Veyron owners take note: your vehicle will no longer be the fastest Bugatti in existence. Some 77 years after it was originally conceived, a completed Bugatti 100P airplane will see the light of day at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California as a part of the Art of Bugatti Exhibit. Designed to reach speeds of nearly 500 mph, the beautiful and technologically advanced 100P was a collaboration between Ettore Bugatti and Belgian engineer Louis de Monge. Development of the 100P began in 1937 but World War II and the advancing German army forced Bugatti to put the plane into hiding in 1940.

The public will have the chance to view this Art Deco-style airplane and its technological marvels beginning March 20. The compact and light 100P features mid-mounted twin 450-hp engines powering counter-rotating propellers, allowing speeds only achieved at that time by planes with twice the horsepower. The forward-pitched wings and zero drag cooling system predate many of the most advanced military aircraft of the era. Most interestingly, the plane also features an automatic flap adjustment system utilizing an advanced analog computer, that sets the flaps according to air pressure, throttle, and air speed. It was in the original patent for the 100P, but was never implemented due to the war.

Mullin Automotive Museum
Scott Wilson, John Lawson, and Simon Birney of Le Reve Blue ("the Blue Dream") began construction of the 100P in 2009 based on the patents, aerodynamic designs, and dimensions of the original, which, while it survived the war, was no longer suitable for flight. The completion of the 100P represents a highlight of the storied career of Ettore Bugatti, whose vehicles represented the pinnacle of prewar design and technology. Now, if only we could arrange a comparison test between a Veyron Super Sport and the 100P.