Bugatti is a manufacturer of high-performance sports cars . The brand was originally established as a maker of racing cars . Today, the company is known for such hypercars as the Veyron and Chiron. Hypercars are sports cars designed to achieve extremes of performance and cost.
The Italian-born Ettore Bugatti established his automobile manufacturing company in 1909 in Molsheim, in northeastern France. Bugatti was descended from a family of artists and architects, and his refined design style reflected their influence.
The Bugatti company dominated racing in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The brand claimed several victories at such premier races as the French Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the 1930’s, Bugatti began making luxury touring cars for aristocrats and nobility . The company also made luxury railcars.
After Ettore Bugatti’s death in 1947, the company went into decline and was sold. The Bugatti name changed hands several times over the years. The car manufacturer Volkswagen purchased the rights to the Bugatti name in 1998. The company reestablished Bugatti as a Molsheim-based maker of limited-edition sports cars.
The Bugatti Veyron, manufactured from 2005 to 2015, ranks among the most storied sports cars of the early 2000’s. The debut model had a blistering top speed of 253 miles (407 kilometers) per hour. The car’s successor, the Chiron, began production in 2016.
