The Newest Bugatti Centodieci Customer Example is Inspired by the Iconic EB110 Supersport

Molsheim

As manufacture of the Bugatti Centodieci continues, the most recent client example of this one-off creation illustrates the design progression between the iconic EB110 Supersport and its contemporary coachbuilt successor more clearly than ever before. Designed and manufactured throughout the 1980s and 1990s by Romano Artioli, the EB110 Supersport was a lighter, more powerful variant of the EB110 GT.

The EB110 is unique in the history of Bugatti. In the late 1980s, when the brand was reborn, the EB110 appeared with classic sports car dimensions. Giampaolo Benedini, the architect responsible for the Bauhaus-inspired Campogalliano factory of the era, completed its design, and the EB110's iconic graphics and elegant forms reflect this architectural approach. The same is true for us now as it was with the EB110 Supersport; form follows performance. Therefore, we wanted to determine why this automobile seemed as it did and reinterpret it for a Bugatti from the present period. — Achim Anscheidt, Bugatti Design Director

The parallels are readily apparent. In order to supply air to the 3.5-liter quad-turbocharged V12 engine, the Supersport was equipped with five immediately recognised cooling holes in the B-pillar. This air then passes through a glass-covered engine chamber and emerges via ten rear slots. In the Centodieci, these elements are reinterpreted and modernised, with air entering through five cooling ports at the apex of a newly shaped Bugatti C-line, passing over the W16 engine – which receives a glass cover inspired by the EB110 Supersport – and exiting through a new light signature that mimics the vents on the EB110 Supersport. A larger rear diffuser housing vertically stacked quad exhausts, a contemporary tribute to the twin pipes of the EB110 Supersport.

Every every component must not only be aesthetically pleasing but also produce levels of road-going performance that the groundbreaking EB110 Supersport could not equal. The 1,600 horsepower Centodieci accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.4 seconds, to 200 km/h in 6.1 seconds, and to 300 km/h in 13.1 seconds; its peak speed is electronically restricted to 380 km/h (236 mph).

Nils Sajonz, Head of Special Projects for the Bugatti Design Team, said, "When creating a vehicle that is able to attain the Centodieci's top speed safely, several factors must be taken into account. It must be safe, aerodynamic, and properly channel air around the powertrain components to cool them. We used the Chiron engine and monocoque as a foundation, but the Centodieci's development was so extensive that we were practically developing a whole new automobile. This is the only method to reach the requisite levels of performance and aesthetic excellence."

In order to pay proper honour to the EB110 Supersport, the design team had to reimagine its unique profile, which looks to move ahead even when it is standing still. This required a completely redesigned roofline and profile, with a much lower front and a significantly taller back. A new frontal visual identity was inspired by the EB110's subtle Bugatti horseshoe grille.