Press release10/4/2024

Art, form, technique: revealing the untold stories from 115 years of incomparable Bugatti history

Molsheim

The National Automuseum The Loh Collection is hosting an exclusive seminar on the world and history of the Bugatti brand. Previously unknown archive material and imagery will be showcased, exploring the evolution of the brand over time.

Bugatti Type 59/50 S, Montlhéry 1935: Jean Bugatti, Divo, Benoist and Chief mechanic Lucien Wurmser together in the picture.

The Rothschild Type 57S Atlantic in Iceblue metallic – one of the most beautiful cars of all time. An aesthetic and proportional masterpiece.

At the 1923 Tour de France Grand Prix: the Type 32 was Bugatti's second attempt at building a real Grand Prix car. The incredibly innovative car is reminiscent of a wing in its shape.

1924 in Lyon: the inaugural Grand Prix of Ettore Bugatti's masterpiece. The Type 35 was the first car with aluminum wheels and would dominate Grand Prix racing with all its derivatives over the next 10 years.

The Type 41: Only six of these models with a 12.7-liter inline eight-cylinder engine were built. This car was Ettore Bugatti's personal vehicle (Chassis nr. 41100) and has incredible proportions with a wheelbase of 4.3 meters.

The Bugatti Type 50 with a "fiacre" bodystyle. It shows Ettore Bugatti's love for everything related to horses and carriages.

Louis Chiron, the most successful of all Bugatti drivers, with a one-of-a-kind 16-cylinder Type 45 – at the Klausen Hillclimb in Switzerland in 1930, which he won.

Bugatti unseen – Atlantic 2-door Coupe study, 2008.

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On the 8^th and 9^th November 2024, a panel of experts, including former Bugatti Director of Design Achim Anscheidt, will delve into their experiences and knowledge of Bugatti's historical development and quintessentially authentic design evolution.

Together, these experts will explore a diverse array of Bugatti topics, such as the impact of Ettore Bugatti’s famous mantra, "If it is comparable, it is no longer Bugatti”, both historically and in the modern era. The panel will discuss insights into the history of the Bugatti family, including the work of its artistic members, the future impact of AI on car design and how it can integrate with Bugatti’s traditional engineering values, and the story of Bugatti’s 120-year journey.

The seminar will draw upon contemporary photos, original correspondence and authentic design drawings to bring the spirit of the legendary factory in Molsheim to life. Charting the tragic background to the brand’s tribulations after the Second World War, the significance of the Schlumpf brothers and their Bugatti collection and the brand’s rebirth under Romano Artioli in Campogalliano, right up to the construction of the impressive W16 engine and the beginning of the modern Bugatti era under Ferdinand Karl Piëch.

With previously unpublished drawings and photos of design models from 2004-2023, Achim Anscheidt will recall the efforts to develop a second model series to complement – or succeed – the Veyron and retrace the path from over a dozen model designs to the final design of the Bugatti Chiron. Anscheidt will also offer a glimpse into the design of the recently revealed Tourbillon.

Among the guests registered for the two-day seminar is Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti Rimac.

“Bugatti is an extraordinary brand – created, nurtured and promoted by extraordinary people, from Ettore and Jean Bugatti to Romano Artioli and Ferdinand Piëch. During this special event we can help to illuminate so many of those special stories, supported by the precious Bugatti artefacts of the Loh Collection."