Le Mans is where much of the most legendary motorsport history has been written. In triumph and defeat, epic moments over an entire century have turned the 24 Hours of Le Mans into an everlasting legacy that has built brands and made heroes. As the 100th 24 Hours of Le Mans race quickly approaches, Bugatti looks back on its history with the storied race, and for the centenary celebration, it’s returning to the historic Circuit de la Sarthe in a very special way.
Bugatti was involved in the 24 Hours of Le Mans from the very beginning, bringing two Brescia 16S cars to the very first race in 1923, one placing in the top ten despite a rainy race. In 1930, Bugatti raced a Type 40 raced by an all-female duo: Odette Siko and Marguerite Mareuse, who finished in seventh place. A few other Le Mans stints from Bugatti in the 1930s happened, but 1937 represented a breakthrough for Bugatti, which entered a Type 57 Grand Prix that adhered to regulations put forth in 1936.
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Pierre Veyron and Jean-Pierre Wimille drove, and an epic and intense race ended in victory for Bugatti. However, World War II put a pause to the race, and Bugatti took an even longer pause, returning with the EB110 Super Sport in 1994, which suffered an accident and didn’t finish the race. This year, as the 24 Hours of Le Mans turns 100, Bugatti is returning once more, bringing its new track-only Bolide hypercar to the track for its public debut, completing a lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe on the Saturday afternoon of the action-packed racing weekend.
Sources: Bugatti