The Bugatti Type 101: A Post-War Attempt to Revive a Legendary Name

Fragile Resurrection - The end of a great war often leaves behind more than ruins and memories; it reshapes industries, identities, and ambitions. For Bugatti, a brand once synonymous with elegance and engineering brilliance, the post–World War II era became a fragile crossroads between legacy and survival. Out of this uncertain landscape emerged the Bugatti Type 101, a car that quietly carried the weight of a comeback few believed was possible.

The one-off Bugatti Type 101 'Berline' with the chassis number 101.500 is designed by Louis Lepoix and then constructed by the German coachbuilder, Karosseriebau Hermann Spohn. (Picture from: Coachbuild)

Before the war, Bugatti had enjoyed a golden age throughout the 1920s and 1930s, dominating both racetracks and grand boulevards with equal authority. That momentum collapsed abruptly in 1939 when Jean Bugatti, Ettore Bugatti’s gifted and visionary son, died during a high-speed testing accident. His loss was not only personal but structural, removing the creative force destined to lead the company into the future just as Europe descended into chaos.

The prototype of Bugatti Type 101 'Berline' 4-doors saloon was built based on a prewar chassis of Type 57. (Picture from: Coachbuild)

The war years were devastating for Bugatti on every level. Facilities were damaged, finances evaporated, and management structures fell apart under occupation and political turmoil. Ettore Bugatti himself was effectively sidelined, stranded in Paris after the war and labeled a belligerent by the French government due to his Italian citizenship. His properties were seized, and any remaining control over the company slipped away. When Ettore died in 1947 at the age of 58, the remnants of the Bugatti enterprise were fragmented between families from his two marriages, further complicating recovery efforts. 

This early model of Bugatti Type 101 'Berline' 4-doors saloon with the chassis number of 101-500 was only one unit ever built and now sat on display at the Cité de l’Automobile in Mulhouse. (Picture from: Tumblr)

Yet Bugatti’s story did not end with legal disputes and broken factories. Former employees, engineers, and designers who had once worked under “Le Patron” felt a deep responsibility to restore the marque’s dignity. Their motivation was not commercial ambition alone, but loyalty to an ideal of craftsmanship that Bugatti represented to the automotive world. 

The Bugatti Type 73 powered by a supercharged one-liter engine is made and displayed at the 1947 Paris Salon de l'Automobile. (Picture from: PHAutomobile)

Leadership gradually passed to Ettore’s youngest son, Roland Bugatti, supported by Pierre Marco, the company’s general manager and a former Bugatti racing driver. Their first attempt to revive the brand came with the Bugatti Type 73, a compact car powered by a supercharged one-liter engine. Displayed at the 1947 Paris Salon de l’Automobile, it failed to attract meaningful attention and is now remembered as an earnest but unsuccessful step forward.

1951 Bugatti Type 101 Guilloré Coupe with the chassis number of 101-502. (Picture from: UltimateCarPage)

Realizing a different approach was needed, Bugatti turned backward to move ahead. Rather than designing an entirely new platform, the company reused six, possibly seven, prewar Type 57 chassis and rebadged them as the Bugatti Type 101. These cars were not built in-house but entrusted to several coachbuilders—Gangloff, Guilloré, Antem, and Ghia—each giving the same mechanical foundation a distinct visual identity. 

At the 1950 Paris Salon de l'Automobile, Bugatti showed two examples of Type 101, a Coupe (up) and Cabriolet (below) with the chassis number of 101-501 and 101-503, both clothed by Gangloff, a Swiss/French coachbuilder. (Picture from: Supercars.net)

The earliest Type 101 prototype was based on a modified Type 57 chassis and styled by industrial designer Louis Lucien Lepoix. Execution of the bodywork in 1950 is commonly attributed to the German firm Hermann Spohn, although some records credit Alphonse Guilloré instead, leaving its true builder a matter of debate. What is certain is that only one example of this prototype configuration was ever produced, and it survives today at the Cité de l’Automobile in Mulhouse as a rare physical witness to Bugatti’s postwar struggle.

This Bugatti Type 101 cabriolet with the chassis number of 101-503 was bodied by Gangloff. (Picture from: en.WheelsAge.org)

Following the prototype, chassis numbers 101-501 and 101-503 were completed by Gangloff as a coupe and a cabriolet, while 101-502 became another coupe under Guilloré’s craftsmanship. These cars carried forward Bugatti’s refined mechanical DNA but were often criticized for inconsistent build quality and proportions that felt uneasy compared to their prewar predecessors.

This Bugatti Type 101 with the chassis number of 101-504 was bodied by Antem in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Paris for shown off at the 1951 Paris Salon de l'Automobile. (Picture from: ConceptCarz)

The most visually striking Type 101 arrived with chassis 101-504, bodied by Antem of Neuilly-sur-Seine and unveiled at the 1951 Paris Salon de l’Automobile. Mechanically, it stayed close to Bugatti tradition, using a 3.3-liter dual overhead camshaft inline-eight engine, semi-independent front suspension, a live rear axle, and a Cotal pre-selector gearbox. Aesthetically, however, it embraced a fully modern, streamlined envelope body, retaining only Bugatti’s iconic horseshoe grille as a link to the past.

This Bugatti Type 101 had once owned by the famous Hollywood star Nicolas Cages. (Picture from: ConceptCarz)

Finished in black over red, the Antem-bodied Type 101 coupe stood apart as the most radical interpretation of the model and the only one of its kind. It was preserved by a succession of prominent collectors and initially returned to Molsheim after its salon appearance, where it was registered for road use. It is believed to have been driven by René Bolloré, who later married Ettore Bugatti’s widow, Geneviève Delcluze.

This Bugatti Type 101 was bodied by Antem in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Paris and sold to an unknown buyer at the prices of the US. $616,000 in one auction event held by RM Sotheby at Monterey on August 20, 2011. (Picture from: ConceptCarz)

Over the decades, this singular car passed through notable hands including Gene Cesari, Robert C. Stanley, Bill Harrah, and Jacques Harguindeguy, before entering the collection of actor Nicolas Cage. Later owners included Gene Ponder and John O’Quinn, until the car was finally sold to an anonymous buyer for US$616,000 at an RM Sotheby’s auction in Monterey on August 20, 2011.

The 1965 Bugatti Type 101C Ghia was was designed by Virgil Exner and built by the Italian coachbuilder Ghia. (Picture from: AllCarIndex)

The final chapter of the Type 101 story came much later, when chassis 101-506 was clothed in a new body designed by Virgil Exner and built by Italian coachbuilder Ghia in 1965. Although elegant, this car marked the quiet end of Bugatti’s immediate revival efforts. The brand would lie dormant for decades until its dramatic rebirth with the EB110 in the 1990s, followed by the Veyron, Chiron, and ultra-exclusive creations like La Voiture Noire.

Despite the passion and ingenuity behind the Type 101, the postwar revival ultimately failed to restore Bugatti as a sustainable manufacturer. The company was sold to Hispano-Suiza in 1963, and ownership changed again in 1998 when it was acquired by the Volkswagen Group. Today, Bugatti operates under Volkswagen’s umbrella in France, its modern hypercars echoing a lineage that once fought for survival through the quiet, complex story of the Type 101. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | COACHBUILD | SUPERCARS.NET | ULTIMATECARPAGE | MADLE.ORG | RMSOTHEBYS | PHAUTOMOBILE ]\

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