Mullin Museum Announces Opportunity to View Bugatti 100P Airplane
Recreation of Rare, Experimental Airplane on Display at Art Deco museum now through July 12

Oxnard, Calif. (May 20, 2014) - The Mullin Automotive Museum, a Southern California institution devoted to the preservation of French art and automobiles from the Art Deco era, today announced that visitors have a limited opportunity to view the recreation of the Bugatti 100P, Ettore Bugatti's vision for high speed aircraft racing, now at the museum through early July.
Originally designed in collaboration with Ettore Bugatti and Belgian engineer Louis de Monge, the original 1937 Bugatti 100P is considered by many to be one of the most technologically-advanced airplanes of the era. The 100P featured cutting-edge aerodynamics with forward pitched wings, a zero-drag cooling system, and computer-directed flight controls, all predating the development of the best Allied fighters of World War II. Powered by twin 450-hp engines, the plane was designed to reach speeds approaching 500mph, a feat previously only achieved by aircraft with twice the horsepower. The 100P was also much more compact than most aircraft of the era, with a wingspan of nearly 27-feet and an overall length of approximately 25.25-feet. In June 1940, Bugatti stopped work on the 100P and concealed the plane to prevent its discovery by the German military. Though the plane survived the war, it was left in a condition unfit for flight.
In 2009, Scott Wilson, John Lawson and Simon Birney of Le Reve Blue began construction on the first ever recreation of the Bugatti 100P. Handcrafted using largely the same materials and processes as the original, the recreation is dimensionally and aerodynamically identical to the original plane and includes elements of the five patents that Bugatti was originally awarded for the 100P. The recreation was teased as under construction at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis. in 2011, but was seen completed for the first time at the Mullin Automotive Museum's The Art of Bugatti exhibition, which opened in March 2014. Following its final day on display at the museum, July 12, the 100P will return to Le Reve Blue in preparation for its maiden flight later this year.
"It's been an honor to host this design and engineering marvel at the museum these past few months," said Peter Mullin, Founder and Chairman of the Mullin Automotive Museum. "We're sad to see the 100P leave Southern California, but are thrilled for Le Reve Blue to finally make Ettore Bugatti and Louis de Monge's dream a reality."
The Bugatti 100P aircraft is currently on view among the largest assembled collection of Bugatti family art, automobiles and artifacts at The Art of Bugatti, which runs through December 2014. For further information on The Art of Bugatti or to reserve tickets to the Mullin Automotive Museum, please visit www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com.
About the Mullin Automotive Museum The Mullin Automotive Museum is a facility that pays homage to the art deco and machine age design eras (1918-1941) that produced exquisite art and magnificent automobiles. It officially opened its doors for the first time in the beach community of Oxnard, Calif., in spring 2010. For more information, please log onto www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com.
