12 Awesome Bugatti Facts for Car Enthusiasts

In the 60s to the 80s, when you’re talking about fast and exotic cars, you probably are going to discuss Ferraris and Lamborghinis. To an extent, Porsche and Aston Martin may also come to mind. These days, however, that same talk can be a little more varied. A lot of car manufacturers have released top-notch cars, like McLaren, Ford, Koenigsegg, Pagani, and of course Bugatti. Although Bugatti has been established since the early 1900s, it wasn’t until the release of the magnificent Bugatti Veyron that the manufacturer gained worldwide fame.

There are many reasons to love Bugatti. The models look very exotic and elegant. They have cool engines that support their top speed too. That’s the reason why Bugatti’s cars are always sold at a very high price. At one point, a Bugatti even held the record as the most expensive car in the world. If you’re a car enthusiast who would want to deep dive and learn about the fun facts of Bugatti, you’re certainly in the right place to be. Without further ado, let’s take a ride on our list and see through the best facts about Bugatti!

1. Bugatti is NOT a French Brand, And It’s Been Defunct for Some Time Before Getting Revived in the 90s

Just because Ferrari and Lamborghini came from one country, Italy, it does not mean that Bugatti has to originate from a specific country. It’s true that the brand was founded in Alsace, France.

However, Ettore Bugatti, the man responsible behind these exclusive cars, was born and raised in Milan, Italy. Then, the infamous Type 10 car was built in Germany. If you’ve drawn the line, you’ll notice that there’s no specific country for Bugatti to be attached. 

Oh, one more thing: if you think that the Bugatti brand we all love is the same giant since its inception in 1909, you’re gravely mistaken. Although Bugatti has always been a successful automotives company that released awesome and successful racing cars, two tragic accidents played a part in their downfall.

Ettore Bugatti died in 1947. But the real tragedy happened in 1939, Ettore’s son, Jean, passed away due to an accident while testing one of Bugatti’s cars. Jean was supposed to be the inheritor of the company, but now that all plans were scrapped, Bugatti ceased to defunct in the 60s. 

There are various attempts to revive the legendary company. But all seemed to be in vain until Volkswagen stepped in and bought Bugatti. Since then, Bugatti hasn’t looked back and released a lot of cool cars, like the Bugatti Veyron. 

2. Volkswagen Considers Bugatti as Hobby Brand

Volkswagen used to have the rights to manufacture Bugatti vehicles. It was bought by the late Ferdinand Piech as a crown jewel of the company. 

However, since his passing, Volkswagen decided to take a different approach for the company. They considered Bugatti as a side project and hobby brand, and that’s the reason why they decided to sell the brand to Rimac. Moving forward, Volkswagen will aim to use their resources for electrification, autonomous driving, and car digitalization. 

3. It’s A Plane! Oh, It’s A Train Too!

If you’re not a hardcore Bugatti fan, you might not know that Bugatti also produced other modes of transportations. During the 1920s all the way through the early 1930s, Ettore Bugatti was researching and designing the first ever high-speed railway system. It finally launched in 1933, gaining praise due to the fact that the railcars were light, clean, and more comfortable compared to other trains back then. 

After the first world war, Bugatti has become more interested in air transportations too. Hence, he dedicated his time to develop some models for upcoming airplanes.

The Model 100, Bugatti’s first aircraft model, was supposed to enter a race. However, he failed to meet the deadline for entry and its production was never completed until his death.  

4. Bugatti Was the Most Expensive Car in the World, But It Could Potentially Be in the Future

At one point in time, the Bugatti La Voiture Noire was sold at a price of 12 million dollars. It’s not for a bad reason either, as the La Voiture Noire is a one-of-a-kind hypercar that offers a cool riding experience. 

Plus, there’s only one La Voiture Noire made in the entire world. Sadly, the title for the most expensive car has been handed over to the equally beautiful Rolls-Royce Boat Tail. This stunning car was sold for 28 million dollars!

Bugatti may have lost the title of “the most expensive car to be sold”, but they have the potential to retain that title. The problem is, the car that we’re going to talk about is missing, and nobody knows its current whereabouts.

Confused already? Don’t be, because we’re discussing the legendary Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic Coupe. Only four of these were made, and one is missing!

The car is surely elegant and cool. That’s the reason why car collectors all around the world are dying to hunt down this missing item. If found, the car is estimated to be worth around $114 million!

Rolls-Royce can say goodbye to their status of being the most expensive car should we ever find this Atlantic Coupe variant to the Type 57. 

