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Ferdinand Piech s biggest bet? The revival of Bugatti. Apr 8, 2021
Many auto companies have created spectacular engines. Bugatti’s most modern incarnation is likely unique in having reversed that equation. This was a car company built around an engine and not even the one its cars ended up using. The origin story really does involve a sketch on the back of an envelope, the one on which Volkswagen boss Ferdinand Piëch scribbled his proposal for an 18-cylinder powerplant in 1997. At the same time, he was leading VW through its empire-building expansion, crushing his enemies and delighting in the lamentations of their women. The company was then also deep in negotiations to buy Rolls-Royce. Piëch seems to have been thinking of a motor worthy of this proposed acquisition.