The company Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was founded in 1909, in the then-German city of Molsheim in Alsace, by the Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti. The high-performance cars built were known for their outstanding design and their numerous race victories. Bugattis won the Targa Florio for five years in a row from 1925 to 1929; a Bugatti won the first ever Monaco Grand Prix in 1929 and Bugatti's won the Le Mans 24 Hour races of 1937 and 1939. Ettore Bugatti died in 1947 and the business declined thereafter with no successor to steer the company. The original Bugatti operation ceased in 1952, but the brand was revived as Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. in 1987, under new Italian ownership.