Bugatti EB112 - slowed down too early?

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Bugatti EB112 - slowed down too early?

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Created on March 11, 2023

Text:

Bruno von Rotz / Martin Sigrist, translated by DeepL

Photos:

Simon Gosselin - Courtesy RM Sotheby’s

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ItalDesign / Werk

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Bugatti / Werk

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Bruno von Rotz

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Artcurial

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Spoilers were dispensed with

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - Front and rear design

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - with horseshoe-shaped radiator grille

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - the center bar was reminiscent of historic Bugatti models

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - with split rear window

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - ready for take-off

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - the wheels came from BBS

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - the curved windows are also reminiscent of Bugatti classics

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - would Ettore have approved of this design?

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - with horseshoe-shaped radiator grille as in the past

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - four exhaust pipes

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - the beautiful disk wheels also hark back to the past

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - 5-meter sedan with retro touches

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - aerodynamic design

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - front view with four headlights on each side

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - the design caused controversial reactions

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - integrated rear lights

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - with Artioli and Giugiaro

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - Romano Artioli and Giorgetto Giugiaro with a prototype

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - Giugiaro and his work

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - Giorgetto Giugiaro and his highly acclaimed design

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Giorgetto Giugiaro at the drawing table - the design of a two-door front-engined Bugatti was already created here

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - Giugiaro with the one-to-one scale drawing

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - Aluminum sheets for the body are hammered

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BugattI EB 112 (1993) - Construction of the prototype under the supervision of Giorgetto Giugiari

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - fine-tuning of the exterior shape

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - development of the exterior shape, the rear lights do not yet correspond to the final version

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - Design of the outer skin

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - the interior is shaped here

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - Giugiaro and Benedetti on the interior design

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - the prototype is being built piece by piece

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - aerodynamic design also in detail

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - drivable prototype

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - the four-door saloon in burgundy red, as presented in Geneva

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - Luxury at a good five meters

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - plenty of space in the rear too

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Bugatti EB112 Berline (1999) - offered as lot 213 at the Artcurial Rétromobile auction on February 5, 2016

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Bugatti EB112 Berline (1999) - highest bid of EUR 1.9 million at the Artcurial auction in Paris in 2016

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Bugatti EB 112 (1993) - in the press release

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Bugatti EB110 GT (1996) - the super sports car from Italy - V12, 611 PS, 6-speed, 351 km/h (Techno Classica 2017)

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Bugatti ID 90 (1990) - Rear view of the ItalDesign mid-engined coupé

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Bugatti ID 90 (1990) - Silhouette of the mid-engined coupé by ItalDesign

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Bugatti ID 90 (1990) - Mid-engined coupés from ItalDesign

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Bugatti EB 118 (1998) - the design language is largely the same as the EB 112

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Bugatti EB 118 (1998) - two-door coupé with hints of retro design

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Bugatti EB 118 (1998) - a direct descendant of the EB 112

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Bugatti EB 218 (1999) - further development of the EB 112, longer and adapted to the times

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Bugatti EB 218 (1999) - especially the light units and the extremities had been adapted

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Bugatti 16C Galibier (2009) - did not make it into production, just like its predecessors EB 112 and EB 218

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Bugatti 16C Galibier (2009) - with W16 engine and twin turbo

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Giugiaro's shape was received controversially

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Somewhat obese appearance of the comparatively light car

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - the appearances will remain rare

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - 1999-Bugatti-EB112_1438411

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Back comb as a reference to the Type 57 Atlantique

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - The EB112 was considered foreign at the time

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Horseshoe grille reinterpreted

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Whether the EB112 is the pinnacle of Italian car design remains questionable

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - The most built Bugatti four-door car

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - The Michelin tires are new - despite or because of the low mileage

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - The rear spoiler sits under the rear bumper

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - The design of the Type 41 rims was compiled

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Turned aluminum fuel filler cap

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Split rear window

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Indicated rib across the round back

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Doublette tail light

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - The monocoque is made of carbon composite material, the body of aluminum

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Bugatti V12 of the EB110 boosted from 3.5 to 6 liters as naturally aspirated engine

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - The engine sits far behind the front axle

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - The engine is at the front of the EB112

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Expensive details

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Bugatti Automobili Spa, which went bankrupt in 1995, is considered to have built the car

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - No trace of an immobilizer

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Monegasque registration card, inspection valid until 2028

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Rather sober and functional interior of this model

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Brushed aluminum, the first EB112 had wood

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Good overview of the classic fittings

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Three pedals of a rather sober kind, but the brake light switch is easy to replace

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Opulent seats for long journeys

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Bugatti Spa was unable to complete the car

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Was it a missed opportunity?

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Gear stick has disappeared from the luxury class today

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Hand-turned switch knobs and fan nozzles from mass production

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Remarkable is the 6-speed manual gearbox

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - The car registered in Monaco is sold as new

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - The car was purchased by the first owner as a parts collection and finished

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - The EB112 is strictly a 4-seater

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - The trunk holds around 380 liters, contrary to expectations there is no tailgate

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Umbrella with the stylized elephant figure by Rembrand Bugatti for the Royale

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - There is even a tool roll for the EB112, it is - new

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - Audio system and DVD player

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Bugatti EB112 (1999) - An emergency wheel just in case, there was a serious intention behind it for series production

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Summary

The modern Bugatti has the engine in front of the rear axle. This has been the case since the early nineties and applies to series production vehicles. But as early as 1993, a four-door saloon with a front mid-engine was shown at the Geneva Motor Show, which almost went into production. But it was not to be. The successors, of which there were several, were also unsuccessful. This report tells the story of the Bugatti EB 112.

This article contains the following chapters

Predecessors from different eras
Collaboration with Giugiaro
Aluminum and carbon fibre
A reversed EB110
Comfort, especially at the rear
Presentation in Geneva
A sports car for the whole family
Premature end
Three cars?
Not the last saloon attempt

Estimated reading time: 13min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Four-door luxury sedans with a sporty character have been around for almost as long as the automobile, but most attempts to create superlatives have failed. Romano Artioli set out in the early nineties to change this and establish the ultimate four-door. He almost succeeded. Although Ettore Bugatti primarily caused a sensation with his fast and competitive sports cars, the rich and powerful of this world were still his favorite customers. In the late 1920s, he developed the Type 41 for them, known today primarily as the Bugatti Royale. Ettore's car failed commercially with only seven units built, but he was able to use the monumental 12.7-liter inline eight-cylinder engine in his express train design for the SNCF. And there were also some four-door versions of the "volume model" Type 57.

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