Bugatti
	Ettore Bugatti came from an artistic family. He was born in Milan on September 5 1881 and his father was a sculptor and architect. Art, he used to tell Ettore, is a means of self-expression, not a way of making money When he was 14 years of age, we find Ettore riding around on a Prinetti e Stucchi petrol-driven tricycle. The firm's engineers were astonished to hear him suggest improvements which they adopted!
		Subsequently the young Bugatti left art college and became an apprentice in the cycle business. From the outset he revealed an imagination and a king of instinct that was to astound colleagues and rivals throughout his lifetime. He took part in his first race at the age of 18, using a twin engine tricycle. Ettore was bitten with the idea of building his own vehicles, and the first ones he turned out confirmed his reputation as a mechanical genius, owing to the innovations embodied. A year or two later, Ettore Bugatti signed a deal that was unique at the time with Baron Dietrich of Alsace, which was German then. He was to design, build, drive cars and win races for Dietrich. The first Dietrich Bugatti dates from 1902.
	Four years later, Ettore was firmly set up as the most brilliant engineer at the Deutz Gasmotoren Fabrik. Between 1905 and 1908 he lodged the highest number of patent applications ever recorded in West Germany by a single inventor. He was a very independent sort of person and he built a completely new kind of vehicle in his cellar. It was the embryo of the thoroughbred, and he had to take it to pieces in order to get it out due to the very narrow doorway.
		With the help of a sporting companion, the Spanish banker de Viscaya, Ettore bought a factory at Molsheim, Alsace, in 1909. He stayed there for more than 30 years. In the first year he turned out five cars that were to create a revolution in the motor industry. These little Bugattis were in marked contrast to their huge heavy rivals.
	Manufacturing methods were more of the craft type, but the technical and esthetic features of the cars were quite new. In 1911, by which stage the factory had 65 workers, Bugatti designed the celebrated B.B for Peugeot. Three years after that, he built and ran a racing car at the Indianapolis Grand Prix, a year in which chassis were produced at a rate of about 20 per month.
		The work force grew to 200. Throughout his life there was never any doubt that Bugatti was the Boss le Patron; he was respected for his outstanding merits and on account of his willingness to consider suggestions from his staff. World War I broke out, Bugatti concealed some of his racing engines underground and leaving the factory, offered his know-how to the French Government, particularly in the aeronautical sphere. He designed a new 16 cylinder aircraft engine which was taken up by the Americans, and was in production at the Duesenberg factory when the war ended.
	Bugatti rebuilt his factory after the war, Alsace being now French. By March 1919, output had reached 10 units per month, while Renault and Citroen were already producing 100 a day. Bugatti, very fond of his cars, deliberately kept the numbers down. He never reduced his standards, choosing the finest steels, the highest quality paints, the best leathers available.
		His aim was to ally technical perfection to purity of line. His design principles were stringent so that he could feel totally satisfied with the final result. His cars were works of art, high-performance machines. Bugatti's innovations were truly revolutionary at the time. In the post-war period he produced the type 13 Brescia four-cylinder engine that was unbeatable for many years, and subsequently the type 35.
	Bugatti cars steadily improved, became faster. But Ettore was careful not to punish his engines, not to overfeed them. The results he achieved were not as impressive as they might have been, owing to his scruples on this point, and he eventually decided to use superchargers. His cars began winning race after race at national and international events. In 1926 for example Bugatti cars won no fewer than 500 awards, and in 1927 the figure was over 600.
		The Targa Florio was won five years in a row between 1925 and 1929, vindicating Bugatti's design theories and the efforts of his driving team. The town of Molsheim worshipped Bugatti whose cars achieved leadership on all circuits. Time, experience, competition these are what lead to progress,Ettore was to declare in 1928.
	Bugatti's cars for the motoring public were closely similar to those used in races. His basic concept was that motorists should benefit fully from improvements stemming from racing experience. He wanted them to have cars that were comparable in every way with those driven by the factory racing team. From 1931 onwards his son Jean worked with him, sharing in the development work. Following the introduction of the type 50, the mammoth Royale was launched on the market. This magnificent 12 litre 8-cylinder car could carry seven people at 200 km (120 miles) an hour. It was a moment of technical triumph, if never commercially successful. But Ettore also took an interest in rail technology and in 1935 a Bugatti railcar set up a world speed record.
		Young Jean became factory manager in 1936 and, under him, the firnt produced the types 57, 59, 50B, 57S and 64. He also supervised the manufacture of racing speed boats, an activity that began in 1930. Jean was responsible for the Bugatti victory at the 1937 Le Mans 24-hour race, a win that France had been seeking for 11 years. Two years later in August 1939, Jean was killed in a road accident. During World War II, the Germans occupied Molsheim and dismantled the factory. Bugatti was a refugee at Bordeaux and he returned when peace came. Hampered juridically by his Italian origin, he had to take legal proceedings to obtain war damage compensation, and even to get his assets back.
	In September 1946, J.-P. Wimille won the Prix de la Liberation aboard an 8-cylinder car. It was one of Bugatti's last joys. Ettore never really recovered from the loss of his son. He was worn out by his tussles with the French Government and died on August 21,1947 at the American Hospital in Neuilly, West Paris. Bugatti cars were truly works of art. They won 10,000*** awards including 2,000 international events, and established 35 world records at various times. Their beauty and their performance make these famous blue motor cars immortal.

FEATURES: CAR TYPE 35,11 HORSE POWER SPORT. 1924.
Engine:	8 cylinders in two groups of 4 cylinders. Cylinder bore 60 mm, stroke 88, valves in the head with overhead camshaft drive, 3 valves per cylinder, 2 inlets, 1 exhaust. Crankshaft carried by 3 ball-bearings, 2 roller bearings, roller connecting rods. Forced-feed lubrication. Magneto ignition. Variable advance. Forced water circulation cooling.
Clutch:	Steel and cast-iron multi disc clutch (Bugatti patent).
Gear Box:	3 selector rods, 4 gears and reverse. 4th gear direct.
Rear axle:	Bevel gearing and differential. Ratio 14 x 54.
Steering:	By worm and wheel, adjustable for back lash. Medium inclination. Drag link and tie-rods on ball and socket joints.
Front axle:	Circular section, hollow, traversed by springs. (Bugatti patent).
Suspension:	Semi-elliptic springs in the front. 1/4 elliptic spring at the back of the chassis, reversed ope¬rates in traction (Bugatti patent).
Brakes:	Hand brakes on rear wheels. Foot brakes on front and rear wheels.
Characteristics summary Cylinder capacity: Diameter: Stroke: Wheel base: Track: Wheels and tyres: Height of chassis above ground: Width of track: Fuel tank contents: Speed 1991 cc3 mm 68 mm 88 mm 2400 mm 1200 inches 28 x 4 mm 360 3700 x 1450 litres 100 Over 175 km/h (108.7 Mph)

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