BUGATTI Ettore Bugatti, Molsheim, Bas-Rhin |
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Ettore Arco Isidoro Bugatti was born in Milan, Italy, on 15 September 1881. His father, Carlo Bugatti, was an independent artist, a painter, sculptor, silversmith and furniture designer. He had one daughter and
another son, Renbrndt, who was a born artist and sculptor. At an early age Ettore was sent to the Brera Art Academy specializing in sculpture when he realized that to both his father and his brother,
he was their inferior. Carlo Bugatti sent the 17-year-old Ettore, who was mechanically inclined, to Prinetti and Stucchi as a volunteer apprentice working in their machine shops, producing tricycles.
One year later Ettore built his own racing tricycle, which he entered at the 11-12 May 1998 Paris-Bordeaux race, but he retired when he hit a dog, damaging the tricycle beyond repair by the roadside.
Bugatti left Prinetti and Stucchi and decided to build a car himself when he was only 18 years old. He financed his project with the help of the two wealthy Italian Counts Gulinelli. At now 19 years-old, he was leading the Bugatti-Gulinelli Motor Company at Milan. The 4-cylinder car handled perfectly and reached a good speed. In 1901 at the Milan international exhibition the Bugatti car was put on show and won a gold medal of the AC de France. As a result, he was hired by De Dietrich company in France in June 1902 as designer. His father had to sign the contract since Ettore was still a minor. Leaving Milan, he moved to Alsace, France, at the Niederbronn factory where amongst several cars he designed also one for the 1903 Paris-Madrid, which he intended to drive himself. But this car was not accepted by the French scrutineers since the driver's position was too low. So, when 21, Ettore Bugatti was well established. In 1905 when De Dietrich decided to abandon manufacture of automobiles, Bugatti had a brief partnership with the French automobile manufacturer Emile Mathis, designing Hermes cars at the Grafenstaden factory. While living in this town in 1907, Bugatti made a deal with Deutz of Cologne, a German company, as chief engineer of only 23 years of age, to design an ohc 4-cylinder car, but also designed the heavy chain-driven cars. Bugatti with his wife and two small daughters moved to Cologne where he stayed for three years. His first son, Jean, was born in Cologne on 15 January 1909. In his own time in the basement of his Cologne house, he was building a tiny light racing car and drove it to Strasbourg with Ernest Friederich. At the Darmstadt Bank Bugatti met Baron D. Augustin de Vizcaya, a Banker, starting a long relationship with the family, the sons Fernand and Pierre began racing for Bugatti as of 1922. The Baron suggested looking at a dye-works in Molsheim not far from Strasbourg. Bugatti liked the place. After breaking his connection with Deutz in 1909, he brought his family to Molsheim where Bugatti started production of cars. At the Grand Prix de France at Le Mans in 1911, 23. July, Bugatti entered a single car to be driven by Ernest Friederich who had moved with him from Cologne to Molsheim. It was a very small 1327 cc car, weighing only 300 kg. The little Bugatti finished second to Victor Hemery in the large Fiat. This success by Type 13, put Bugatti into an instant prominence as a manufacturer. |
 Bugatti Type 13
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