BusinessWeek Logo
News & Features September 6, 2007, 1:49PM EST

1995 Bugatti EB110 GT Coupe

Before the $1 million Bugatti Veyron, there was the $500,000 1995 Bugatti EB110 GT Coupe

by Donald Osborne

null

Bugatti EB110 GT Coupe

partner logo

Forty years after Ettore Bugatti's death in 1947, the once legendary marque--one of the most renowned in automotive history--was acquired by ambitious Italian businessman Romano Artioli. His aim was nothing less than a resurrection of Bugatti as a state-of-the-art supercar.

Designated "EB110" (signifying 110 years after Ettore's birth), the first new Bugatti since the 1950s was an advanced mid-engined supercar acclaimed as worthy successor to its formidable antecedents.

The Bugatti EB110 was designed by none other than engineer Paolo Stanzani and stylist Marcello Gandini, co-creators of the exotic Lamborghini Countach. Beneath the skin there were similarities too, the short-stroke V12 engine with forward-mounted gearbox having been pioneered on the Countach.

To the already outstanding specification, Stanzani added five valves per cylinder, four turbochargers, a bespoke 6-speed gearbox, and four-wheel drive. Despite the complexity, the EB110 worked well on the road; its compact dimensions, combined with four-wheel drive, made for exceptional agility and excellent grip and balance no matter what the conditions. The 3.5-liter V12 developed 561 hp, good enough for a top speed of 212 mph, a figure recorded at the Nardi test track in Italy that placed the EB110 on par with that other "World's Fastest Car," the Jaguar XJ220.

While headline writers emphasized its performance to the exclusion of almost everything else except the price ($456,000), the EB110 was nevertheless a very well-built product possessing a roomy and lavishly equipped interior. Unfortunately for Artioli and his collaborators, the EB110 launched just as the early 1990s recession took hold, and the company entered receivership in 1994. Perhaps 154 of these exotic cars were built (different sources offer varying production numbers), Michael Schumacher being the most high-profile owner.

This left-hand-drive EB110 GT is one of the final three cars completed at the factory in 1995. It was bought by Bugatti director Jean-Marc Borel and road-registered in Luxembourg in 1996. In July 2001, the car was imported into Holland where it formed part of second owner Mike Dawud's private collection until purchased for Gran Turismo Classic in 2003.

Finished in silver gray metallic with matching two-tone leather interior, the vehicle is presented in excellent order throughout, appearing as if it left the factory only yesterday. It comes complete with tool kit, owner's wallet, warranty/service booklet (recording all three owners), full service history, and owner's manual, and has covered a mere 11,000 kilometers (approximately 6,800 miles) from new.

The SCM Analysis

This car sold for $259,200 (€199,913) including premium at the Bonhams Monte Carlo auction held on May 21, 2007.

Romano Artioli was an Italian who owned Autoexpò, the Suzuki import franchise for the country. His announcement in 1987 of his purchase of the rights to the Bugatti name and intent to revive the marque with the most technologically advanced supercar ever seen was greeted with a combination of curiosity and skepticism.

Since the death of the founder Ettore in 1947, and indeed, some might say, the death of his son Jean in 1939, there had been little hope that the company would be able to return to anything approaching its glory days. Bugatti's other son Roland was thwarted in his attempt in the mid-'50s, while Virgil Exner's design study built on the last Type 101 chassis in 1965 failed to excite sufficient interest and, more importantly, financing. The name passed along through a number of aircraft manufacturing businesses and ended up at Messier-Bugatti in 1977, from whom Artioli bought the name.

Reader Discussion

 

BW Mall - Sponsored Links