**"Ettore Bugatti: The Visionary Engineer and the Enduring Legacy of Bugatti Automobiles"**

                '' The Story Behind Bugatti ''

The Remarkable Journey of Ettore Bugatti and the Enduring Legacy of Bugatti Automobiles

A story of success and tragedy to understand what I'm saying, we have to go back a century ago to the basement of a house in Germany. Ettore Bugatti had just finished building his car, so he decided to leave his job and start up his own company in France.

A Different Child: Ettore Bugatti was born on the 15th of September 1881 in Milan, Italy, and raised in a semi-wealthy family. His father, Carlo Bugatti, was an internationally acclaimed furniture and jewelry designer in the city of Milan, while his grandfather was a famous architect and sculptor. This passion and talent for art ran deep in their family.

Learning the Trade: It was passed down to Ettore's younger brother, Rembrandt, who was three years younger than Ettore but was already a prodigious sculptor, even more so than his older brother. Many historians believe Rembrandt's brilliance was the reason why Ettore did not become a sculptor or follow in his family's footsteps. Still, his artistic heritage would manifest itself differently.

A Natural-Born Engineer: From a young age, it was clear that Ettore was a natural-born engineer. He was so gifted that even without any formal training, he was already learning complex designs at the age of 16. Ettore repaired a broken tricycle with ease under his father's eyes. Carlo immediately recognized his son's talent and encouraged Ettore to take an apprenticeship job at Prenetie and Stucci, a factory that was well-known at the time for making sewing machines and bicycles.

Entering the World of Automobiles: Ettore agreed and joined the factory. By the age of 17, a year later, Ettore designed his motor tricycle while taking part in a competition from Paris to Bordeaux. The motorized tricycle was powered by two engines made by de Dion. Working at the Prenetian Stucci company was a great idea, but it would also open his eyes to a whole new world of mechanical designs, automobiles, and speed.

A World of Mechanical Designs: Ettore found his calling in this world of mechanical designs, automobiles, and speed. He was a perfectionist by nature and would draw out every single detail of his automobile design, from the engine to the body parts of the car. He also supervised the creation of all the features that were used in making his car. This became a ritual throughout his lifetime. He was a very precise man, detailed and mathematical. Some of his designs seemed too complex for even the most established engineers of his time.

Joining De Dietrich: His talent eventually caught the attention of the De Dietrich company, which had factories in both France and Germany. Ettore was frequently hired by the company to build and design vehicles for them despite his young age. He received his first professional contract when he was only 19. Because he was still a minor, his father had to co-sign the contract for him. For this job, Ettore had to move away from his birthplace in Milan to Niederbronn-les-Bains, a town in Germany, where he worked for a few years, learning more about his craft and developing automobiles, even entering car races.

Building His Car: In 1903, he built his second car for the Paris-Madrid race. However, this car was so ahead of its time that it wasn't even permitted to race. Ettore placed both the driver and the engine low in the chassis of the car because he believed doing this was best for the center of gravity and aerodynamics. However, everyone else found it weird. After all, every other car designer at the time believed that sitting higher was the correct way. Soon enough, this style would later become the norm among race cars.

Leaving De Dietrich: In 1906, Ettore decided it was time to leave De Dietrich. Around this time, the automobiles of the era were built one at a time by extremely skilled craftsmen, so they were costly, and generally, only the very wealthy could afford them. Most of the time, the cars were used for racing, which was quickly becoming a popular sport across Europe and America.

Meeting Barbara Josephina Mascher: In 1907, Ettore met Barbara Josephina Mascher, who would later become his wife. That same year, Ettore signed a multi-year contract with a gasoline engine manufacturer, Deutz, in Cologne, Germany. During his time at Deutz, Ettore was creating larger-scale and heavier-duty engines for the company, which was the norm at the time.

Building the Bugatti Type 10: But by then, he had developed his ideas about building his engines, ideas that would directly contradict the trends of that period in time. Ettore believed that building an extremely lightweight vehicle, one that would be both small and lightweight, was very possible and that such a car would outperform other cars with much bigger engines. To do this, he began working on a new automobile in the basement of his house, and this new car would be the first to bear the Bugatti name: the Bugatti Type 10.

