Romano Artioli

Italian entrepreneur who acquired Bugatti trademark rights in 1987, founded Bugatti Automobili at Campogalliano, and presented the EB110 in Paris on 15 September 1991.

Born on 5 December 1932 in Moglia, Mantua, Artioli moved to Bolzano at five and studied mechanical engineering. At sixteen he repaired cars in his family’s garage. The family later opened Garage 1000 Miglia and founded Autexpò. Artioli became a Ferrari dealer, opened a Stuttgart branch and imported Japanese cars including Suzuki. In 1952, aged twenty, he learned that Bugatti production had ceased.

After negotiations with the French government, Artioli acquired the Bugatti trademark in 1987, founded Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. and became chairman. He had considered Molsheim, but said the region then lacked production halls and engineers. He chose Campogalliano near Modena and commissioned his cousin, architect Giampaolo Benedini, to design the works. The factory opened on 15 September 1990, Ettore Bugatti’s 109th birthday.

Artioli’s brief to Modenese engineers called for all-wheel drive and a car, including its engine, designed in-house. Initial EB110 sketches came from the designer of the Lamborghini Miura and Countach; Benedini modified the wedge-shaped design for production. On 15 September 1991, Ettore Bugatti’s 110th birthday, Artioli presented the EB110 in Paris with a carbon monocoque, quad-turbo 3.5-litre V12, five valves per cylinder and permanent four-wheel drive.

The EB110 was offered as a GT and later as the lighter Super Sport. Michael Schumacher bought a yellow Super Sport in 1994. As the supercar market contracted, Artioli’s 1993 purchase of Lotus added financial pressure. On 23 September 1995, after production of about 128 cars, he filed for bankruptcy and paid the 220 Campogalliano employees to their last day.