5	4972 cc I8	Type 50 engine, 300 hp (224 kW)
Type 55	1932-1935	38	2262 cc I8	Type 51 engine, 130 hp (97 kW)
Type 56	1931	3	36 volt electric motor	"Phaeton Biplace"; Electric vehicle with 1.2 PS (100 Ah 6 volt batteries in series (?) ) For driving around the factory premises
Type 57	1933-1939	circa 725	3257 cc I8	2 × OHC monoblock engine , 135 PS (101 kW); Touring car
Type 57 C	1937-1940		3257 cc I8	"Tank"; 160 hp (119 kW); like Type 57 but with compressor; won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1939
Type 57 G	1936-1939		4743 cc I8	"Tank"; won the French Grand Prix 'in 1936 and 1937
Type 57 S	1936-1938	17th	3257 cc I8	175 hp (130 kW); Atalante
Type 57 S / 45	1936-1939		4743 cc I8
Type 57 SC	1937-1938		3257 cc I8	200 hp (150 kW); Atlantic
Type 59	1934-1936	6 or 7	3257 cc I8	250 PS (186 kW) Roots compressor
Type 64	1939	4th	4432 cc I8	DOHC two-valve; Prototype; Cotal gear; hydraulic brakes
Type 68	1946		369 cc I4	OHC four-valve; Prototype for small cars
Type 73	1943-1947	2	1488 cc I4	DOHC three-valve engine
Type 73 A	1947		1488 cc I4	OHC three-valve valve; Prototype touring sports car
Type 73 C	1947		1488 cc I4	DOHC four-valve engine; Prototype racing car (monoposto)
Type 101	1951	5 + 1 prototype	3257 cc I8	135 hp (101 kW); modern touring car
Type 101 C	1951		3257 cc I8	DOHC two-valve; 101 compressor version; 188 hp; 5200 rpm
Type 101 CX	1966
Type 251	1955-1956	2	2486 cc I8	DOHC No. 01 of 02
Type 251	1955-1956	2	2486 cc I8	DOHC No. 02 of 02 (Smurf Depot)
Type 252	1956-1952	1 prototype	1490 cc	Prototype; 4-cylinder; 1.5 liters; Sports car
Explanation of the table: I4 means four cylinders in line, inline four, and I8 means eight cylinders in line, inline eight.

Racing successes

Bugatti cars have been exceptionally successful in races, with thousands of victories in just a few decades. The little Bugatti Type 10 took the four first places in its first race.

The Bugatti Type 35 , released in 1924, is the most successful racing car in motorsport history with over 2000 victories. Bugatti won the Targa Florio five times from 1925 to 1929. Louis Chiron scored most of his victories and top spots with Bugatti cars, and the 21st century Bugatti Society honored him with the Bugatti Chiron named in his honor. Probably the most memorable racing success for Bugatti was the last when Jean-Pierre Wimille and Pierre Veyron won the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1939 .

year	run	driver	dare
1921	Grand Prix Voiturettes	Ernest Friederich
1925	Targa Florio	Bartolomeo Costantini	Type 35
1926	French Grand Prix	Jules Goux	Type 39 A
1926	Italian Grand Prix	Louis Charavel
1926	Spanish Grand Prix	Bartolomeo Costantini
1926	Targa Florio	Bartolomeo Costantini	Type 35 T
1927	Targa Florio	Emilio Materassi	Type 35 C
1928	French Grand Prix	William Grover-Williams	Type 35 C
1928	Italian Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
1928	Spanish Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
1928	Targa Florio	Albert Divo	Type 35 B
1929	French Grand Prix	William Grover-Williams	Type 35 B
1929	Grand Prix of Germany	Louis Chiron
1929	Spanish Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
1929	Monaco Grand Prix	William Grover-Williams
1929	Targa Florio	Albert Divo	Type 35 C
1930	Belgian Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
1930	Czechoslovakian Grand Prix	Heinrich-Joachim von Morgen and Hermann zu Leiningen
1930	French Grand Prix	Philippe Étancelin	Type 35 C
1930	Monaco Grand Prix	René Dreyfus
1931	Belgian Grand Prix	William Grover-Williams and Caberto Conelli
1931	Czechoslovakian Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
1931	French Grand Prix	Louis Chiron and Achille Varzi	Type 51
1931	Monaco Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
1932	Czechoslovakian Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
1933	Czechoslovakian Grand Prix	Louis Chiron
1933	Monaco Grand Prix	Achille Varzi
1934	Belgian Grand Prix	René Dreyfus
1936	French Grand Prix	Jean-Pierre Wimille and Raymond Sommer	Type 57 G
1937	Le Mans 24 hour race	Jean-Pierre Wimille and Robert Benoist	Type 57 G
1939	Le Mans 24 hour race	Jean-Pierre Wimille and Pierre Veyron	Type 57 C

Collector

Nowadays, original Ettore Bugatti cars are some of the most sought-after cars and they fetch top prices. The sale of one of four Bugatti Atlantic products resulted in 30 million dollars, the Type 35 is traded for up to 1.3 million euros, while the Type 57 is still worth 500,000 euros. The best-known Bugatti collectors were the brothers Fritz and Hans Schlumpf , who ran several textile factories in Alsace . Between 1958 and 1975, until their factory empire went bankrupt, they collected a large number of remarkable cars, now known as the "Schlumpf Collection". The abandoned factory in Mulhouse , where the 123 Bugattis were stored, has been transformed into one of the world's largest automobile museums, the Cité de l'Automobile .

