Bugatti GT Cars

Podcast Episode: 0236
From Art Deco Luxury to Supercar Legend

       What if Bugatti could reclaim its throne as the king of luxury cars, blending opulent elegance with contemporary innovation? Join us for a riveting exploration of Bugatti's illustrious past and its dazzling future, as we revisit the days when the marque stood shoulder to shoulder with luxury titans like Rolls-Royce and Bentley.  Only from the AutoLooks Podcast. 

​       Well as it goes, today, Rolls-Royce and Bentley are at the top of the automotive food chain, with companies like YangWang and HongQi poised to take them on, and Aurus from Russia. Can other European marks move up the food chain to compete alongside of them? Well, in the past we did, and one of the most prevalent brands out there, Bugatti, founded by Ettore Bugatti, whose brother was Rembrandt yes, Bugatti, from a famous artistic family, the man who made Bugatti cars and built the legacy of its name. Today, Bugatti is nothing like it once was, because originally it had grand touring cars, not just super fast hypercars. Today, AutoLooks is going to take a look at Bugatti, its GT cars, and should they go after Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
 
     Once again, welcome back to the AutoLooks podcast. I'm your host, as always, the doctor to the automotive industry, Mr. Everett Jay, coming to you from our host website at AutoLooks.net. If you haven't been there, stop by, check it out. Read some of the reviews, check out some of the ratings, find out who won our coveted AutoLooks A-plus award for design excellence from around the world, and soon enough you'll be able to find out which vehicles make the top automobiles for their segments from around the world. All from the AutoLooks.net website and while you're there, stop by check out the corporate links website page. We're updating it as we go this year to ensure the longevity of the AutoLooks.net website, and our corporate links website page is up to date for you the viewer. The AutoLooks podcast is brought to you by Ecomm Entertainment Group and distributed by PodBean.com. If you'd like to get in touch with us, send us an email over at email at AutoLooks.net. 

       So, like I said in the beginning, Bugatti once had grand touring cars, and if you don't know what grand touring cars are, well, let's just give you a little introduction into grand touring cars. Grand touring cars are not what you think they are. Everybody seems to think that they're just, you know, sports cars or supercars. You know part of the sports car chain. Well, they are essentially part of the sports car chain. They're one step up from what you call the grand touring sports cars. These are things like the Huracan and the 458 Ferraris. They're the vehicles that give you creature comforts. Want a perfect example of it? Go and look for the Mercedes SLS AMG, the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti or, in all probable terms, the McLaren GT. Now, in the past we've talked about the GT cars from Ferrari, the ones that kind of gave it its more luxury appeal to basic travelers. Now, these things had tons of power and would still give you all the creature comforts that a standard saloon or sedan may give you, but only in two-door comforts.
 
      Well, Bugatti in its past did have GT cars, and at that comfort. Well, Bugatti in its past did have GT cars and at that point in time, Bugatti was one of the competitors to both Rolls-Royce, Bentley and, at its even high point in time, LaSalle, Cadillac, Imperial from Chrysler, Continental, from Lincoln and, hell, even at one point in time, Mercedes-Benz, the top tier of luxury from around the globe. Bugatti was there and grand touring cars were it. They didn't focus on speed like they do today. In the past they focused on these comforts. One of the most promising cars from their past the Bugatti Type 50.
 
     Now, I don't know how many of these I actually have in Hot Wheels form, probably four or five made in the 1970s, and I got one that's still in decent shape with that black and red. Now, this is a car that essentially paved the way for the design, inspiration and color layout when the Veyron came back to us. Yes, the grand touring cars of its past gave us what we needed. In the future Now, like I said, this is 1931. This is a point in time where in North America our market is falling. But in the future Now, like I said, this is 1931. This is a point in time where in North America our market is falling, but in the European market things are just slowing. But the automobile is growing and it's not all about speed. It's the 1930s Speed, is not it? Big engines with lots of power and lots and lots of luxury.
 
       This was a point in time in automotive history where, yes, sleek designs were great, but creature comforts and the ability to be driven around in something like a Bugatti Type 41 Royale was more in line with what luxury makes were producing, and it's more in line with what customers wanted. Now, the Type 41 Royale was essentially a four-door saloon, a convertible front with an enclosed rear for its main occupants to be driven around in creature comforts. This from a car company that builds the Tourbillon, the Chiron and the Veyron. Over the past 20 years they built these creature comfort vehicles. But why did they do that back then? Well, we, you, the industry wanted things like that. Speed was not big. 

