Inspired By The Legendary EB110 Supersport, A One-Off Bugatti Centodieci

Bugatti EB110 Supersport And Bugatti Centodieci

Designed during the Romano Artioli era of Bugatti in the 1980s and 1990s, the EB110 Supersport was a lighter and more powerful iteration of the EB110 GT.

Bugatti’s design director, Achim Anscheidt, expressed, “The EB110 is unique in Bugatti history. With the brand’s rebirth in the late 1980s, the EB110 emerged with timeless sports car proportions. Its design was finished by Giampaolo Benedini, the architect responsible for the Bauhaus-inspired Campogalliano factory of the period, and the EB110’s memorable graphics and sophisticated shapes certainly reflect that architectural approach. But what was true of the EB110 Supersport is true for us today, form follows performance. So, we wanted to look at why this car looked the way it did, and reinterpreted that for a modern era Bugatti.”

Bugatti EB110 Supersport And Bugatti Centodieci

Ushering the past into the present, a merger, illustrating the design evolution between the legend and its modern coachbuilt heir, Bugatti presents the latest one-off client example of the Centodieci.

Bugatti EB110 Supersport And Bugatti Centodieci, Exterior

The similarities are obvious, the Supersport was fitted with five instantly recognizable cooling holes in the B-pillar, essential to feed air to the 3.5-litre quad-turbocharged V12 engine. 

At which, that air then breezes through the glass-covered engine bay, and exits via ten slots in the rear end of the body.

In the case of the Centodieci, these elements are reinterpreted and modernized, with air entering via five cooling ports in the apex of a newly shaped Bugatti C-line, over the W16 engine.

Alike, it receives an EB110-inspired glass cover, where the air also goes out through the rear end, but in between a new light signature that mimics the vents on the EB110 Supersport.

Speaking of the rear end, an enlarged rear diffuser houses vertically stacked quad exhausts, in a modern homage to the EB110 Supersport’s twin pipes.

Bugatti EB110 Supersport And Bugatti Centodieci, Exterior

What’s more, the design is not only meant to look beautiful, but also able to deliver at levels of road-going performance that even the EB110 Supersport could not match. 

Outstandingly, the 1,600 HP Centodieci sprints 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. The top speed is electronically capped at 380 KM/H.

“When designing a car that is able to safely reach the speeds the Centodieci is capable of, you have to take into account many different considerations. It must be safe, it must be aerodynamic, and it has to direct air effectively around the powertrain components for cooling. We used the Chiron powertrain and monocoque as a base, but the development of the Centodieci was so wide-ranging that we were essentially designing an entirely new car. To achieve the desired levels of performance and stylistic perfection, this is the only way,” remarked Bugatti design team’s head of special projects, Nils Sajonz.

Bugatti EB110 Supersport And Bugatti Centodieci, Exterior

On that note, paying proper homage to the EB110 Supersport meant the design team had to focus on reimagining its iconic silhouette, which appears to leap forwards even while stationary. 

This meant creating an entirely new roofline and profile, with a front end that sits much lower and a rear end that sits much higher. 

Thus, the new visor-inspired glasshouse appears to sweep seamlessly around the body, while a new frontal visual character is inspired by the EB110’s understated Bugatti horseshoe grille.

Bugatti EB110 Supersport And Bugatti Centodieci, Exterior

Finally, with the proportions set, the design team looked at modernizing elements of the EB110’s Bauhaus-inspired flat surfaces and details. 

Notably, the sides of the Centodieci create a play of light and shadow with gentle curves, while the slab-shaped headlights of EB110 evolve into pioneering slimline LED headlights on the Centodieci.

Bugatti EB110 Supersport And Bugatti Centodieci, Exterior

Anscheidt concluded, “Some have argued that without the EB110, the Bugatti brand would not be in the position it is today. Its timeless shape provided us with endless inspiration to create a fitting homage to this very significant piece of Bugatti history.”

Bugatti EB110 Supersport And Bugatti Centodieci, Exterior

That said, just ten examples of the highly exclusive Bugatti Centodieci will be hand-built in the Molsheim Atelier and delivered to clients until the end of the year, with each already sold at a unit price of EUR 8,000,000 (MYR 36,242,269).

Bugatti Centodieci