Replicas

The Argentine manufacturer Pur Sang has been making replicas of the Type 35 since the 1990s. British kit car manufacturers also offered the Type 35 as a replica . So Mike King (1970-1971), Ruska (1980-1983), Replicar (1981-1995), Teal (1984-1995) and Leopard Craft (1991).

literature

Hugh Conway: Bugatti - le pursang des automobiles. Yeovil, 1963, (3rd edition, 1974), ISBN 0-85429-158-X .
Hugh Conway: The Type 57 Bugatti . Profile Publications, London 1966.
Hugh Conway: Grand Prix Bugatti . London 1968, ISBN 0-85429-018-4 .
Hugh Conway, Jacques Greilsamer: Ettore Bugatti . Paris 1979, ISBN 2-902-781-01-6 .
Hugh Conway: Big brands, Bugatti . Heel , Königswinter 1991, ISBN 3-89365-211-6 .
Hugh Conway, Maurice Sauzay: Bugatti . Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-613-01305-3 .
Pierre Dumont: Bugatti - Thoroughbreds from Molsheim . Paris 1975, ISBN 2-85-120-043-7 .
Herbert W. Hesselmann, Halwart Schrader : Sleeping Beauties . Monsenstein and Vannerdat , Münster 2013, ISBN 978-3-942153-16-4 .
Monika and Uwe Hucke: Bugatti - Documentation of an automobile brand . International Auto and Motorcycle Museum Bad Oeynhausen , 2nd edition (1976), Bad Oeynhausen.
Uwe Hucke, Julius Kruta, Michael Ulrich: Bugatti - from Milan to Molsheim . Monsenstein and Vannerdat, Münster 2008.
Paul Kestler: Bugatti: Evolution of a Style. Translated into English by P. Stephens. Edita SA, Lausanne 1977, ISBN 978-0-85059266-5 .
Joachim Kurz: Bugatti. The Myth - The Family - The Company. Econ, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-43015-809-5 .
Jürgen Lewandowski, Martin A. Voß, Eugen Eslage: Ettore Bugatti & Jean Bugatti - Art, Forme et Technique. ISBN 3-00-011516-1 , in three languages.
Ken W. Purdy among others: Bugatti special issue of Automobile Quarterly . New York 1967, (2nd edition, 1971).
Axel von Saldern : Bugatti - works of art on wheels. Ellert and Richter, Hamburg 1991, ISBN 3-89234-218-0 .
Eckhard Schimpf , Julius Kruta: Bugatti. The history of racing from 1920 to 1939. Delius Klasing , Bielefeld 2006, ISBN 3-76881-830-6 .
Wolfgang Schmarbeck: Typenkompass Bugatti - passenger and racing cars since 1910. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-613-03021-3 , (Typenkompass basic knowledge for car enthusiasts).
Bernhard Simon, Julius Kruta: The Bugatti Type 57S. Evolution. Prototypes. Racing cars. Production. Monsenstein and Vannerdat, Münster 2003, ISBN 3-93731-214-5 .
Erwin Tragatsch : The Big Bugatti Book. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-87943-929-X , table of contents.
Michael Ulrich: The Race, Bugatti missed. Monsenstein and Vannerdat, Münster 2005, ISBN 3-86582-085-9 .
Peter Vann: Bugatti: Marque - Legend - Renaissance. (German and English edition), Rindlisbacher, La Punt Chamues-ch, 1999, (not commercially available).

Movie

Bugatti - Intoxicated by speed. Documentary, Germany, 2018, 52:04 min., Script and director: Oliver Bätz and André Schäfer, camera: Harry Schlund, production: Florianfilm, ZDF , arte , first broadcast: March 11, 2018 on arte, summary by ARD .

Web links

Commons : Bugatti - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

bugatti.com
Cité de l'Automobile (Musée National) - Collection Schlumpf , the world's largest Bugatti collection in Mulhouse (Alsace)

Individual evidence

↑ Eckhard Schimpf : The 30 million dollar car. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , December 27, 2010.
↑ Oldtimer Catalog No. 28, Heel Verlag, 2014, pp. 87, 88.
↑ Steve Hole: AZ of Kit Cars. Haynes Publishing, 2012, ISBN 978-1-84425-677-8 . (English), pp. 137, 146, 211, 221, 250.

[1] Eckhard Schimpf : The 30 million dollar car. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , December 27, 2010.

[2] Oldtimer Catalog No. 28, Heel Verlag, 2014, pp. 87, 88.

[3] Steve Hole: AZ of Kit Cars. Haynes Publishing, 2012, ISBN 978-1-84425-677-8 . (English), pp. 137, 146, 211, 221, 250.