Very often, a rare car comes up for sale. Rare has many different definitions to different people – to some a Golf GTI is rare, perhaps because they don’t see them all too often. We know that a GTI isn’t actually rare, because some 13 200 GTI’s were sold between February 2013 and July 2020. And that’s just in one market…
So how about one of three, then. In the world. Cars this rare often have a remarkable story behind them, too, and the Bugatti EB112 is no different. Everyone knows that the Veyron is a masterpiece of engineering being both luxurious and blisteringly fast. Bugatti, however, has a history of making luxurious coupés and saloons, too, evocative of refinement and technical advancement.
In the 1990’s, the businessman who revived Bugatti in the very same decade, Romano Artioli wanted to introduce a new limousine, one that was ”uncompromising in accordance with the brand’s tradition.”
Italdesign co-founder Giorgettto Giugiaro was left in charge of design and was tasked with creating something in line with Artioli’s clear vision for the car. Design cues came from iconic Bugatti’s, such as the spine from the 57 SC Atlantic and the distinctive horseshoe grille from the Tipo 55 2 door, the Tipo 32 and 57 Tank. Even the wheels drew inspiration from the legendary Bugatti Royale. The finished design was such a statement at the time that some even voted it as “the most beautiful car in the world.”
Power came from a naturally aspirated 6,0-litre V12 with 335 kW and 650 Nm, enough to propel the super-limo from 0-100 km/h in just 4,3 seconds and on to a top speed of 300 km/h. Romano Artioli described the EB112 as “Similar to a go-kart, it corners flat and is even more enjoyable to drive than an EB110“.
Unfortunately Bugatti went bankrupt just as production started. As a result, the 1993 Geneva Motor show car was completed, chassis #39001, while #39002 had just rolled onto the production line and #39003’s chassis had been completed, but assembly had not started yet. After Bugatti’s assets were put up for auction after bankruptcy, Monegasque businessman Gildo Pallanca Pastor acquired the lot and entrusted the Monaco Racing Team with finishing the assembly of chassis #39002 and #39003, the later remaining in his personal collection.
The vehicle listed for sale, chassis #39002, is the only car to have started assembly at the Bugatti Campogalliano factory. It was ordered on the 27th of April 1993 and was finally delivered in February 2000. Registered in Geneva since February 2003, this EB112 presents in immaculate condition with just 3 900 km on the clock. This spectacular machine offers a glimpse into what could have been the future of one of the world’s most prestigious brands. The listing shows the price as being POA.
