This Week's Classic Car History Highlight - The Bugatti

There’s something about a Bugatti’s body design and mechanical precision that makes us think of them more as a work of art rather than a car. So it came as no surprise to discover that the man behind this marque, Ettore Bugatti, studied to be an artist and came from an artistic family. Ettore was born in Milan in 1881 to Carlo Bugatti who worked as a silversmith, sculptor and painter. Ettore’s younger brother, Rembrandt Bugatti, became a sculptor - his work can be found in private collections and museums around the world.

Ettore Bugatti studied at the Brera Art Academy until the age of seventeen when he decided he would be more successful as an engineer. Within a year, Bugatti designed and built a three wheeled car with two engines that won eight out of ten local races. At the age of nineteen Bugatti produced his first four wheeled car with a four cylinder overhead valve engine, contact battery ignition, chain drive, and a four-speed gearbox – very innovative features at that time. Bugatti was making a name for himself, and was getting contracts from all over Europe to build his unique cars.

In 1909, the twenty nine year old Bugatti set up a factory on a large piece of property at Molsheim in Alsace, France, which is still in use today. At Mosheim, Ettore built the first car to bear his name, and a small, lightweight racing machine that took second place at Le Mans in 1911. It didn’t take long for before car orders increased and the factory started to grow.

You can find more information about Bugatti and his fabulous road and racing machines here.

If you're looking for a nice gift for a Buggatti lover, we found this very nice book and calendar. that celebrates the details and design features that make historic Bugatti automobiles, true works of mechanical art.

Every week we’ll highlight a particular car maker or model’s history. Remember, the beauty of a vintage and classic car lies not only in the way they look or perform, but also in the story of how they came to be.

Photo of the 1937 Bugatti Type 57C, taken by Michele Hamer, Courtesy of The Auto Collections, Las Vegas, Nevada.