LightAuto

Famous Designers.

Ettore Bugatti.

Mini Biography.

Ettore Bugatti was born in Milan Italy in 1881. He was descended from a long line of artist craftsmen. He served his apprenticeship in cycle making. His first car design to reach production was for de Dietrich of Alsace, then a German province.
He later joined Emil Mathis in Strasbourg, making a car that had been design by Bugatti under the name of Hermies. This was in 1904. He left Mathis and began designing for Deutz in Cologne in 1907.
He gave all his designs a type number and by 1909 when he left Deutz he was up to Type 9. The type 10 was freelance design and was for a lightweight car, as opposed to his previous designs. One prototype was made. It so impressed his financial backers that in 1910 he was able to set up a business under his own name. His factory was located at Molsheim near Strasbourg, Alsace, Germany. Alsace became a French province after 1918.
After a distinguished career making original, high quality car, railcars and designing aero-engines, he died in 1947
 

His economy and light car designs.

Ettore Bugatti famous for his grand prix and luxery cars always worked to a high standard of refinement. In 1910, the first of his designs bearing his name to be offered to the public. With a 1327cc single overhead camshaft eight valve four-cylinder engine fitted. It was available with three wheelbase lengths, the Type 13 (See details in Mainly for Fun Part Two)the shortest and the Type 15 and 17 longer to suit body types. The type 15 and 17 were replaced by the Type 22 and 23 in 1920. Three engine sizes were available for the three model range that was made until 1926. 1368cc, 1453cc and 1496cc, all with sixteen valve engines. These were lightweight high performance cars fitted various body types, racing sports and touring.  From 1926 the lightweight cars on offer were the Type 37 and 37A sports (See details in Mainly for Fun Part Two) and the Type 40 tourer.  Fitted with a 1496cc twelve valve single overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine, the 37A being supercharged. These were available to 1930.
1927 Bugatti type 40
Lightweights accounted for forty five percent of the all cars produced made by the company.
 There is one other Bugatti design merits inclusion. In 1913 Bugatti designed for Peugeot an economy car with a 856cc engine which they named the "Babe". It was made until 1915. At it's reintroduction after the First World War, it revised and named the "Quadrilette, and made until 1921. (See details in "A century of Peoples Cars.")

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