A friend who designs interiors, dresses and hats for a living recently rekindled my love of the hunt. The prey? Inspired gifts to bundle up, wrap and bow-tie for her birthday. The bounty was extremely well received, and most in awe was my friend with the table-book describing the history of Italian design company Bugatti.
Bugatti: D3000; f/3.5; Exposure Time: 1/60sec; ISO-200. Midnight in Dubai.
1881 Milano and Ettore Bugatti, the artist, the engineer, the designer, is born. At 17, he installed a motor on a tricycle. After that, he installed twin DeDeon engines on another tricycle. In 1897, he raced his first vehicle, a bicycle.
By 1901, Bugatti had created his first automobile with the help of the Gulinelli brothers. He introduced it in Milan at the International Exhibition, and the French Automobile Club presented him with the T2 prize for the vehicle’s construction.
Bugatti: D3000; f/3.5; Exposure Time: 1/60sec; ISO-200. Midnight in Dubai.
When Bugatti had free time, he worked in the basement of his apartment in Cologne, creating automobile designs. Here he developed the Model 10. His assistant, Ernest Fredrich, drove Bugatti automobiles in races marking the beginning of the make’s success on the racing circuit. The Model 10 came second in the 1911 French Grand Prix.
Automaker Peugeot snapped Bugatti up and the Babe Peugeot with a Model 19 engine was produced. Between 1914 and 1918, the years of WWI, Bugatti developed and produced aircraft engines for both the American and French governments, delivering the capital he needed to fund his true love…
Bugatti: D3000; f/3.5; Exposure Time: 1/60sec; ISO-200. Midnight in Dubai.
Ettore Bugatti wanted to offer his customers beauty in design. The Model 35 was the first Bugatti to sport aluminum spoke wheels. It was equipped with a 2.3-liter 8-cylinder engine, and it came to claim 2,000 race victories. It remains the most successful racecar on record.
Bugatti: D3000; f/3.5; Exposure Time: 1/60sec; ISO-200. Midnight in Dubai.
Fast forward to 2012, and this magnificent species – the Bugatti Veyron SS – the undisputed fasted production car, ever made – is spotted enjoying at rest, at Al Qasr, Dubai.
Now, according to the Emerati who stopped by and chatted with me as I was ogling this creature, the Veyron has a top speed of 258 miles per hour (yes that’s 415 km/hour), packs in 1,200 horse-power, and will squeeze your bank manager’s good will to the tune of $1.5 million.
I just adore her cause she can carry off midnight blue. And as any gal would tell you, midnight blue is a hard colour to wear…
Bugatti: D3000; f/3.5; Exposure Time: 1/60sec; ISO-200. Midnight in Dubai.
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