Ettore Bugatti, when art and mechanics come together

Ettore Arco Isidoro Bugatti he seems destined for life as an artist. His father, Carlo, is an Art Nouveau furniture and jewelry designer, his brother, Rembrandt, is a sculptor, while his aunt Luigia, is the wife of the painter Giovanni Segantini, and his maternal grandfather, Giovanni Luigi Bugatti, an architect who. also dabbles in sculpture. Ettore, with such a context, is directed to one path, which seems to be paved, which leads him to attend the Brera College, in the city of Milan, which gave birth to him in 1881. However, he rebels against the fate that seems already written. in the stars, leaving the fine arts and diving into mechanics, which represents his main passion. Creativity, like that of a high-level artist, always remains in the first place, because nature cannot be completely manipulated.

Shocked by the mechanics

Mechanics became a warm refuge for Ettore Bugatti, from an early age. Like a child repairs a small engine without any preparation, showing natural ability, and when he reaches the age of 16 he begins a kind of apprenticeship in the company of Prinetti and Stucchi. Just a year after that event, he built his own tricycle, participating in a race between Paris and Bordeaux. When he reached the age of (today’s) majority, he built his first car. This is how the Bugatti epic begins.

It doesn’t take long before the most prominent companies in the industry set their sights on this budding talent. Whoever steps forward in courting Ettore Bugatti is De Dietrich, specializing in the chemical and energy sector and a car manufacturer since the end of the nineteenth century. The company signed the Milanese, which immediately introduced major innovations, such as bringing the driving position closer to improve maneuverability and. concept of car aerodynamicswhich will change the history of four wheels.

Bugatti starts his own business

In 1909 it was time to start his own business, so Ettore Bugatti founded the factory that bears his family name. He doesn’t do that in Italy, but he chooses to Molsheimlocation ofAlsace, one of the most contested European regions in history, between two powers in permanent conflict such as France and Germany. His approach to car production is two-fold: on the one hand conservative, using the already established knowledge of his period, on the other creative, trying to bring innovation to revolutionize the field of implementation. It is not by chance that Bugatti bets on many of its chips multi valve supplywhich guarantees his company a certain return to the picture, because it presents itself as a technical alternative to the standard distribution with two valves per cylinder.

Along with commercial activities, the competitor holds, where Bugatti participates to win. The Type 35 model places itself in the international Grand Prix and also wins in Monaco, with the same owner Ettore at the wheel. A complete victory, which gives fame and respect to the whole company.

Between two world wars

With the outbreak of World War I, the Bugatti factory also contributed to the war effort, making airplanes and flying engines. As soon as the weapons fall silent, production returns to the way it was before, even if the goal becomes the most ambitious of all: to be the first in the world. Before information arrives at Targa Floriothen, the gauntlet is thrown down to Rolls-Royce and Maybach, the true sense of luxury that Bugatti aims for. To get ahead of its rivals, the Royale, also known as the Golden, was created, one of the most luxurious cars ever.

When the 1940s knock on the door, trouble takes over. In 1939 his son Jean emigrates, then Alsace is absorbed by the German army, which surpasses France in the “Blitzkrieg”. In 1941, the Molsheim factory was seized and Ettore Bugatti had no choice but to voluntarily sell it, before seeing it go to auction. With a heavy heart, the patron sells his creation for 150 million francs, half of its real value. At the end of the war, however, other problems arise. Bugatti is being sued for alleged collusionfrom the sales of his factory.

If found guilty, all personal property is confiscated. Just a few months after his death, which occurred in an American hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1947, Ettore Bugatti was finally acquitted on appeal. Sarcasm that will unfortunately leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Even included his name inAutomotive Hall of Fametogether with all the great people associated with the world of cars, showing his fundamental role to the whole industry, he will be able to do justice to the mud that suffered in the last light of life.