The Birth of Bugatti: The Type 10 was finally completed in 1909. The result was a 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine weighing only 365 kilograms. This two-seater vehicle was capable of reaching a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour, which was an incredible feat at the time. By now, he decided to quit his job and drove his newly built car to the Alsatian town of Molsheim, where he founded his own company, the Automobiles Ettore Bugatti. Ettore was one of the first people to use racing competitions as a platform to demonstrate the abilities of his cars, doing this in front of a large crowd helped increase his popularity as one of the best car designers in the country. This practice soon became a norm in the car industry.

1909: A Significant Year: 1909 was a significant year in Bugatti's life and one of his happiest was the year he completed the Type 10 and founded his company. Most importantly, it was the same year he welcomed his first son, Jean Bugatti, into the world. Despite the Bugatti Type 10 being a brilliant car and far ahead of its time, Ettore saw room for even greater improvement.

The Bugatti Type 13: The Type 10 would serve as the prototype for one of the most popular cars in the automobile industry, the Type 13. Bugatti improved the design of its predecessor by adding leaf springs to the rear axle and adopting four valves per cylinder to create a 16-valve cylinder head design. This meant that the new Type 13 produced an adequate 30 horsepower to power the 300-kilogram chassis. Bugatti and its new car went on to take a respectable second place in the 1911 French Grand Prix, further cementing Bugatti's name as one of the best car designers in the world.

Bugatti's Continued Work: Bugatti continued to work on other models based on his same engine design as the Type 13, all the way to the Type 23. However, the whole world stopped and so did the production of his cars when the First World War broke out.

Overcoming the War: After seeing that the war went on for a year and a half, Ettore had no choice but to move back to Milan and then to Paris where he worked with the Duesenberg brothers between 1915 and 1916. He proposed the dramatic U-16 engine, which was essentially two straight-line engines sharing a crankcase, and called it the Bugatti U16. The U16 itself wasn't particularly successful, but it led both Bugatti and the Duesenberg brothers to create the overhead camshaft and straight eight-engine designs.

Ettore's Return: After the war ended, Ettore moved back to Molsheim, which by this time had now become a French territory, and continued to build lightweight sports cars. He shaped the Type 13 with a multi-valve engine, and the result was incredible. His new car gave him victories at the 1920 Le Mans. In 1921, the car won at Brescia, winning another three more times after this, and soon enough, the car was known as the Bugatti Type 13 Brescia. The winning streak continued to 1925, and by this point, his cars had amassed over 400 victories. 2,000 prototypes of the Bugatti Type 13 Brescia were built before 1926, making it one of the most successful Bugatti cars ever made.

The Bugatti Type 35: In 1924, Ettore presented his Bugatti Type 35 at the Grand Prix in Lyon. His new car quickly became Bugatti's most successful racing model, winning over 1,000 races during its lifetime. Racing successes continued well into the 1930s for Bugatti, most notably an astonishing two wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 1937 and 1939, with the latter race being piloted by a name that would later become synonymous with the carmaker, Pierre Veyron.

Expanding into Luxury Cars: After experimenting with different models of race cars, Ettore and his first son, Jean Bugatti, decided to go into the luxury car business. They began working on a new vehicle together, and by 1926, Bugatti's first luxury car, the Type 41 Bugatti Royale, came into existence. The Type 41 was the product of Ettore's brilliance as well as his technical mastery that extended across automotive development and beyond. At the time, it was the longest and most luxurious car ever made in the world. Bugatti was highly selective of his clients for the Type 41, and only the most distinguished customers of the era were allowed to buy the car, including kings and aristocratic gentlemen. That is why the Type 41 became known as the Bugatti Royale.

The Great Depression: Three years after the launch of the Royale, America faced its Great Depression. This economic decline greatly affected other economies in the world. When the sales of the one successful Royale came tumbling down, the company's finances were severely hurt, so much so that they nearly went bankrupt during the mid-1930s. The French government contacted Bugatti to design and manufacture rail cars at its plants. With no other choice and his company on the brink of bankruptcy, Bugatti accepted the offer. He helped the French government design 80 successful Bugatti rail cars, helped him overcome the Great Depression, and saved his company from bankruptcy.

Strikes and Decline: Just when things were beginning to look better for Bugatti, there was a strike at the Bugatti plant in Molsheim, France. The workers demanded higher wages and better working conditions. Initially, Bugatti refused but eventually relented and gave in to their demands. This created a gap of distrust between Ettore and his workers, and the issue was never fully reconciled.

