(Reading time: 3 - 5 minutes)
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Category: Bugatti
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Published: Thursday, 30 May 2013 09:34
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Written by Ben David T Quirk
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Bugatti History
The history of the famous Italian Supercars
One of Italy's most famed car manufacturers, around since the dawn of Ferrari & Lamborghini.
Ettore Bugatti, the Italian Supercar manufacturer, was born in Italy in 1881. The car legacy that bears his name 'Bugatti' was founded in the Alsace region in a place called Molsheim, which was then a part of Germany (but was restored to France in 1919). The company, now owned by Volkswagen,was best known for it's advanced engineering knowlegde and the production of premium road cars. A successful Grand Prix racing history came through winning the first ever Monaco Grand Prix. Successful drivers included Jean-Pierre Wimille, who won the Le Mans twice (in 1937 Robert Benoist and 1939 Pierre Veyron).
Bugatti cars are seen as works of art as well as mechanical creations, with all models featuring hand turned finishing on the engine blocks. Also, in an aid to make the cars better for racing, lightening holes were added in every location possible.
Ettore regarded his arch competitor as Bentley, he referred to these as "the world's fastest trucks" as they focussed on durability. He always believed and spoke that ' weight was the enemy'. Bugatti really didn't care too much for his customers though, and complaints regarding his Supercars were ignored. He is remembered as saying his devotion was to his creations, not to his customers...
For example, in one meeting with an unhappy customer returning to the factory he responded with:-
"What, you again?", after the customer had spoke he would complete the conversation with
"Well, see that it does not happen again!".
Ettore was renowned throughout automotive history as The Cubist. Many of Bugatti's engine designs were small in size but extremely powerful, adopting three valves per cylinder, sometimes utilising superchargers to gain additional power. The Double overhead cam shaft design from US race cars from Miller, was used as a fundemental design attribute and applied to all future cars.
In 1991 one of the most well known cars was born - The Bugatti EB110 Supercar.
Then 1998 brought possibly one the most technologically advanced cars ever - The Bugatti Veyron, under the design of VW. The car cost a record £50,000,000 to make, and in true artistic fashion, was made purely to see if it could be done. The car is completely astounding, as it dons a 16 Cyclinder engine with quad turbos capable of pulling 0-60 in around 2.5 seconds and a Top Speed of 254 MPH! Wow! It is available now as the Pur Sang, a Carbon Fibre and aluminium constructed model, available as a limited edition of only 25 models.
According to Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear who drove the Veyron from Italy to London, "We may never see a car as technologically advanced in our lifetime, than this car".
First recorded crash of the Bugatti Veyron in the UK
The most expensive car crash in the world involved the infamous Bugatti Veyron, an £830,000 Supercar. This was one of the twelve dozen living in the UK — the collison happened in driving rain.
The insurance assessors are painstakingly working out if the VW owned car was repairable - one dreads to think of the worlds most costly & exclusive write-off in history.
A local police source explained that the Veyron supercar (capable of a staggering 253mph) driven by a young driver was travelling at approx 100mph in a 40mph area of B375 close to Chertsey in the county of Surrey.
The Supercar careered out of control and spun 3 times, collided with an Astra which had aboard a seven-month pregnant female, then continued its slide and finished up in trees on top of a 3ft high bank. The pregant lady is fine.
However the driver has been charged with driving without due care and attention.