Bugatti Type 101 History

Introduced at the 1951 Paris Auto Show, the Type 101 was Bugatti's attempt to restart automobile production after World War II and the deaths of both Jean Bugatti (1939) and Ettore Bugatti (1947). Responsibility passed to Ettore's younger son Roland. The 101 was mechanically conservative — it used the proven 3.257-litre straight-eight from the prewar Type 57, updated with a new cylinder head — but its chassis was modern enough to accept coachwork by four different specialist builders: Gangloff, Guilloré, Antem, and Ghia.

Only seven new chassis were completed; at least two additional Type 57 chassis were converted to Type 101 specification, bringing the total to roughly nine cars. The combination of high price, conservative engineering relative to postwar Italian and British rivals, and the company's difficult financial position meant the 101 found almost no buyers. The last Type 101 was bodied by Ghia to a Virgil Exner design in 1965 on the final unused chassis — an attempt to attract investment that ultimately failed. The original Bugatti company was sold to Hispano-Suiza in 1963, making the Type 101 the last automobile produced under family ownership.