Thursday 21st August 1947

Ettore Bugatti, the Italian-born and naturalised-French car manufacturer, died at the age of 65. Bugatti specialised in racing and luxury motor vehicles and his factory in Molsheim, France, turned out some of the most expensive cars ever produced. The best-known Bugatti car was Type 41, known as the ‘Golden Bugatti’ or ‘La Royale’. It was produced in the 1920s, meticulously constructed and very expensive – only a few were ever built. After Bugatti’s death, the firm failed to survive, at least in part because Ettore’s eldest son and chosen successor Jean died before Bugatti himself.