Ettore Bugatti started work in 1938 to design a racer to compete in the Deutsch de la Meurthe Cup Race and U.S. Thompson trophy, using engines sold in his automotive line for co-marketing.
Bugatti's chief engineer was Louis de Monge, with whom Bugatti had worked before.
Bugatti was also approached by the government of France to use the technology of the racing aircraft to develop a fighter variant for mass production.
The aircraft was the source of five modern patents, including the inline engines, v-tail mixer controls and the automatic flap system.