​       Speed came out in the 1950s, so during its early days in the 20s, the 30s and the 40s, Bugatti created this work of art, these art deco vehicles showcasing to us the design elements of the time, creating comfortable lounge cars that you can cruise around in creature comforts anywhere you went. But today Bugatti doesn't do that. But why not? Well, it's a question you have to ask. Throughout its history, you have to remember, the original Bugatti died out in 1963. It died out because Ettore Bugatti and his son jean were gone. There was no family running the company. Without their direction and their amazing designs, this company wasn't moving forward, so it disappeared.
 
      Well, in 1987, that all changed. Bugatti Automobili SPA arrived on the scene and with it, a future with not only supercars but with sedans was coming out. And hell, the rebirth of the Bugatti GT. In 87, when Bugatti's name and this car company was being reborn and the EB110 was about to come out, they were contemplating moving Bugatti back into the same likes of where Rolls-Royce and Bentley were now. They wanted a French competitor to the big luxury makes. And hell, France had had luxury makes in its past, but today they had none. They'd been whittled down to just Renault, Citroen and Peugeot. No major luxury makes whatsoever existed in France, but Bugatti and its name, so synonymous with French luxury, was on its way back. Now, the funniest thing about this is Bugatti. When you hear it, you don't think of France at all. Well, essentially, that's all in truth, because Bugatti wasn't French.
 
      Bugatti was essentially born in Milan, Italy, to Carlos and Teresa Bugatti, his brother Rembrandt. They were a famous family of designers and engineers. Vittorio wanted to be like the rest of his family and build amazing things for the world. A lot of people in his family were artists. He wanted to showcase his art through his automobiles. Seeing this brand-new technology coming out to the world, he wanted to build vehicles for the future and by doing so, he created some of the most beautiful vehicles in the history of the automobile, like we originally said, the Bugatti type 50 and one of the most famous ones, the type 57 Atlantic. Yes, the Bugatti Atlantic registered as an actual piece of art. He gave us these beautiful masterpieces but, like we said, he was born in Italy, so he wasn't French. He became French when he founded Bugatti cars. Bugatti cars, even today, is a French automotive company, and with that, they wanted to build luxury cars for the world.
 
     With the arrival of the EB110, a plan was put in place to bring more money to fund its successor, and to do that as its own car company. You would have to build vehicles for the general masses, and to do that, Bugatti would have to look forward into its past. They would have to take a look at the old Royale's. They'd have to take a look at these old saloons and the creature comforts that they had. They'd have to look at vehicles like the Type 50 and how it had four seats in it, not two. They needed vehicles to push them into their future and they needed to do it in a way that they can make money. Well, the depression of the 1980s was behind us and essentially, the second roaring generation of the 90s was upon us. So, Bugatti laid out a plan to give us something that the world may want for its future. 

​       They built a concept in the early 90s, right around the time the EB110 was released. Built off a similar platform and utilizing the same engines, they came up with the EB-112 concept, an ultra-luxury sedan built for the high-end marketplace. This was a vehicle that would eventually give form to the Veyron, if you actually seen its design, but unfortunately its design was very similar to that of most standardized products of that point in time and with low financial assistance. The EB-112 never made it past the concept phase. With the EB-110 selling, they needed to utilize the profits from that to help build and finance new products. Well, with the 112 not moving forward, they thought maybe, just maybe they can go a little bit different step. Moving forward, they thought maybe, just maybe they can go a little bit different step and they created a concept for a two-door grand touring product built off the 112's platform.
 
     The EB118 concept came out, essentially a reborn Type 50 from the past. This was something the Bugatti needed to win the marketplace. This was a vehicle that Bugatti needed to put into production, but they couldn't. They still couldn't finance the projects when the 112 gave us the image of what Bugatti was supposed to become and the 118 showcased us that coupes can still be made from the Bugatti nameplate. It doesn't just have to be supercars. They were competing on the same grounds as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Porsche and Lotus and at this point in time in history, during the 90s, there were tons of supercar manufacturers out there all vying for a piece of a smaller piece of pie than what exists today. But as that market was growing and the demand for both sports cars, GT, GTS and super cars was growing. Bugatti wanted to get their feet in, but they needed to finance even better products.
 
      You see, in the automotive world, when you release your first vehicle, it's the one that goes out and paves the way for your corporation. But once that's released into the world, you can't just put it out there and forget about it. You have to remember where it came from and you have to build a product very quickly to follow it up. But why do we have to do this? Well, you need to make money somehow and you can't just put a car out there and think it's going to be able to run forever, because technology changes, people's tastes change and if you have the exact same design, eventually people are going to tire of it. Have you ever wondered why sales at a lot of previous Chrysler Corporation brands are slowly drying up? Chrysler has been wheeled down to just the Pacifica. Dodge is essentially the Hornet and the remnants of what remains of the Durango. The Charger is coming out and they need the Charger to be a success, to build more sales and more profit margins to help finance its future lineup.
 
