Ettore Bugatti was a French car manufacturer of high-performance automobiles, founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti. Bugatti cars were well known for their design beauty (Ettore Bugatti was from a family of artists and considered himself to be both an artist and constructor) and for the large number of races that they have won. The death of Ettore Bugatti in 1947 proved to be the end for the marque, and the death of his son Jean Bugatti in 1939 ensured there was not a successor to lead the factory. No more than about 8000 cars were made. The company struggled financially, and released one last model in the 1950s, before eventually being purchased for its airplane parts business in the 1960s. In the 1990s, an Italian entrepreneur revived it as a builder of limited production exclusive sports cars. Today, the name is owned by German automobile manufacturing group Volkswagen.
Industry Automotive
Fate Sold to Hispano-Suiza (1963)
Sold to Volkswagen Group (July 1998)
Founded 1909
Founder(s) Ettore Bugatti
Defunct 1963
Headquarters Molsheim, Alsace, France
Key people
Ettore Bugatti
Jean Bugatti
Products Automobiles
Net income 120 million (2008 est.)