Bugatti

Beside its success in racing and building sportscars, Bugatti was well known for making some oft he most luxurious and prestigious cars back in the days. Cars such as the Bugatti Royale were evocative of refinment and technical advancement, prowesses which Romano Artioli, the businessman who revived Bugatti in the 90’s, wanted to achieve by introducing a modern limousine to the Bugatti lineup. A car that would be uncompromising in accordance with the brand’s tradition.

The design was handed over to Italdesign co-founder Giorgettto Giugiaro, who conceived a few sketches that Artioli found to be unconvincing. His vision of the EB112 was clear and Giugiaro went back to the drawing board, this time incorporating design clues of Bugatti legends from the past. Inspiration was taken from the 57 SC Atlantic’s spine as well as from cars from the 1920’s such as the Tipo 55 2 door, the Tipo 32 and 57 Tank, the iconic Bugatti horseshoe radiator would then crown the front of the super saloon. The homage went as far as fitting the car with wheels directly inspired by the legendary Bugatti Royale. The design was such a statement at the time that publisher Automobilia voted the EB112 the most beautiful car in the world.

Under the pretty Italian aluminum body was a technical tour de force engineered by the best in the business. Strong with experience developping the EB110, Bugatti used their know-how to build the fastest saloon on the market. The car was powered by a naturally aspirated 6L 60 valve V12 with a power output of around 450 hp. The engine, located in a front mid position for optimal weight distribution, sent the power to the road via a 6-speed manual transmission and a permanent four-wheel-drive system. All of this cutting edge technology at the time meant the limousine was capable of reaching the 100 km/h mark in just 4.3 seconds all the way up to a top speed of 300 km/h. Romano Artioli described the handling as „similar to a go-kart, it corners flat and is even more enjoyable to drive than an EB110“.

The EB112 debuted at the 1993 Geneva Motorshow where it entered the halls on its own power and impressed the public by its modern design and features. Soon after, production started at the Bugatti facility in Campogalliano before the company went bust. At the time, only one example of the EB112 existed, chassis #39001, finished in Burgundy and built by Italdesign, who still own it to this day. Two further chassis were planned to be built by Bugatti, one of them, chassis #39002, had already started to be assembled at the factory in Campogalliano but wasnt finished. Soon after the bankruptcy, certain assets were put up for auction, including a large quantity of spare parts and at least 2 unfinished EB112 chassis. Monaco based businessman Gildo Pallanca Pastor acquired the lot and entrusted the Monaco Racing Team with finishing the assembly of chassis #39002 and #39003, the later remaining in his personal collection.

Our car is chassis #39002, the only car of which the assembly started at the Bugatti factory and one of the only 3 EB112’s ever made. It was ordered on the 27th of April 1993 by the Swiss Bugatti importer Chevalley and was delivered in February 2000 after being completed in dark anthracite by the Monaco Racing Team. Registered in Geneva since the 13th of February 2003, the car was exhibited at the Geneva Classics Motorshow in 2006 and today shows a mere 3.900 km on the clock. Our car is powered by the 6L V12 and is in fully running condition. Believed to be of single ownership, this is an extremely rare occasion to own one of only 3 Bugatti EB112’s ever built. A true unicorn, with as many built as surviving Atlantic’s, and an incredible piece of history that shows what could have been the future of Bugatti.