     That is what Bugatti needed. They needed more money to build their future lineup, and these grand touring products are what they really needed, because Bugatti was a creature comfort vehicle in the beginning and all they had right now was the EB110. They had a supercar out in the production lines, going as fast as possible and competing with some of the top tier supercars, but it didn't have the dealerships, the sales force and the publicity that the others had. Hell, it didn't even have its history, because by the time it arrived in the 90s it had been over 30 years, an entire generation since its demise. And when it disappeared it disappeared on its lowest note possible.
 
     Everybody remembers Bugatti’s from the 1930s and the 1940s, but from the 1950s a lot of their models have been forgotten. A model like the Type 101 is not something you think of in an everyday manner. It's not something you look at when you think of Bugatti. There were creature comforts to those vehicles, but Bugatti's name wasn't big enough to hold its own. And you also have to remember the 50s is when the 300SL came out and brand-new supercars were coming to the market.
 
     Lamborghini gave us their first automobile in old, true fashion. It was a Grand Touring product. From there they moved into supercar territory. Ferrari was really pushing their Grand Touring products back then, and Ferrari has always had GT products in its lineup. Lamborghini has completely moved away from that, being a car company that really exists only on one product. 

​      Up until 20 years ago, when the Gallardo finally came out, Bugatti couldn't do this because it was all on its own and after the fall, the 118 couldn't get off the ground. They tried one last time to get one last grand touring saloon to the marketplace, and in 1999, Bugatti showed us the EB218 concept, its essential rebirth of the EB110, showcasing to us a more streamlined design for the tastes of today. But unfortunately, the tastes of today were changing and vehicles like the Viper and the Corvette were evolving with harder lines. The sleek, flowing lines of the EB218 would be lost in a sea of futuristic and ultimate design changes. These were the days where the Cadillac CTS was about to hit the market, hard lines were coming in and Bugatti was going after the gelatinous blobs that we had from the early 90s. But we all know what happened next. Bugatti Automobili SBA died out, but in its fall, Volkswagen Automotive Group picked it up, and with that, Volkswagen was going to utilize the technology created by the EB110 to breathe life into a new concept for Volkswagen the Volkswagen W12. Now Volkswagen liked to play with their engines and merge them together. The W12 was two V6s side by side, kind of like the W18 or the W16, two (2) V8s merged side by side.
 
     Volkswagen was playing around with brand new ideas and, after buying the Bugatti nameplate, they utilized the design from the EB110 to build the premise of its new supercar. You see, as 1999 gave us the 218-concept car, Volkswagen decided to do away with any ideas of building an ultra luxury sedan. They wanted to focus on what made Bugatti great in the 90s a supercar. And with that they utilized the design from the EB-112 to give birth to the new Bugatti vera, a supercar unlike any other supercar in the world. This was better than the McLaren F1. Volkswagen wanted to sit on top of the automotive food chain but, as they already knew, you can't do it alone. And eventually Volkswagen would play around with the idea of creating creature comfort vehicles, GT saloons to help give Bugatti more flavor. But you have to remember, Volkswagen at this point in time owned Bentley Motors, so they didn't want two competing companies.
 
     Bentley played around with the idea of building a supercar in 1999, the same year the EB218 came out, the Hunaudieres concept was showcasing to us what they were going to do. Bentley was going to move into supercar territory, but at this point in time, Volkswagen would get their hands on Bugatti and they would make it so that Bentley would become its own dedicated top-tier luxury maker and with that, Bugatti would be the ultra-supercar manufacturer with the new Veyron. But, like we said, they had platforms and they wanted to utilize them to make more money, similar to that of how General Motors built so many different things off the exact same platform. They wanted to do this and they wanted to breathe new life into Bentley owners' garages, because Bentley owners didn't have a supercar. A lot of them would go out and buy a Veyron to go around fast, but then they'd choose a Bentley as creature comforts. Well, they wanted to go one step up from Bentley. Yes, you can do that and create an ultra luxury vehicle.
 
