What will humanity risk to keep our technology?
Exquisitely designed and precision-engineered, a car made by Bugatti is the last word in high-end performance automobiles. Enjoying racing success in the 1920s and '30s, the company achieved equal fame with its road cars, built in a peerless, artistic manner and known for their reliability. A mid-1990s revival saw Bugatti claim its place as one of the most luxurious car brands in the world, and today owning a Bugatti is the ultimate status symbol.
Browse this gallery and take a drive through the history of one of the most beautiful car brands on the planet.
At the Paris Motor Show in 1919, Ettore Bugatti exhibited three vehicles, including a Type 13 with a racing body (pictured). This was the first true Bugatti car.
In 1929, a Bugatti won the first-ever Monaco Grand Prix. Bugatti also won the 24 hours of Le Mans twice, in 1937 and 1939.
Produced in the 1930s, the Bugatti Type 46, and later Type 50, were large enclosed touring cars.
Created from a design by Jean Bugatti, son of founder Ettore, Type 57s were built from 1934 through 1940. Pictured is a 1938 supercharged version, which today belongs to fashion designer Ralph Lauren.
The company's premier race car of the 1930s, the Bugatti Type 51 series included the Type 59. The model pictured is also from the Ralph Lauren collection.
Under Ettore Bugatti, the company was renowned for both the level of detailed engineering in its automobiles...
...and the aesthetic manner in which car designs were executed, influenced perhaps by the fact that Ettore's father was a celebrated Art Nouveau furniture and jewelry designer.
Evolved from the Bugatti 8-cylinder line introduced in 1922, the Type 43 made headlines as the world's first 100 mph (161 km/h) production car.
Better known as the Royale, Bugatti's large luxury series was built from 1927 to 1933. These are ultra rare models: only three of the seven made were sold, and there are just six left in the world. The Coupé Napoleon pictured was Ettore Bugatti's personal vehicle.
In 1999, this car was purchased by Volkswagen AG (the current owner of the Bugatti brand) for a reported US$20 million, a figure today worth US$31 million when adjusted for inflation.
The emblematic Type 35 was the most successful of the Bugatti racing models, winning over 1,000 races in its time.
The eldest son of Ettore Bugatti, Jean Bugatti was responsible for much of the Type 41 Royale design and four bodies for the Type 57. He also frequently tested the company's prototypes. Sadly, he was tragically killed in 1939 while road-testing a Type 57 tank-bodied racer.
The Bugatti brand revival began in 1987 as Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. During this period, the Bugatti EB110 was introduced. Formula One World Champion driver Michael Schumacher was one of the first to purchase an EB110, this in 1994.
Volkswagen Group acquired the Bugatti brand in 1998. Its first regular-production vehicle was the Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4, named after French racing driver Pierre Veyron.
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse can accelerate from a standstill to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.6 seconds. On normal roads, the Vitesse is electronically limited to 233 mph (375 km/h)...
However, Bugatti's Super Sport model is the boss of boost. It has a 267 mph (431 km/h) top speed, making it the fastest production road car in the world at the time of its introduction in 2010.
The successor to the Veyron, the Bugatti Chiron made its debut in early 2016. In a world-record-setting test, the Chiron reached 249 mph (400 km/h) in 32.6 seconds. It took 9.4 seconds to brake to standstill!
It will cost you a cool €2.4 million (US$2.8 million) to drive one of these out of the showroom. No problem for some: the first 200 cars were sold before the first delivery of the vehicle.
Just 20 examples of this car were produced. A limited edition based on the Chiron Sport, the Ans was developed to celebrate 110 years of Bugatti.
This beast is powered by the same 8.0-liter quad turbocharged W16 engine from the Chiron. However, the 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox and the all-wheel-drive system have been seriously revised.
Very few of us will ever be able to afford a real-life Bugatti. But Lego has the next best thing—a model kit, which perfectly recreates the cutting-edge Chiron supercar. However, this gift still costs a whopping €380 (US$430).
See also: Celebrities in the driving seat.
Driving Bugatti: Boost, beauty, and bling
The ultimate status symbol
LIFESTYLE Cars
Exquisitely designed and precision-engineered, a car made by Bugatti is the last word in high-end performance automobiles. Enjoying racing success in the 1920s and '30s, the company achieved equal fame with its road cars, built in a peerless, artistic manner and known for their reliability. A mid-1990s revival saw Bugatti claim its place as one of the most luxurious car brands in the world, and today owning a Bugatti is the ultimate status symbol.
Browse this gallery and take a drive through the history of one of the most beautiful car brands on the planet.