The Story of the Founder behind the Legendary Bugatti

We have learned a lot about the fastest and most expensive cars in the world called Bugatti, but few know about the founder of this brand – Mr. Ettore Bugatti.

>> You can comment on this article on http://www.facebook.com/Autodaily

From artist to craftsman Ettore Bugatti

Mr. Ettore Bugatti, born on September 15, 1881 in Milan, Italy, in an artistic family whose father’s reputation has surpassed the geographical boundaries of Italy, sculptor Carlo Buggatti. After graduating from high school, he studied at the Art Academy (Milan), but the allure of art did not keep him for long. He left the Academy to study at the Prinetti & Stucchi bicycle manufacturing workshop. At the age of 17, he built 3-wheeled motorized vehicles, and in the late 18th century, he participated in a race with his first car.

Ettore Bugatti

In 1901 at the Milan International Exhibition, he introduced a self-made car with the help of the Gulinelli brothers and won the award presented by the French Automobile Club. As he was not of legal age to be named in contracts, his father had to be named in the contracts to work for Dietrich. Unfortunately, Dietrich could not meet Ettore’s passion for research and racing. He quickly terminated the contract and moved on to work for Emil Mathis, where he built a car with a 4-cylinder engine but still pursued his passion for racing.

Ettore Bugatti’s car in 1909

After nearly ten years of working for various car manufacturers, Ettore Bugatti founded his own company in Molsheim, near Strasbourg, in 1909. He persuaded a bank to lend him money to build 10 cars and 5 airplane engines.

“The master car maker”

 

Ettore Bugatti started his career by building a 1327cc, 4-cylinder engine with the designation Type 13. One of his successes was the “Bee” model produced by Peugeot based on his design. Before the war, he also built 4 models of 1368cc, 8-valve engines and 5027cc, 16-valve engines. In 1913, he built a 2906cc, 8-cylinder in-line engine. In 1921, after a brilliant victory at the Brescia Grand Prix with Bugatti sweeping the top 4 positions, all 16-valve engines produced later were named Brescia in commemoration of this victory.

Car using Type 13 engine

In 1924, Bugatti introduced the Model 35 racing car with a 2-liter, 8-cylinder engine, and it was also the first car equipped with cast wheels. With over 2000 victories, the Model 35 became the most successful racing car of all time.

In 1926, Bugatti decided to turn the dream of producing a top-of-the-line luxury car into reality with the Royale model with an 8-cylinder engine, 12762cc, and 300 horsepower! Unfortunately, this legendary car was born at the wrong time: just before the world entered the Great Depression. Only 3 of the most expensive cars in automotive history have found owners, and this famous car has bankrupted Bugatti’s company.

During the Depression era, fortunately, Bugatti won a contract to build a high-speed train for the French government, and with his accumulated experience, he not only satisfied the government but also helped his company overcome the turmoil.

Type 57 car

Ettore Bugatti also successfully designed a railcar, the Autorail. He also tried his hand at the aviation industry but was not successful. His son, Jean Bugatti, died on August 11, 1939 while test driving a Type 57 racing car near the Molsheim factory. From then on, misfortune struck. World War II devastated the factory in Molsheim.

The departure of the top car designer

During the war, Bugatti also built a new factory in Levallois, Paris.

When World War II ended, Bugatti found himself in a poor financial situation as he could not afford to rebuild the Molsheim factory. On August 21, 1947, he passed away at a military hospital in Paris due to lung illness.

 

Ettore Bugatti passed away in 1947

Although only 7900 cars were produced during Bugatti’s tenure, many of them still exist today – a testament to Bugatti’s talent and dedication to the history of automotive development. With his significant contributions to the automotive industry, Ettore Bugatti deserves the title of “Master Car Maker”.

Thế Đạt (According to PL&XH/Source: Compilation)