The name Bugatti is synonymous with the fastest cars on the planet, but a handful of fans still remember that founder Ettore Bugatti also had his mind set on a Bugatti racing aircraft. The Bugatti 100P aircraft is a project that continues to evolve all of these decades later.

Photo ©Bugatti 100P Project

Back in the 1930s, Ettore Bugatti developed a desire to engineer the best racing aircraft of the era. Unfortunately, the Bugatti racing aircraft project was forced on hold during World War II when Ettore had to flee Paris, France and take his aircraft with him. The project never left the ground, though enthusiasts have since kept the dream alive and worked toward completing what was started so long ago.

The Bugatti 100P aircraft at a glance:

• This was a futuristic aircraft concept for its time, with an innovative forward swept wing layout, a twin-V tailplane and twin contra-rotating propellers.
• Power stemmed from a healthy set of Bugatti straight-eight engines located just behind the cockpit. The engines were specially tweaked 4.9-liter racecar variants with around 450 horsepower.
• The estimated top speed for this aircraft was set at 500 miles per hour.

Today, the Bugatti 100P project carries on the vision and will soon leave the ground. The original shell became a barn find after spending some 30 odd years hidden in a Paris barn, where it was hidden during the war. Following Ettore’s death, the plane changed hands a few times through various collectors before ending up stateside where the two engines were removed and placed in Bugatti vehicles. The original shell is now located at an aircraft museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Ettore Bugatti

You can follow the Reve Bleu (Blue Dream) Facebook page to follow the remarkable journey of the Bugatti 100P as it continues to develop!

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