In the early 1990s, the Italian businessman Romano Artioli decided to bring Bugatti back to life, which had been missing for decades. The star project of that Bugatti was the brilliant EB110, an unfairly reviled supercar to which we have dedicated rivers of ink in Diariomotor. The Bugatti Automobili by Romano Artioli went bankrupt in 1995, but had time to produce an iconic supercar, and almost had time to produce a revolutionary sports saloon. Call Bugatti EB112, only three units were completed. One of them is now for sale.
The Bugatti EB112 was presented to the public at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show, where he rolled in under his own power. It was a revolutionary car in several aspects. In the first place, because he used a modified version of the carbon fiber monocoque chassis of the Bugatti EB110, a most curious solution in a luxury saloon. Secondly, for using an aluminum body, before Audi made them fashionable at the end of the decade. And what bodywork: sculptural in appearance, and loaded with references to the brand’s classic past.
Initially, it was valued to use the V8 engine of the Porsche 928 in the Bugatti EB112.
It was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, and at the behest of Romano Artioli it inherited traits from such legendary cars as the Bugatti Atlantic, especially in the design of the rear end and the side profile – gossip says that it was even the inspiration for the Porsche Panamera. On its front, the horseshoe-shaped calender had a much more leading position. The wheels were a clear homage to the Bugatti Royale, possibly the best Bugatti of the classic era of the brand. Inside, leather, metal and exquisite finishes completed the atypical proposal of the Bugatti EB112.
On a mechanical level, Bugatti did not resort to the mechanics of the EB110. He preferred to design a new V12 engine, an atmospheric six-liter and 461 HP of power, which Volkswagen would build for Bugatti. This engine was mounted in the front center position and sent its power to all four wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. Even at the time, an automatic gearbox would have been expected, but Artioli was working against the grain. Although he was 5.07 meters tall, his relatively contained weight (1,800 kilos) allowed him to do a 0 to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 300 km/h.
According to Romano Artioli, it was a saloon with the behavior and reactions of a supercar.
When Bugatti went bankrupt and ceased operations, only one Bugatti EB112 prototype had been produced, chassis number #39001. It was the unit that was exhibited in Geneva, and to this day, it remains the property of Italdesign. Bugatti began building two additional units, and one of them, #39002, had already started production in Campogaliano when the brand went bankrupt. The Monegasque businessman Gildo Pallanca Pastor acquired the parts and chassis, and commissioned the Monaco Racing Team to build the two remaining units.
#39003 is still in his possession, and #39002 is the one currently on sale. It is the only partially assembled by Bugatti of the three units, since the first prototype was assembled by Italdesign. The unit is black in color and It has just over 3,900 km on its odometer.. It is in perfect working order and has been registered in Geneva since 2003. The price has not been declared, but you can check the announcement here. Considering how special it is in the brand’s history, a seven-figure price tag shouldn’t be surprising.
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