BOOKS
Blue is the colour – and the mood left behind
Prestige, cashflow, jobs – all seemed assured with Bugatti’s rebirth. Gordon Cruickshank learns what stifled the dream
Glittering dreams: in 1990
Bugatti’s shiny factory heralded a new supercar player – but is now a sad symbol of failure
GAMMA-RAPHO VIA GETTY IMAGES
It was a bold adventure – resurrecting a defunct marque with a huge story behind it, and for a while it seemed to have succeeded. Then everything went wrong for the reborn Bugatti…
Today around Monte Carlo or Kensington you can see plenty of evidence that Bugatti continues, but only because in 1998 the Volkswagen Group bought out the bankrupt firm. This book tells the story of the 10 years before that, years of excitement, squabbling, drama and high hopes that saw the revered name reborn as an Italian firm instead of a French one – only to be liquidated as the result of recession, disastrous sales and cashflow problems.