OSHKOSH, WIS. – Scotty Wilson (EAA 572551) of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was the guest speaker at the Wright Brothers Memorial Banquet at the EAA Museum in Oshkosh, Wis., December 13, 2013. Wilson describe his quest to build a one-of-a-kind replica of the Bugatti 100P racer, which was designed and built by legendary automobile maker, Ettore Bugatti, and is currently part of EAA’s museum collection.
The 100P was Bugatti’s only aircraft design, built in 1938-39 for an attempt to set the world speed record. As World War II began in Europe, the aircraft was hidden in France to keep it from falling into the Nazis’ possession and was never flown. Bugatti died in 1947. The aircraft was donated to EAA in 1994.
Wilson, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, began the re-creation project in 2009 by measuring the original Bugatti 100P. His project team then began a painstaking reverse-engineering process to discover the methods and technology used by Bugatti in the original design. There are no known plans. The first test flight of Wilson’s replica is scheduled for early 2014.
