Bugatti Logo

Many people may recall the Bugatti automobile company. The company was founded in the country of France by an Italian man named Ettore Bugatti. He was one of those men that have a strange character that many others would refer to as eccentric. He was also somewhat of a genius. Like many car makers at the time, Bugatti struggled to survive during World War II but that didn't stop them from producing some of the rarest vehicles in the world. After a series of ups and downs the Bugatti name remains today.

The Bugatti Company quickly became known for their well designed and engineered cars. The company participated in the Grand Prix race events that many other auto makers were associated with. They had plenty of success taking part in those races. Bugatti won the very first Monaco Grand Prix. Bugatti tried to go above and beyond what competitor's were doing with their cars. They searched for many ways to work against the disadvantage of weight by making axles of their vehicles different than others. A spring that passed through the axle made such a difference that it was noticed right away by others.

There are certain Bugatti models that were only produced in small numbers. These models of course are incredibly rare and certainly very valuable. These cars date back to the 1930s, before the war began. Only about 2000 of these models still exist throughout the world today. Bugatti made a few different types of cars. They had some that never did make it past the prototype stage but they also had a few others. Some were designed to be regular street cars that anyone could drive. Bugatti was very successful with their racing cars and earned plenty of success and recognition because of them.

During the war Bugatti continued to manufacture cars. They worked hard on a series of race cars that had been greatly anticipated. One of these cars, a supercharged model, was cancelled after Ettore Bugatti passed away. His son had died a number of years earlier when test driving a new model for the company. The auto maker began to experience financial trouble after the death of Ettore. His family member Roland Bugatti made an attempt to resurrect the company in the 1950s. The race car that was designed in that time was unsuccessful and production had to be stopped.

The Bugatti Company did not only produce cars though that is what they are best known for. They also produced airplanes. During this time when vehicle production was not successful, they turned their attention to creating more airplanes. In 1968 the company was sold to a fellow auto maker company that also turned to airplane production.

In the 1980s an entrepreneur named Romano Artioli bought the Bugatti name. He made plans to use the name to produce race cars, like Bugatti had always been doing. That lasted until 1998 when Volkswagen bought the rights to the Bugatti name and have owned it since. The cars that have the Bugatti name are incredibly high priced. However, they are created for speed. Bugatti has a rich history that is based on the ingenious idea of one man.