This Italian sports car was first manufactured in France by an introverted genius known as Ettore Bugatti. Bugatti had a legendary reputation for building some of the most expensive sports cars of the past century. The first Bugatti after the First World War did not fare well. The company had perennial financial problems all the way up to the 1950s.
The company underwent restructuring, refinancing and finally was sold to Volkswagen- who is currently own the company. During the 30s, Bugatti did get a lot of help with engineering from Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati.
The initial Bugatti were fancy cars- more a work of art than anything else. Each part of the car was individually crafted and from this evolved the modern day glossy Bugatti that we know of today.
As a racing car, Bugatti did do well in many European races but the car was chiefly designed to be enjoyed on the road for a casual drive.
The classic Ettore Bugatti cars of the past included the Type 35 Grand Prix, The Royale, The Type 57 Atlantic and the Type 55 Sports car. Only a few of these classic cars exist today. It is estimated that there are about 2000 Bugatti cars in existence today.
In the late 90s, Volkswagen purchased the right to produce cars and soon manufactured the Bugatti EB 118 AND 218 Veyron. The Veyron was mass produced in 2005 and was found to be super fast car. It also consumed gas at an exorbitant rate. The original Veyron had many test failures. The latest Veyron 16.4 has fared better but is also costly and requires a lot of gas even for short distances. Because the car has always been bought by the super rich, sales of Bugatti have remained stable- untouched by the global recession.
However, when the gas prices peaked in 2008, all the Bugatti cars remain in the garage. It was costing close to $ 250 to fill the car in late 2008- and for those who love to put the pedal to the metal, the Bugatti tank will last 20-30 minutes.
