Bugatti V16 engine
Bugatti was founded in Molsheim, France as a manufacturer of high performance automobiles by Ettore Bugatti, an Italian man described as an eccentric genius.
The original company is legendary for producing some of the most exclusive cars in the world, as well as some of the fastest. The original Bugatti brand failed with the coming of World War II, like many high-end marques of the time. The death of Ettore's son Jean was also a contributory factor. The company struggled financially, and released one last model in the 1950s, before eventually being purchased for its airplane parts business in the 1960s. Today the name is owned by Volkswagen Group, who have revived it as a builder of limited production exclusive sports cars.
Design
Bugatti's cars were as much works of art as they were mechanical creations. Engine blocks were hand scraped to ensure that the surfaces were so flat that gaskets were not required for sealing, many of the exposed surfaces of the engine compartment featured Guilloché (engine turned) finishes on them, and safety wires threaded through almost every fastener in intricately laced patterns. Rather than bolt the springs to the axles as most manufacturers did, Bugatti's axles were forged such that the spring passed though a carefully sized opening in the axle, a much more elegant solution requiring fewer parts. He famously described his arch competitor Bentley's cars as "the world's fastest lorries" for focusing on durability. According to Bugatti, "weight was the enemy".Bugatti Automobili SpA
Bugatti EB110 (1996)Bugatti EB110 
The Modern Bugatti
Italian entrepreneur Romano Artioli acquired the famous Bugatti name in 1987, and established Bugatti Automobili SpA. The new company built a factory designed by the architect Giampaolo Benedini in Campogalliano, Italy, a town near Modena, home to other performance-car manufacturers De Tomaso, Ferrari, Pagani and Maserati. Bugatti Chiron
By 1989, the plans for the new Bugatti revival were presented by Paolo Stanzani and Marcello Gandini, famous designers of the Lamborghini Miura and Countach. The first completed car was labelled the Bugatti EB110 GT, advertised as the most technically advanced sports car ever produced.
From 1992 through 1994, famed racing car designer, Mauro Forghieri, was technical director.
Bugatti EB218
On 27 August 1993, through his holding company, ACBN Holdings S.A. of Luxembourg, Romano Artioli purchased the Lotus car company from General Motors. The acquisition brought together two of the greatest historical names in automotive racing, and plans were made for listing the company's shares on international stock exchanges. Bugatti also presented in 1993 the prototype of a large saloon called the EB112.
Bugatti Veyron EB16
By the time the EB110 came to market, the North American and European economies were in recession, and operations ceased in September 1995. A model specific to the United States market called the "Bugatti America" was in the preparatory stages when the company closed. Bugatti's liquidators sold Lotus to Proton of Malaysia.
In 1997, German manufacturer Dauer Racing bought the EB110 license and remaining parts stock to Bugatti in order to produce five more EB110 SS units, although they were greatly refined by Dauer. The factory was later sold to a furniture making company, which also collapsed before they were able to move in. The factory still remains unoccupied to this day.
Perhaps the most famous Bugatti EB110 owner is racing driver Michael Schumacher, seven-time Formula One World Champion. Despite later racing for Ferrari, he still retained the EB110 he acquired while racing for the Benetton team. In 2003, Schumacher sold the car - repaired after a severe crash in 1994, the same year of purchase - to Modena Motorsport, a Ferrari service and race preparation garage in Germany.Bugatti Automobiles SAS
Veyron 16.4.
Bugatti EB218
Volkswagen Group (Volkswagen AG) purchased the rights to produce cars under the Bugatti marque in 1998. They commissioned ItalDesign to produce the Bugatti EB118 concept, a touring saloon (sedan), which featured a DIN rated motive power output of 408 kilowatts (555 PS; 547 bhp), and the first W-configuration 18-cylinder engine in any passenger vehicle, at the Paris Auto Show.
In 1999, the Bugatti EB 218 concept was introduced at the Geneva Auto Show; later that year the Bugatti 18/3 Chiron was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA). At the Tokyo Motor Show, the EB 218 reappeared, and the Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron was presented as the first incarnation of what was to be a production road car.
[edit] The Veyron 16.4
Main article: Bugatti Veyron
In 2000, Volkswagen AG founded Bugatti Automobiles SAS as a subsidiary of Volkswagen France, and introduced the EB 16/4 Veyron concept, a 16-cylinder quad-turbocharged car with DIN rated 736 kilowatts (1,001 PS; 987 bhp), 0 to 100 kilometres per hour (0.0 to 62.1 mph) in 2.5 seconds, and a top speed of 407 kilometres per hour (252.9 mph), at the Paris, Geneva and Detroit auto shows. Development continued throughout 2004, and the EB 16/4 Veyron was promoted to "advanced concept" status. In July 2005, Bugatti Automobiles SAS announced that the car would officially be called the Bugatti Veyron 16.4. It was said that the car - built in a brand new Bugatti factory in Dorlisheim (located at 48°31′32″N 07°30′01″E / 48.52556°N 7.50028°E / 48.52556; 7.50028) - would be delivered to clients in October 2005. In fact, the Veyron finally entered production in late 2005, the first cars being delivered in early 2006. Maximum speed claims have been met in several high speed tests, where the car slightly exceeded its target, reaching 408.47 kilometres per hour (253.81 mph).[4] According to Car and Driver, the Veyron's fuel consumption at 253 mph was 3.0 mpg (78 L/100 km). At full throttle, its 100 litres (22.0 imp gal; 26.4 US gal) fuel tank would empty in just 12 minutes 46 seconds. After 15 minutes at a continuous 253 mph, the tires would melt.
Independent press tests have reported many failures (three out of five cars notionally available for testing in November 2005 were out of service), but the Veyron prototypes were put through the same grueling regimen as other Volkswagen Group models, with each pre-production car logging over 50,000 miles. This car comes in many different colour combinations, including red and black, blue and dark blue, grey and black, and so on.
The Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès is the latest limited edition version of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4. It costs $2.3 million (not including tax), and has an interior designed and crafted by the French leather and silk specialist, Hermès. The Fbg in the name stands for Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, the address of the headquarters for Hermès. The Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès has no mechanical alterations, and is still essentially the Bugatti Veyron 16.4; the only alterations are the calfskin composing the new interior.
The Bugatti Veyron was designed by the head of Volkswagen Groups Škoda Auto Design Department, Jozef Kaban.[5]
[edit] The Bugatti Veyron Bleu Centenaire Edition
Veyron Bleu Centenaire.
The Bleu Centenaire represents 100 years of history. It has the same 8.0 litre 16 cylinder quad-turbocharged engine as the 'standard' Veyron. The one and only special edition comes in Bugatti signature two-tone "sprintblue matte" and "sprintblue gloss" paint. This edition is priced at 1.35 million Euro, and was debuted at the 79th International Auto Show in Geneva Switzerland.[6]
[edit] The Bugatti 16C Galibier
In September 2009, Bugatti introduced the 16C Galibier concept car, the first modern four-door Bugatti. The Galibier name is taken from the original designation for the four-door saloon model of the Type 57. As with all concept cars, the final version may differ from the initial preview, but it is expected to be powered the same 24 cylinder multi-fuel engine capable of speeds similar to (and with a pricetag in the range of) the Veyron. The W16 engine will use two superchargers, instead of the four turbochargers used on the Veyron..
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