      And in 2009, Volkswagen finally gave us something built off of a Bentley platform the Bugatti Galibier concept, a brand new four-seater, four-door Grand Touring saloon from the Bugatti nameplate. This thing was put even higher up than a Rolls-Royce Phantom. It was ultra luxury. It had the high-speed appeal of the Veyron with all of the luxury creature comforts that we wanted. So why didn't they build it? Why didn't Bugatti go ahead and do that? Well, they had the Veyron and before too long they would have the Chiron. And then Volkswagen realized there's a market for customizable vehicles where the Chiron would morph into the Devo, the Centodieci, the Bolide, the Mistral. It would morph into a multitude of different models to ensure the longevity of the platform. Where the original EB110S only gave us the one product, the Veyron had all kinds of special additions, while the Chiron was more of a coach-built product, with a multitude of different designs coming off the same vehicle, with a multitude of different designs coming off the same vehicle and owning Bentley. 

​      At that time, Volkswagen didn't want competition within their own stable, where Volkswagen had been fighting to keep Skoda underneath the Volkswagen brand. This battle was being lost and demand for Bugatti, Grand Touring cars and SUVs was starting to heat up. But Bugatti wasn't going to do it. They didn't want to compete with Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Maybach. No, they just wanted to be the ultimate supercar. Well, the internet is such a great thing because so many people can create so many different designs of pre-existing products.
 
      By the time the Chiron came onto the scene, Bugatti started playing around with the idea of building an SUV to keep their customers happy. The Megalon was a CG-created concept online to showcase what an SUV for Bugatti would create. Volkswagen had stated the project was essentially a go not for production, but for research and development. Hell, a few years later we got something called the Spartacus CG, which kind of took the Mistral design and gave us an SUV appeal. But then again, Bugatti didn't want to move into this territory. Why? Because SUVs were big and burly and Bentley had the Bentayga. Sure, the Q8 and the Urus are built off the same platform, but the Bentayga needed another ultra-luxury competitor, and Bentley is supposed to compete in the same lines as Rolls-Royce. But Bentley doesn't.
 
      Rolls-Royce caters every single one of their vehicles to their clientele. They give you the ability to customize every single piece of the vehicle. Bentley does this, but not to the same way that Rolls-Royce does it. Bugatti could do this, and they could do it with an SUV. Hell, they can do it with a GT Saloon. This is coming from the Volkswagen stable, where we have the Panamera. Why not create a GT Saloon Bugatti off a Panamera platform?
 
      Well, Volkswagen was smart. They didn't want to saturate the brand, whereas they'd seen the Porsche brand become oversaturated. It's just becoming another luxury car make, dropping it from sports car status into the luxury field. They didn't want to do that with Bugatti. Customers are demanding an SUV and even a GT saloon from Bugatti, but you have to remember, customers also demanded an SUV and a GT saloon from Lamborghini, where in the end, we only got one. But you have to remember, Lamborghini created a pickup truck. Well, I wouldn't consider it a pickup truck, I'd consider it more of a super sport exotic truck from the 1980s. But they only did that on the basis of going after a military contract and, in similar fashion to the LFA, they decided to build the vehicle when they lost the contract. The LFA was built because Formula One changed from V10s to V8s. So why didn't Bugatti do it? There was no history, there was no reason to do it. What Bugatti would do is, since they were on such a top tier in the world for price, for luxury and for appeal, they did not want to saturate that brand. Because if they create a GT saloon, even though the 16C Galibier was an amazing vehicle and would be a product that would not be sold under seven figures, it could still saturate the brand. We get it.
 
      Bugatti had a lot of Grand Touring products in its past, but when the original company died out in 1963, that was it. The Grand Touring ride was over. Bugatti wasn't about ultra-high luxury when it was reborn in the late 80s. It was a supercar manufacturer, and the mentality of today's generation is that Bugatti is for supercars. It's speed and power. And today Bugatti is being run by Mate Rimac, the builder of the Rimac Navara, one of the fastest electric cars in the entire world, next to the Spark Owl. I'm sorry Japan kind of took that away from you, mate, but you were the first. 

       ​Rimac has been asked if they're going to do that as well. Are you going to follow suit with what Volkswagen had considered or what Bugatti Automobili had considered in the 90s? No, Bugatti may change its power sources for the future, but it is not going to become mainstream Now that it's Bugatti-Rimac automobiles. Bugatti is going to stay where it is. Its grand touring past is never going to come back, even if customers demand it. But why? Because when customers demand it and they want a product to suit their needs, the dealers are just going to point them in the direction of other products from their stable. Do you want an SUV, get a Bentayga. Do you want a sedan, get a Mulsanne. Do you want a grand touring sedan, get a Panamera. Rimac, because it is a new company and because it doesn't have the history behind it even though it built one of the fastest electric cars in the world doesn't mean that it can't change. And that is where Rimac is going to change.
 
