1993 Bugatti EB110 Coupe

The Bugatti EB110 was in production for only a short period of time, from 1992 to 1995, yet left a lasting imprint in supercar history. The mid-engine coupe was developed by an accomplished and experienced team that outfitted the car with cutting-edge technology resulting in world-beating performance with record-breaking top speeds.

The Bugatti legacy in the automotive community dates back to 1909, when Ettore Bugatti opened shop in Molsheim (now France, then in Germany territory). Over the following three decades, Ettore gave the world some of the most noteworthy, elegant, and competitive cars ever built.

The Ettore Bugatti Company founded in the early 1900s, is a different company from the one that built the EB110. When Ettore passed away in 1947, his company struggled on but in 1952, they ceased building street cars. They dabbled in aerospace for a period of time, helping to keep the firm alive before it was purchased first by Hispano-Suiza and then by French aircraft supplier Snecma, which in turn created the company Messier-Bugatti in 1977 that produced Bugatti replicas until 1987.

With the Bugatti nameplate long gone from the automotive marketplace - yet not forgotten - a group of Italian car industry notables decided to resurrect the company. The group consisted of former employees of Lamborghini as well as Ferruccio Lamborghini himself, who had been in retirement but was seeking yet another challenge. The former Lamborghini head Paolo Stanzani, the 'father' of the Miura and Countach, and designer Nuccio Bertone were also among the list. In 1986, Italian businessman Romano Artioli and branding expert Jean-Marc Borel purchased the rights to the Bugatti name. Thus was established, in October of 1987, the firm of Bugatti Automobili, S.p.A. Upon purchase, the Bugatti Company moved from French soil and returned to the country of Ettore Bugatti's birth - Italy.

The new facility was located at Campogalliano and had been designed by Artioli's couisin, architect Giampaolo Benedini. The grand and massive 140,000-square-foot facility would later contributed to the company's eventual financial ruin.

The new plant was opened on Ettore's 109th birthday in September of 1990. By this point, the list of individuals involved with the project had grown significantly, and included racecar designer and engineer Mauro Forghieri, whose experience with the Diablo's V-12 would emerge with the EB110's 12-cylinder powerplant. Gandini had penned the Countach, Miura, and Lancia Stratos and had invented the scissor doors on the Countach and on the EB110. Ex-Lamborghini test driver Loris Bococchi was a critical component in the EB110's suspension tuning and excellent road manners.

A design contest was launched, and of four proposals - from Paolo Martin, Giorgetto Giugiaro, Bertone, and Gandini — the Bertone version was clay modelled. The shape was further enhanced with wind tunnel testing. However, Artioli and Stanzani were not in agreement over the design, prompting Bertone to abandon the project. Artioli's cousin Benedini was brought back in once again, this time to complete the car. With this, Stanzani left and was quickly replaced by Nicola Materazzi of Ferrari F-40 fame and former Audi Quattro engineer Pavel Rajmis to finish the engineering.

On September 15th of 1991, the 110th anniversary of the birth of Ettore Bugatti, the Bugatti EB110 was launched. In May of 1992, two EB110 prototypes were brought to Italy's Nardo test circuit, primarily for homologation tests but also for an assault on production car speed records. Frenchman JP Vittecoq was tasked with driving duties and with putting the car through its paces. Prototype C7 set impressive numbers including 0 to 100 km/h in 3.46 seconds and a top speed of 342 km/h, a world record. In May of 1993, with Jean Philippe again performing driving duties, a modified SS (Supersport) prototype raised the bar even further, to 351 km/h while reducing the 0 to 62-mph time of 3.26 seconds.

On December 1st of 1992, the first production EB110 (GT39018), emerged and was sent to a Swiss buyer. This car, GT39034, was one of the press cars for Great Britain and was included in many publications of the day.

Following the success of the EB110 came several ill-advised financial decisions, including the purchase of Lotus, investment in the promising development of a second model (the EB112 four-door coupe), and the launch of a racing program.

A 600-horsepower, lightened race version was prepared for the 1994 edition of LeMans. It qualified 17th and ran in the top ten despite the usual racing issues and teething problems. A tire failure put it into the barrier with just one hour left of the twenty-four. Several other racing ventures were attempted, notably by the Monaco Racing Team, which ran the BPR and IMSA. As late as 1996, a Bugatti EB110 SC entered the 24 Hours of Daytona, but the team that included Derek John Hill, son of Phil Hill, and Olivier Grouillard managed only seven hours before retirement.

Initial plans had called for an annual production of 150 cars, but after four years Bugatti had managed just 140 EB110s sold. A poor world economy and the lack of the American market were to blame, and the firm eventually declared bankruptcy.

This particular example came off the Campogalliano line in 1993 in Bugatti Blue livery and with a gray leather interior. The aluminum bodywork conceals the carbon-fiber chassis supplied by Aerospatiale. The suspension is double A-arms and coil springs. The short-stroke all-alloy 3.5-liter V-12 is mounted longitudinally and features five valves per cylinder and four IHI turbochargers in two sizes, and it's fed by fuel injection. The 552 horsepower is sent to all four wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. Lubrication is dry sump, and curb weight is 3,567 pounds. Running gear consisted of BBS alloy wheels measuring 9x18-inch in front and 12x18 in back, encased by specially built Michelins: 245/40 and 325/30, front and rear.

After this car's press duties had been performed, it was purchased by Nick Lancaster of HR Owen in London, the official importers of the Bugatti to the UK, who drove the car along with 113 other Bugattis of all ages in a five-day rally through Italy to the Campogalliano factory.

The car was later sold to a second owner who used it sparingly. It is currently titled in the state of Nevada and is subject to the NHTSA Show or Display statute, which limits on-road use to 2,500 miles per year.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2017