About Bugatti

Bugatti was founded in France as a manufacturer of high performance automobiles by Ettore Bugatti, a man many describe as an eccentric genius. The original company is legendary for producing some of the most exclusive cars in the world as well as some of the fastest. Like many high-end marques however, the original Bugatti brand failed with the coming of World War II and the death of Ettore's son Jean. The company struggled financially into the 1960's eventually being purchased for its airplane parts business. Today the name is owned by Volkswagen AG who have revived it as a builder of very limited production supercars.

Bugatti Automobili SpA

Italian entrepreneur Romano Artioli acquired the famous Bugatti name in 1987 and established Bugatti Automobili SpA. The new company built a factory designed by the architect Giampaolo Benedini in Campogalliano, Italy, a town near Modena, home to other performance-car manufacturers De Tomaso, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani and Maserati.

By 1989, the plans for the new Bugatti-revival were presented by Paolo Stanzani and Marcello Gandini, famous designers of the Lamborghini Miura and Countach. The first completed car was labelled the Bugatti EB110 GT, advertised as the most technically advanced supercar ever produced.

From 1992 through 1994, famed racing car designer, Mauro Forghieri, was technical director.

On August 27, 1993, through his holding company, ACBN Holdings S.A. of Luxembourg, Romano Artioli purchased the Lotus car company from General Motors. The acquisition brought together two of the greatest historical names in automotive racing and plans were made for listing the company's shares on international stock exchanges.

Bugatti also presented in 1993 the prototype of a large sedan called the EB 112.

By the time the Bugatti EB110 came to market the North American and European economies were in recession and operations ceased in September 1995. A model specific to the United States market called the "Bugatti America" was in the preparatory stages when the company closed.

Bugatti's liquidators sold Lotus to Proton of Malaysia.

In 1997, German manufacturer Jochen Dauer bought the EB110 license and remaining parts stock to Bugatti in order to produce a dozen Dauer EB110 SS units.

The factory was later sold to a furniture making company, which also collapsed before they were able to move in. The factory still remain unoccupied to this day.

Perhaps the most famous Bugatti EB110 owner is racing driver Michael Schumacher, 7 times Formula One world champion. Despite later racing for Ferrari, he still retained the Bugatti EB110 he acquired while racing for the Benetton team. Schumacher sold the car in 2003 to Modena Motorsport, a Ferrari service and race preparation garage in Germany.

Bugatti Automobiles SAS

Volkswagen AG purchased the rights to produce cars under the Bugatti marque in 1998. They commissioned ItalDesign to produce the Bugatti EB118 concept, a touring sedan which featured a 555 hp DIN (408 kW) output and the first W-configuration 18-cylinder engine in any passenger vehicle, at the Paris Auto Show.

In 1999 the Bugatti EB 218 concept was introduced at the Geneva Auto Show; later that year the Bugatti 18/3 Chiron was introduced at the IAA in Frankfurt. At the Tokyo Motor Show the EB 218 reappeared and the Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron was presented as the first incarnation of what was to be a production road car.