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About the Bugatti Racer
The Bugatti Model 100 airplane was designed in 1937 by Louis D. de Monge a Belgian aviation pioneer. The design came about at the request of Ettore Bugatti, a self-taught automobile engineer and designer. Bugatti became famous for building cars, racing engines, railcars, helicopter blades, automotive tooling, crankshaft for Hispano-Suiza aircraft engines and many other innovative automotive and aviation related components. When Bugatti contacted de Mong in 1937, his goal was to compete in the famous "Coupe Deutch" air race and ultimately break the world speed record. The Bugatti was originally designed for one engine and a single propeller. Shortly after the initial sketch was made, the design was revised to include a second engine, located behind the first one, and a second, counter-rotating propeller. Construction of the prototype began in 1938 at the Bugatti factory in collaboration with de Monge. For a variety of reasons including delays in seeking patents and the death of Bugatti's son Jean in 1940, the aircraft was disassembled and moved to the family castle in Ermenonville. Ettor Bugatti died in 1947 and the aircraft was sold to M. Serge Pozzoli in 1960. In 1970 Pozzoli sold the aircraft to Raymond Jones, a car collector for the Bugatti engines. The fuselage passed from hand to hand until it was finally donated to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) museum, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1996. After being gifted to the EAA, the aircraft was restored and now hangs in the visitor gallery of the museum. Specifications
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