5. First Victory at the First Ever Monaco Grand Prix

Nowadays, Bugatti makes hypercar that can cruise through the streets with ease. However, do you know that in the early 20^th century, they used to enter racing tournaments and dominated them?

In fact, Bugatti won the first ever Monaco Grand Prix in 1929. That day, Bugatti racer William Charles Frederick Grover used the legendary Bugatti Type 35 B.

The Monaco Grand Prix is an annual racing event that is celebrated by race car enthusiasts all around the world. To win one is certainly an achievement. But winning the first ever Monaco Grand Prix is a feat that only Bugatti has! 

6. The Most Successful Racing Car of All Time

Winning the first ever Monaco Grand Prix is a big deal. But certainly, a car manufacturer has to achieve more in order to attain worldwide fame. Thanks to the Type 35 model, Bugatti did just that. Since its launch in the early 20s, the Type 35 model has been helping Bugatti cross the finishing line first for countless times.

It is estimated that this particular car has won over 2000 races during its lifetime. No car model can ever come close to matching that number. It’s practically the reason why this model is hailed as the most successful racing car of all time, even to this date!

7. Bugatti Bolide: the Most Beautiful Hypercar in the World

Ettore Bugatti once said: “If it is comparable, it is no longer Bugatti”. Perhaps that quote helps Bugatti to up their game for such a long time.

It’s also safe to say that they earned a sweet result in return. In 2021, Bugatti Bolide was voted as the world’s most beautiful hypercar. Experts gathered during the 36^th Festival Automobile International in Paris, and Bolide won by a substantial margin!

8. Breaking World Records Left and Right

If the history of winning racing tournaments isn’t enough for Bugatti, perhaps the satisfaction of breaking world records will do. In 2017, Bugatti’s latest car, Bugatti Chiron broke the world record for the fastest time reached from a standstill to four hundred kilometers per hour.

Racer Juan Pablo Montoya was the man behind the wheel during the milestone event. He further praised the power and speed of the car as well as its stability. So cool, right? 

9. Bugatti Has 10 Radiators in Each Car

A normal car would only require one or two radiators inside. But in order to keep Bugatti Chiron in shape, they’re putting 10 radiators inside each Bugatti. It is installed to make sure that the car performs at a high level without taking too much heat.

It may be surprising for most people, because other powerful cars like the Pagani and Koenigsegg only need just one radiator inside. But hey, that’s why people say Bugatti is one-of-a-kind, right?

Did you know that in order to keep Bugatti Chiron’s coolant circuit running, it’s going to take 800 liters of water to be pumped every minute?

It’s crazy and resource-consuming when you think about it, but it all falls down to the needs of the car. In fact, Bugatti has stated before that Chiron’s radiators are powerful enough to make an “apartment in Europe” cool. 

10. Take Care of the Wheels, Because It’s So Expensive

A person who owns a Bugatti car really needs to have a precise calculation for their expenses first. The heavy burden of buying a Bugatti does not stop after purchasing it. In fact, if you blew the tire and decided to buy a new one, it’s going to cost you 100,000 US dollars!

That number might seem crazy, but the high maintenance cost doesn’t stop there. Authentic fuel tank replacement will cost you $42,000. You also need to be saving $21,800 for a quad turbo replacement. It’s safe to say that owning a Bugatti is not a privilege that all people can have.

11. A New Kind of Brake

The Bugatti Veyron is one of Bugatti’s most famous cars. It is cool and unique. It also has two different braking systems. Aside from the conventional mechanical brake, the Bugatti Veyron is also equipped with the cool air brakes.

When you’re going to take this bad boy at 200 km an hour, the air brake will turn on automatically and slow your speed by 0.6g. It will help keep the vehicle at a safe speed. Truly an innovative technology that is really needed for a hypercar like the Bugatti Veyron!

12. Bugatti Divo “Ladybug”: Two Years in the Making

When we talk about Bugatti, the Veyron and Chiron will be at the top of the talking order. However, people are quick to forget that there is one special Bugatti car that catches people’s attention: the Bugatti Divo.

But the Bugatti Divo that we’re going to be discussing is a quite unique one, as it is custom-painted by the owner himself. 

Meet “Ladybug”.  The cool and special Bugatti Divo took two years to finish. It’s so long and hard that Bugatti nearly gave up on the project! It’s not that surprising, considering that they have to carefully paint through the diamond-shaped stencils on the body.

Each time they tried to do that, the color would distort because of the car’s nature. Thankfully, they never call it quits and finish it after a couple of years.