     For Bugatti, see what this marriage is going to do is Bugatti is essentially going to have Grand Touring vehicles in its future, but it's not going to do is. Bugatti is essentially going to have grand touring vehicles in its future, but it's not going to have them under the Bugatti name plate. This is similar to Aston Martin. Where Aston Martin was originally the luxury, grand touring and supercar manufacturer, Lagonda was there for sedans. Now, unfortunately, they lost their way where the DBX came out, and the DBX should have been the Lagonda DBX, same with the Rapide. It should have been the Lagonda Rapide so as not to saturate the Aston Martin image. Hell, even the Signet should have been a Lagonda Mate.
 
      Rimac is smart and he understands this. Bugatti has built itself as being the most premier supercar manufacturer in the world, surpassing the likes of Ferrari. So, to keep that, he has to keep Bugatti in its place. By adding more models to it, he could saturate the brand and bring it down from being the top tier of the supercar world and bring it into line with Ferrari. You have to remember; just like in high school your image is key to who you are. Bugatti's image today is high speed. We can't throw something with creature comforts and that's a lot slower into the mix. We have to pair it with another brand. Do you really think Volkswagen was dumb when they just decided to give Rimac the reins to the Bugatti nameplate? No, Volkswagen wanted electric vehicle technology from Rimac and in turn, Rimac would make the decisions at Bugatti. But in the end, Rimac would become the Grand Touring products for the Bugatti nameplate, but without saturating the Bugatti name.
 
     Bugatti today won't have Grand Touring products like its past. No matter how much we demand to get a brand-new Bugatti Atlantic brought out, it will never happen, because Bugatti in its form today is all about one thing High-end speed. If you can't open the door of a brand-new Bugatti product, look at it and automatically think this thing is worth more than what I paid for it. The Bugatti is not doing their job. Sure, we could bring in more customers and create more sales, like adding the GT nameplates to Bugatti. We could bring back its history, but, like Lamborghini once stated, why do we need to dip our toes into the past when we already were there? We need to keep looking towards the future, and that is where Bugatti is going.
 
       The Bugatti GT cars were no longer existent in its history. Bugatti is one thing and one thing only ultra cars. It's about ultra high endurance speed, and that is what made Bugatti one thing and one thing only ultra cars. It's about ultra high endurance speed, and that is what made Bugatti into the car company it is today. Creature comforts are what made it in this past. So today, with Rimac in charge, Bugatti has its future set out for itself and with that, sorry to say that great products at the EB112 and the 218 sedans of the past will no longer be able to come out. The 16c galloper was an amazing product but unfortunately, unless a coach builder wants to build it off a Bentley Mulsanne or even a Porsche Panamera platform, we will never get it. And for all those hoping for a Bugatti SUV, don't hold your breath, because you're going to pass out before it ever arrives. 

      Do you really think Bugatti should get dip its toes into its past, or should it just keep moving forward? Tell us what you think at the bottom. Click the like button, like this, share this and comment about it and tell us what you think Bugatti should do. Should they dip their toes into the past and bring back grand touring products to the nameplate? They had a lot of amazing, great products that were either here or were supposed to be here and never came. Was Volkswagen right in cancelling the 16C Galibier? Tell us at the bottom. Tell us your stories about Bugatti and tell us what you have learned and what you think about this amazing car company and its glorious past of creature comfort. Should they go after the likes of Rolls-Royce? Should Volkswagen make Bugatti their Rolls-Royce or Bentley is just more of a premier brand. And, like we said, click the like button. Click like, follow and share at the bottom and after you've done that, stop by the website, read some of the reviews, check out some of the ratings. Go to the Corporate Links website page and check out all of our reviews on over 600 vehicles that we rated on our design formula for model year 2025, all available on the AutoLooks.net website and, if you liked that, send us an email over at email at AutoLooks.net. Give us your thoughts and your opinions about any of the things we've talked about in this podcast or any others. Tell us what you think and we'll share it with the world, all from the AutoLooks.net website.
 
      The AutoLooks Podcast is brought to you by Ecomm Entertainment Group and distributed by PodBean.com. If you'd like to get in touch with us, send us an email over at email at AutoLooks.net. The AutoLooks Podcast is hosted by the one and only doctor to the automotive industry, Mr. Everett Jay, who is also the founder, creator, sound organizer and all-around purveyor of automotive specialties. Yes, Everett Jay is the one-man team from AutoLooks. So, we'd like to say if you like this podcast, please like, share and follow us. And from myself, Everett Jay, the Ecomm Entertainment Group and PodBean.com strap yourself in for this one fun wild ride that the AutoLooks podcast and Bugatti is going to take us on into the future. Thank you. 

Everett J.
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