Romano Artioli (born 5 December 1932, in Moglia)[1] is an Italian entrepreneur and one-time owner of Bugatti and Lotus automobile brands.
He was raised in Bolzano where in the 1980s he operated one of the largest Ferrari dealerships in the world, selling in northern Italy and southern Germany.
Prior to the sale to Volkswagen, private equity investor CVC attempted a purchase of Bugatti via UK corporate finance advisor Anglo American Ventures, however the £100m deal failed at due diligence stage.
Artioli purchased Lotus from General Motors in August 1993 and became its chairman until 1996 when he stepped down to be Special Projects director until 1998.
His daughter Elena Artioli (born 1970) is a politician for the South Tyrolean People's Party and Lega Nord Alto Adige – Südtirol.