Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. is a French luxury sports car manufacturer. The company was founded in 1998 as a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group and is based in Molsheim, Alsace, France. The Bugatti name was first made famous by Ettore Bugatti (1881–1947), who established the original Bugatti automobile brand in 1909 at Molsheim and built sports, racing and luxury cars.
| Website | www.bugatti.com |
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In November 2021, the company became part of Bugatti Rimac, a joint venture between Rimac Group and Porsche AG. Since November 1, 2021, the company has been led by Mate Rimac as chief executive officer of Bugatti Rimac.
“Every Bugatti that has been sold is a piece of automotive history! According to the key brand values “Art, Form, Technique” it is unique in its artfully characteristic appearance, its shape and its superior technology – and most importantly: the current model range consisting of Veyron, Grand Sport and Super Sport clearly carries on this traditional heritage by Ettore Bugatti.
At Bugatti, Certified Heritage Cars is about young classics, which in addition to the typical Bugatti DNA have opened a new chapter of young automotive history through their previous ownership by exceptional personalities and car aficionados. Besides the strict limitation of all vehicles, Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. guarantees the impeccable condition of all vehicles offered in the Certified Heritage Cars program, including the assurance of the highest Bugatti quality standards and the exclusive use of original parts.
Our special, in-house trained technicians inspect all vehicles through their paces to guarantee their perfect technical condition. After a full check of the vehicle and possible repairs, each Certified Heritage Car with a complete service history receives a one- or two-year warranty upon request by the purchaser.
To meet the high individuality of our customers’ needs, we also offer the opportunity to retrofit existing vehicles, both visually and technically. Together with our global Bugatti Partners we will be glad to make you an offer, that has been coordinated with our design and engineering team that clearly meets your high standards.”
Concept cars
Italdesign Giugiaro designs
Volkswagen commissioned Italdesign‘s Giorgetto Giugiaro to design a series of concept cars to return the marque to prominence. The first example, the EB 118, was a two-door coupé and was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 1998. It was followed by the four-door EB 218 touring sedan, introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1999. Later that year, the 18/3 Chiron was shown at the IAA in Frankfurt.
Volkswagen designs
Volkswagen designed the final Bugatti concept, the EB 18/4 GT in-house. Bugatti introduced the EB 18/4 at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show.
W18 Engine
All of these early concepts featured a 555 PS (408 kW; 547 hp) 18-cylinder engine. This was the first-ever W-configuration engine on a passenger vehicle, with three blocks of 6 cylinders each. It shared many components with Volkswagen’s modular engine family.
16C Galibier
The 16C Galibier was unveiled during the Celebration of the Centenary of the Marque in Molsheim. The presentation was only for Bugatti customers. The car show in Molsheim showed the car in blue carbon fibre and aluminum parts. One year later Bugatti showed the world the 16C Galibier Concept at “VW Group Night” at the Geneva Auto Show in a new black and aluminum color combination.
The Galibier, a 1020 HP sedan, was first shown as a concept in 2010 and when they planned to put it into production in 2015, it would have cost about $1.4 million. It would use the same 16-cylinder 8.0-litre engine as the Veyron but instead of four turbos, the 16C Galibier would instead use two superchargers to deliver better torque. Production would require new facilities in Molsheim, France, to be refitted, which pushed back potential deliveries until 2015.
In 2013, it was announced that the car will never be produced as they wish to focus on a Veyron replacement.
*Information from Bugatti.com
**Video published on YouTube by “Bugatti“
