Bugatti, the wonderful story of the horse-shaped grille that has nothing to do with horses

Bugatti, the wonderful story of the horse-shaped grille that has nothing to do with horses


Front grill of supercars Bugatti is one of the most recognizable and recognizable in the automotive industry. This is characterized by a wide horse frame, a distinctive feature found on the bonnet of all modern Bugattis, but also many older versions. Where does this design choice come from?

Despite the nickname given to him and his exciting appearance, the grill has no origin in the world of horses, despite the written enthusiasm of Ettore Bugatti for these animals. The founder of Bugatti, in fact, was known for breeding and raising livestock regularly, even going so far as to create a special harness to enable them to open the doors of his old headquarters in Molsheim.

However, the distinctive Bugatti grille has a completely different origin, attributed to Ettore’s father, Carlo Bugatti. He was a furniture maker who often used eggs as a theme or inspiration for his pieces. In honor of his father’s work, Ettore fitted the 1912 Bugatti Type 13 with an oval-shaped grille, which became a distinctive feature of the brand and was also retained in the subsequent Type 35 and Royale Roadster. Over the years, the grille has undergone various changes, to the point of resembling a horse instead of an egg, but the overall shape has remained more or less unchanged, becoming a distinct trademark of Bugatti itself.

Speaking instead of the future, Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti, recently caught everyone’s attention by giving a preview of a future supercar that will replace the Chiron. This will represent a new chapter in Bugatti’s history, with innovative features and a robust electrification approach. The innovation, developed from 2021, will lead to aStart of delivery scheduled for 2026.

The successor to the Bugatti Chiron will be presented in June, and Mate Rimac has announced that this new hypercar will include brand new combustion engine, maintaining 16 cylinders but in a V arrangement instead of a W, and will be combined with an electric motor, thus creating a hybrid system. The design of the body of the car is still a secret, but it is known that it will be the last creation of Achim Anscheidt, the historic designer of Bugatti, before passing the baton to Frank Heyl.