Bugatti EB110

The Bugatti EB110 was a mid-engine sports car from Bugatti Automobili SpA, the 1990s successor to one of the most celebrated marques in automotive history. It was unveiled on September 15, 1991 in both Versailles and in front of the Grande Arche at La Défense in Paris, France, exactly 110 years after Ettore Bugatti's birth.

General information

The car had a 60-valve, quad-turbo V12 powering all four wheels through a six-speed gearbox. The 3.5 L (3499 cc) engine had a bore of 81 mm (3.2 in) and a stroke of 56.6 mm (2.2 in) and was capable of 553 PS (542 hp/407 kW) at 8000 rpm. Acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) took 4.5 seconds, and the GT has a top speed of 213 mph (336 km/h). [cite book|title=Lemon! 60 Heroic failures of motoring|pages=p150|last=Davis|first=Tony|publisher=Random house Australia|year=2004 |id =ISBN 1-86325-494-3|location =Sydney]

The car used a double wishbone suspension, with the chassis built by Aerospatiale, an aircraft company, and made from carbon fibre. Equipped with Gandini's famous lifting scissor doors, it had a glass engine cover that provided a view of the V12 engine along with a speed-sensitive electronic rear wing that could be raised at the flick of a switch. The shift-knob was placed closer to the driver so that less time would be taken to shift. No expenses were spared when it came to speed. Five pre-production prototypes with aluminum chassis were built, followed by eight with composite chassis. Following these, it is believed that only 95 GT and 31 SS production models were constructed.

In 1992, a lighter and more powerful model with 600 PS (592 hp/441 kW) at 8000 rpm, the EB110 SS (SuperSport) was introduced. This car was capable of 216 mph (352 km/h) and 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.2 seconds.

At a price of more than US$350,000 for the SS model, the car wasn't going to be anything but exclusive. Early in 1994 Formula One driver Michael Schumacher purchased a banana-yellow EB 110 Super Sport, giving the company a great deal of publicity. Derek Hill, son of American Formula One Champion Phil Hill, was one of the three drivers on a team that competed with an EB 110 in the United States at the 1996 24 Hours of Daytona.

Hard times hit the company in 1995 and, as result of chairman Artioli's over ambitious purchase of Lotus in addition to the company's quest to develop the EB112 a four door car, the company was bankrupt. Dauer Racing GmbH of Nuremberg, Germany, bought the semi-finished EB 110 cars in the assembly plant plus the parts inventory through the bankruptcy trustee. The remaining chassis and a version of the engine were later developed by B Engineering into their Edonis sports car.

Despite later racing for Ferrari 1996 onward and a high profile collision with a truck the previous year which he took the blame on the braking system, Schumacher continued to retain the EB110SS. Schumacher sold the car in 2003 to Modena Motorsport, a Ferrari garage specialising in service, race preparation and sales of classic Ferraris in Germany.

Cars based on the EB110

B Engineering Edonis

The B Engineering Edonis is based on the Bugatti EB110 "Super Sport" but has been extensively re-engineered, retaining little more than the carbon-fiber chassis from the original Bugatti. Both the exterior and interior of the car have been completely redesigned. The 3.5 liter Bugatti engine has had its displacement increased from 3500 cc to 3760 cc. The original four small IHI turbochargers have been replaced by two larger units from the same manufacturer. Engine power has been boosted from convert|610|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on|lk=on and convert|650|Nm|ftlbf|abbr=on of torque to convert|680|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on at 8000 rpm and convert|735|Nm|ftlbf|abbr=on.

In addition, the 4WD triple-differential drivetrain from the original Bugatti has been replaced with a much simpler and lighter RWD transaxle, thus saving approximately convert|70|kg|lb|0|abbr=on from total weight. These power figures give the convert|1500|kg|lb|0|abbr=on Edonis a power-to-weight ratio of 480 bhp/ton. In addition, the engine's specific power output is an unprecedented 181 bhp/liter. The brand claims a maximum speed of 365 km/h (227 mph), while accelerating from 0 to convert|100|km/h|mi/h|0|abbr=on in only 3.9 seconds.

B Engineering plans to build only 21 vehicles from chassis originally built for Bugatti by Aerospatiale (Most of the remaining chassis delivered to Bugatti prior to their bankruptcy were delivered to Jochen Dauer when he purchased the assets of the company). The Edonis is expected to sell for around €760,000.

Dauer EB110

Dauer Sportwagen in Nuremberg, Germany, bought the remaining stock of EB110 parts from the Bugatti factory. [ [http://yo.spc.free.fr/EB110_Dauer.htm The Bugatti EB110 Registry - The Dauer EB110 Supersport ] ] A complete spare parts catalogue, with exploded diagrams and part numbers is now available from Dauer Sportwagen. The company has used the few remaining incomplete chassis to produce the limited edition Dauer EB110.

The revised car weighs 507 pounds less than the 4,233 pounds of the original US-spec Bugatti. The European version weighed 4,145 pounds, but the Dauer car weighs only 3,726, despite adopting the longer US-style bumpers, which protect the car better. The crash beams behind the bumper skins are also made from carbon fibre.

The Bugatti engine is a 3.5-liter, quad-cam, five-valves-per-cylinder, 60-degree V12 with four IHI turbos. It originally came in two forms, with the EB110 GT rated at convert|560|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on at 8,000 rpm and the “Super Sport” delivering convert|650|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on at 8,250rpm. [ [http://www.supercars.net/garages/ajzahn/2v2.html Supercars.net - 1995 Dauer EB110 Supersport ] ] The four-wheel-drive car can reach convert|60|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on in just 3.3 seconds, [ [http://www.supercars.net/garages/ajzahn/2v2.html Supercars.net - 1995 Dauer EB110 Supersport ] ] achieve a standing kilometer in under 19 seconds and has an estimated maximum speed of convert|230|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on, some convert|12|km/h|mi/h|0|abbr=on faster than the original.

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