Wolfgang Kiefer came with this question, shouldn't the centenary be celebrated in 2010?

Bugatti and Friderich went to see the new location in Molsheim / Hardt-Muehle just before christmas 1909, apparently the decision was taken to start building cars there, and apparently Friderich remained there during christmas to white-paint the walls. If you take this as start of the company, then 1909 is the starting year.

Sources then differ a bit, some state that the first machines arrived that same december (25!), others state that machines started arriving in january 1910. Also the definitive contracts to hire the buildings were signed in 1910.

In all cases, the first cars were made during 1910, never in 1909!

So, I do agree with Wolfgang that 2010 would be a more appropriate year for the centenary than 2009, though if one really wants to, you can take the first contacts, december 1909 and the (non written) agreement that was made just before christmas 1909 as a reason to feast in 2009.

This seems to be happening allways, people want to do any centenaries, millenium celebrations etcetera as early as possible. The new millenium was celebrated 2000, though 2001 would have been technically correct.

Any comments or corrections?

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Hi Jaap.

On the 19th of August I raised this exact same issue ; I too thought that 2010 would be more appropriate. The reply I received then was that the first Bugatti, car 361, was delivered in September 1909. I can confirm : Magnum p538 - delivery list : 361 & 362 - 09/1909. The first car with a 1910 delivery date was Type 15, 366/engine 18, delivered 12/1910. Under first customer the following : "Berline exposition." 363, 364 & 365 has no delivery dates stated. Although, and I am speaking under correction here, I believe 361 was only invoiced later the following year.

Just to add to the controversy allow me to quote from Magnum, p44 :

"So 1 January 1910 saw Ettore Bugatti Automobiles established as an independent manufacturer, with plans to produce the 1200 cc car (Type 10, I presume), with some minor changes, as the Type 13, the first Bugatti car."

Perhaps the marque's centenary is 2009 and the Molsheim factory's is 2010?

Kind Regards
Johan

I spoke to David Sewell about the apparent inconsistency implied by the dates published in Bugatti Magnum.

If I understood him correctly, some of the Delivery Dates are wrong ( I think by a whole year) and some of the early numbers are not Bugattis but Hermes.

For example ; car 361 was delivered on in September, 1910, and car 364 was a Hermes.

Asking local sources ( Molsheim archiv ):


Marque's centenary is 2009 and the Molsheim factory's is 2009 too .

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Come hell or high water, the centenary will be celebrated in 2009. And there is going to be a debate about whether it should be 2010.

At least this argument is over one of two years. Do you remember the arguments about centenary of the car? Opinions raged from 1984 to 1987, and then there was the added confusion of the centenary for different countries - who invented the car? The Germans or the French? Even within Germany the debate was who to credit - Benz or Maybach.

The decision has been made : Bugatti's centenary will be celebrated in 2009. Probably not wrong.

Johan

Well, I never had the intention to change the year for the centenary, or the illusion that through a simple post in a forum it could be changed, let alone in this stage, where everything is already organised.

I just wanted to know if I had understod history right or not.

In the end, there's no difference. You can celebrate new year on December 29 also, and have an equally good time! (Just that you will be awakened by all the fireworks a few days later!)

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