Photo: RM Sotheby's
If you love Bugatti history and happen to keep a couple of millions of dollars under your sofa then there’s no better use for them than to go to Amelia Island next month and bid for this incredible 1994 Bugatti EB110 GT Prototype.
Bugatti is one of those mythical brands that carved deep marks in the history of the automobile. It was several times on the brink of bankruptcy, only to be saved at the last moment. One such moment happened in 1987 when Italian entrepreneur Romano Artioli acquired the brand and devised a glorious comeback for the iconic French brand. It didn’t go quite well in the end, but it left us with such masterpieces as the EB110 GT and the EB110 Super Sport.
Of course, the EB110 did not come out of the blue, and Bugatti spent years developing and refining the supercar that marked Ettore Bugatti’s 110th birthday anniversary. The first prototypes of the EB110 were built using an aluminum chassis conceived by Paolo Stanzani and were later reimagined in carbon fiber by Nicola Materazzi. The advanced composite materials were chosen because the originally planned aluminum honeycomb was found to be too flexible for an ultra-high-performance mid-engine machine.
Several aluminum chassis prototypes were built in 1990 and 1992, and these cars were assigned chassis numbers with an “A” prefix, A standing for aluminum. Later on, the second batch of prototypes started to appear in 1992, having a C-prefix chassis number (presumably C stands for carbon fiber). Most of them were driven hard during the certification and testing phase or even crashed in various tests, with very few remaining in good condition.
Probably none of them is in such pristine condition as the prototype heading to Amelia Island in March. Chassis number 39012 is one of a small batch of second-series prototypes that experienced very little driving action. It still has only 1,095 km (681 miles) on the odometer, being used mainly for the official factory exhibition and for promotional events.
According to the records, the prototype was completed during 1992 and made its debut at the 1992 Bologna Motor Show. In 1994, the prototype’s coachwork was refinished by the factory in Bugatti Blue and it was later chosen for emissions testing requirements to satisfy Swiss and American regulations. Despite Artioli’s best efforts to revive the brand, Bugatti became insolvent in 1996 and its assets, including chassis number 39012, were acquired by private entities.
The unique EB110 GT prototype was bought by an Italian owner and was later refreshed with a refurbished spare motor. The interior was also reupholstered in light grey, with complementary-colored trim parts. Minor panel adjustments were made to match later-production examples, including the installation of a Super Sport-specification rear grille.
If all this caught your attention, you will probably be at Amelia Island in Florida on March 5 to place your bids. Its value is currently estimated at $2,000,000 - $2,500,000, so make sure you have a seasoned bank account.
Of course, the EB110 did not come out of the blue, and Bugatti spent years developing and refining the supercar that marked Ettore Bugatti’s 110th birthday anniversary. The first prototypes of the EB110 were built using an aluminum chassis conceived by Paolo Stanzani and were later reimagined in carbon fiber by Nicola Materazzi. The advanced composite materials were chosen because the originally planned aluminum honeycomb was found to be too flexible for an ultra-high-performance mid-engine machine.
Several aluminum chassis prototypes were built in 1990 and 1992, and these cars were assigned chassis numbers with an “A” prefix, A standing for aluminum. Later on, the second batch of prototypes started to appear in 1992, having a C-prefix chassis number (presumably C stands for carbon fiber). Most of them were driven hard during the certification and testing phase or even crashed in various tests, with very few remaining in good condition.
Probably none of them is in such pristine condition as the prototype heading to Amelia Island in March. Chassis number 39012 is one of a small batch of second-series prototypes that experienced very little driving action. It still has only 1,095 km (681 miles) on the odometer, being used mainly for the official factory exhibition and for promotional events.
According to the records, the prototype was completed during 1992 and made its debut at the 1992 Bologna Motor Show. In 1994, the prototype’s coachwork was refinished by the factory in Bugatti Blue and it was later chosen for emissions testing requirements to satisfy Swiss and American regulations. Despite Artioli’s best efforts to revive the brand, Bugatti became insolvent in 1996 and its assets, including chassis number 39012, were acquired by private entities.
The unique EB110 GT prototype was bought by an Italian owner and was later refreshed with a refurbished spare motor. The interior was also reupholstered in light grey, with complementary-colored trim parts. Minor panel adjustments were made to match later-production examples, including the installation of a Super Sport-specification rear grille.
If all this caught your attention, you will probably be at Amelia Island in Florida on March 5 to place your bids. Its value is currently estimated at $2,000,000 - $2,500,000, so make sure you have a seasoned bank account.
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