Born in Italy. Made in France.

Bugatti was first founded in 1909 in the then-German city of Molsheim, by Italian industrial designer Ettore Bugatti. The first vehicle created by the Milan-born engineering pioneer was the Type 10; initially developed in Ettore’s basement, it was a two-seat open top roadster, powered by a completely bespoke 1.1 litre monobloc straight-four cylinder engine. What was most impressive about this seemingly primitive powertrain, was the overhead cam offering two valves per cylinder – deemed a highly advanced accomplishment for the era. Where the early prototype lacked, however, was in the suspension department – offering leaf springs in the front with no suspension whatsoever in the rear.

Before long, Bugatti’s initial prototype had evolved. The next iteration of his roadster concept was dubbed the Type 13 and ushered in new developments, such as leaf spring suspension on all four corners; but most notably, major advancements with a new four-valve head designed by Bugatti – one of the first of its type ever conceived. This meant the new and nimble Type 13 produced an adequate 30hp to power the 300kg chassis. Bugatti and his newly founded factory made just five examples in 1910, and even went on to enter the Type 13 in the French Grand Prix at Le Mans in 1911 – finishing in a respectable second place, after seven gruelling hours of racing.

The Great War meant production for Bugatti ground to halt in the disputed region. Ettore managed to move two completed Type 13 vehicles with him to Milan for the duration of the war, leaving the parts for three more buried near his factory in Molsheim. After the conflict concluded, Ettore returned to the site, unearthed the parts, and immediately began preparing five Type 13s for racing. The post-war era for Bugatti was a wildly successful one, bringing with it many racing victories for the hugely impressive Type 13, following a flurry of evolutionary developments – including much desired rear suspension and front brakes. Racing success for Bugatti then continued well into the 1930’s, culminating in an astonishing two wins at the 24 hours of Le Mans in both 1937 and 1939; the latter being piloted by a name that would become synonymous with the car-maker and forever cemented in Bugatti’s tapestry, Pierre Veyron.

The Great War meant production for Bugatti ground to halt in the disputed region. Ettore managed to move two completed Type 13 vehicles with him to Milan for the duration of the war, leaving the parts for three more buried near his factory in Molsheim. After the conflict concluded, Ettore returned to the site, unearthed the parts, and immediately began preparing five Type 13s for racing.

The post-war era for Bugatti was a wildly successful one, bringing with it many racing victories for the hugely impressive Type 13, following a flurry of evolutionary developments – including much desired rear suspension and front brakes. Racing success for Bugatti then continued well into the 1930’s, culminating in an astonishing two wins at the 24 hours of Le Mans in both 1937 and 1939; the latter being piloted by a name that would become synonymous with the car-maker and forever cemented in Bugatti’s tapestry, Pierre Veyron.

Following roaring success in motor racing, a cruel twist of fate was set to derail the Bugatti family and their growing auto-empire. On August 11, 1939, at just 30 years old, Ettore’s son, Jean, was killed in an accident while testing a Type 35 motor-sport prototype near the factory in Molsheim.

Bugatti’s misfortune continued, with the factory and spiritual headquarters completely destroyed during the Second World War. And then, after significantly under delivering on the production of several new vehicles, including the Type 73C, Ettore Bugatti died on August 21, 1947. After a long decline, the original incarnation of Bugatti finally ceased operations in 1952.

Modern Revivals

Following several failed attempts to revive the brand during the 1950s and 60s, an Italian entrepreneur, by the name of Romano Artioli, acquired the Bugatti brand in 1987, and established Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. Artioli wanted to bring the Bugatti name back to Italian soil, and laid plans to set up a new factory in Modena, Italy – a location made famous by a distinguished collective of other automotive names, including Ferrari, Pagani and Lamborghini. Some five years later, the vehicle that would once again put Bugatti on the world stage was announced – the EB 110. This new feat of engineering was the brainchild of Paolo Stanzani and Marcello Gandini, famed designers of the Lamborghini Miura and Countach.

It utilised a carbon fibre-reinforced polymer chassis and was powered by a 3.5-litre, five-valve per cylinder, quad-turbocharged V12 engine, mated to a six-speed manual transmission and advanced four-wheel drive system. A year later, Bugatti debuted the Super Sport variant – a slightly more powerful but significantly lighter model, thanks to a greater use of carbon fibre – shaving off a staggering 150kg. The Super Sport swiftly made headlines thanks to astonishing performance figures. It could propel you to 100km/h in just 3.2 seconds and would press on to a top velocity of 355km/h. For a point of reference, that’s only 0.4 seconds slower than the brand new DBS Superleggera from Aston Martin. Only 139 units were ever built before Bugatti’s subsequent liquidation in 1995.

Volkswagen AG then acquired the Bugatti brand in 1998, forming Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. After teasing several concept cars at various motor shows in the late 90s, the company would then fall silent as it quietly and diligently developed it’s tour de force – the Veyron EB 16.4. Following a similar blueprint to the EB 110, the Veyron in its fullest form was powered by an 8.0-litre, quad-turbocharged, W16 cylinder engine that produced a staggering 1,184 hp and 1,106 lb-ft of torque and went on to make history as the fasted road-going production car ever built – capable of an astronomical 431.072 km/h. And as with each car of the Bugatti name before it, the Veyron would go on to spearhead automotive ingenuity and technology. It saw production through various forms and special edition models until 2015, and would be superseded by the Chiron – an evolutionary step forward from the same potent platform.

The Vanguard

The French hyper sports car manufacturer is celebrating this anniversary with a special edition of the Chiron Sport, limited to a production run of just 20 cars. This newest rendition is not only extremely exclusive, but pays fitting tribute to the automakers origins and lineage. But if that doesn’t sound exquisite enough, at the Geneva Motor Show in March, Bugatti unveiled the most expensive new car ever put on sale – La Voiture Noire. Supposedly modelled to pay homage to Jean Bugatti’s Type 57 SC, ‘the black car’ will be limited to just a single production unit and will set one fortunate investor back a cool €11 Million before taxes.

But despite the perceived flamboyance and opulence of the marque in today’s market, it’s evident that the brand’s heritage provides a vital insight into the ethos of its designers and engineers alike. Perhaps this constant endeavor for innovation will not only keep the Bugatti name alive in the future, but is what has kept it at the vanguard of automotive design for over a century.

WORDS SAM HEXTER-ANDREWS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BUGATTI