Romano Artioli is an Italian entrepreneur, born in Moglia (Mantova) and raised in Bolzano and one time owner of Bugatti and Lotus. Under Artoli's stewardship Bugatti was revived, produced a single car, the Bugatti EB110, and went bust. Mantua (in Italian Mantova) is a city in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province with the same name. ... Bolzano is The name of the capital of South Tyrol (Trentino-Upper Adige, Italy), see Bolzano-Bozen The airport of this city, see Bolzano (airport) A synonym for the Italian province South Tyrol (Trentino-Upper Adige), see South Tyrol Short for the Bolzano project, a refuge in Italy for divorced... Bugatti is one of the most celebrated marques of automobile and the one of the most exclusive Italian/French/German car producers of all time. ... Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports cars and racing cars based in Hethel, Norfolk, formed as Lotus Engineering Ltd. ... Bugatti EB110SS The Bugatti EB110 is an exclusive supercar from Bugatti, one of the most celebrated marques in automotive history. ...
Artioli purchased Lotus from General Motors in August 1993. He sold a majority stake to Proton in 1996 to fund his losses due to the insolvency of Bugatti but stayed on the board as Special Projects director until 1998. The Proton logo Proton, short for Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional (National Car Project), is a Malaysian car manufacturer initiated in 1983 by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. ...
The Lotus Elise was named after Artoli's granddaughter. The 2005 Lotus Elise (Federal edition) sports car The Lotus Elise is an open sports car, renowned for its lightweight design and race-capable handling. ...
RomanoArtioli, Lotus's controversial chairman, had been trying to find a "partner" for months.
Potential investors or buyers were deterred by the high asking price, necessary to help Artioli pay off debts abroad accrued by his failed Bugatti supercar business, while others were wary of only being offered a controlling stake with Artioli determined to hold on to at least a part of the business.
In the end, Proton was ready to write a cheque in return for 80 per cent of one of the most famous motoring companies in the world; hardly surprising because it gives the Malaysian manufacturer cheap entry into the world of high-technology that would have taken years to build in its own business.
Lamborghini, who was in retirement, needs no introduction having already created his own brand of supercars; enthusiasts of the marque would know the name Borel as the author of some books on Lamborghini and his cars.
Artioli asked renowned freelance stylist Marcello Gandinihe had an enviable CV in designing supercars, the Lamborghini Diablo being among his designsto design the new cars body, a process that evolved through 1989 and into 1990.
A set of engineering drawings was provided by Artioli and in mid-1989 Giugiaro sat at his drawing board and sketched what became the ID90 concept car.
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