2020 is a year that will be remembered for many years to come, primarily for all the wrong reasons. However, for a year that reeked havoc on the world and its economies, I found it fascinating to read a recent ‘Sports Car Digest’ article.

In 2020, the five most valuable cars sold at auction internationally were all classic Bugatti’s, and even with the challenges thrown up by COVID 19, they all broke records with the highest being a 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports in original condition going for USD $12.681 million.

A quick Bugatti snap-shot, Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti founded the company in France in 1909 and his cars were renowned for their beauty and many race victories, most famously being the Type 35 Grand Prix cars.

The death of Ettore Bugatti in 1947 signalled the end for the marque, as his son Jean Bugatti’s death in 1939 ensured there would be no successor to lead the company. After Ettore’s death, only 8,000 cars were built. The company struggled financially until releasing its last model in 1955, before eventually being purchased for its airplane parts business in 1963 by Hispano-Suiza, another former auto maker turned aircraft supplier.

After several ownership changes, in 1998 the Volkswagen Group bought the rights to the marque and set up a subsidiary based in Molsheim, France where they built the Veyron and to this day the likes of the Bugatti Chiron.

I hope you enjoy this Sports Car Digest article and make sure you look at the videos integrated into the story which show these five, record breaking Bugatti’s in action.

5 Classic Bugatti Cars Breaking Auction Records in 2020 – Sports Car Digest