The Legacy of Ettore and Jean Bugatti: Over the years, Ettore Bugatti established his name around the world as one of the most excellent mechanical designers of his time, building boats, plane engines, and speed trains capable of running over a hundred miles per hour. Ettore also found a magnificent sidekick in the talents of his son, Jean, who was a passionate engineer and just as brilliant as his father. Jean was left in charge of the Bugatti plant, and thanks to Jean's ingenuity, new Bugatti models were created that fascinated the entire world.

The Tragic Loss: Everything was going great for Bugatti, but a single moment can change the course of your entire life, and that's exactly what happened to Ettore Bugatti. In June of 1939, Bugatti had just won Le Mans for the second time in four years with the Type 57 Tank. Two months later, Jean Bugatti organized a road test with the car, placing himself behind the wheel as he had done many times before. Suddenly, a mysterious cyclist came out of nowhere. In an attempt to avoid the cyclist, Jean jerked the vehicle aside and crashed into a tree, where he died on the spot. Ettore broke down in tears after hearing the news. His younger brother, Rembrandt, had committed suicide years back during the First World War, and now he had also lost his favorite boy, his perfect son.

The Impact of World War II: Things went from bad to worse when the German army invaded Alsace and took over Bugatti's plants just three weeks after he lost Jean. Ettore had anticipated the threat and quickly transported much of the machinery to Bordeaux, but it wasn't enough. The Germans found him and demanded that he cooperate by producing torpedoes and cars for the German army, but he refused. Ettore had also run into a lot of debt by that point, and so he reluctantly agreed to sell the company and the machinery for a sum that was less than 50 percent of its value.

The Post-War Struggles: Bugatti fled with his family to Paris and tried to put his pain behind him by designing aviation engines and torpedo boats, but none of them worked out. Although Bugatti spent most of his life in France, he was Italian and never sought French citizenship. So when the war came to an end, the French state did not support him. And because Italy had been allied with the Germans, Bugatti was accused of collaborating with the German occupiers. After the war ended, he attempted to get his company back and decided to sue the state but lost. Things got even worse when in 1944, Ettore's wife, Barbara, passed away. He was now at the lowest point in his life. He visited Molsheim one last time, only to see his factory in ruins and his mansion abandoned. By now, his health quickly began to deteriorate. Still, he didn't give up. Ettore applied for French citizenship to get back what was rightfully his.

The End of an Era: Then, in 1947 at the age of 66, Ettore's health went from bad to worse. He contracted a lung disease and suffered a nasty stroke. During this period, his company was eventually restored, and Ettore's possessions were finally returned to him. But the good news came too late for Ettore, as he had suffered a complete paralysis of his mental faculties, and his condition was only worsening. Only 10 days later, after the recovery of his company, Ettore Bugatti passed away.

The Legacy Lives On: The surviving members of his family were unable to run the production of his cars, and as a result, the Bugatti plant had to shut down and was left abandoned for many years.

Rising from the Ashes: The Bugatti company didn't produce anything new until its rebirth in the 1980s. An Italian entrepreneur by the name of Romano Artioli acquired the company in 1987 and reestablished the Bugatti brand to the world. Five years later, a completely new model, the Bugatti EB-110, was introduced to the public. This new car was capable of reaching top speeds of 213 miles per hour and quickly became a phenomenon.

The Bugatti Veyron and Chiron: The power and extravagant appearance of the car made a huge impression on people around the world. Only 139 units were ever built before Bugatti went bankrupt due to mismanagement in 1995. It wasn't until Volkswagen came in and acquired the Bugatti brand in 1998 that we were reintroduced to the supercar brand we know today. The new company teased several concept cars at various motor shows in the late '90s and then fell quiet for the next few years as they developed a new car. In 2005, the Bugatti Veyron was released to the public and became one of the hottest cars in the world, breaking the world record as the fastest road-going production car ever built, reaching a top speed of 254 miles per hour.

The Bugatti Chiron: The Veyron continued until 2015 when it was replaced by the Bugatti Chiron, another supercar phenomenon. In 2019, the company broke the record again with its Bugatti Chiron as the new fastest road-going production car at an incredible 305 miles per hour.

Conclusion: This is the story of Bugatti and the dream of a man who continues to live on decades after his tragic death. The legacy of Ettore Bugatti and the brand he built remain iconic in the world of luxury and high-performance automobiles, a testament to the indomitable spirit of innovation and engineering excellence.