Bugatti EB110 Super Sport

Bugatti EB110 Super Sport

The Bugatti EB110 Super Sport represents one of the most technically ambitious supercars of the early 1990s, and arguably the most underrated. While the car was initially overshadowed by the McLaren F1 and beset by the financial difficulties that ultimately bankrupted its parent company, the EB110 SS has been increasingly recognized as a visionary machine that anticipated many of the technologies later used in modern hypercars.

The EB110 was the creation of Romano Artioli, an Italian entrepreneur who acquired the rights to the Bugatti name and established a new factory in Campogalliano, Italy. The car was named in honor of Ettore Bugatti's 110th birthday and was intended to relaunch the legendary marque at the highest level of automotive engineering.

The Super Sport variant took the already impressive EB110 GT and elevated it dramatically. The 3,500cc V12 engine, with its quad-turbocharger system (four small IHI turbochargers), was tuned to produce 611 horsepower -- 60 more than the standard GT. The quad-turbo layout was chosen to minimize turbo lag, with the four small turbochargers spooling up faster than a pair of larger units would.

The V12 engine's architecture was remarkable. Designed by Paolo Stanzani, who had previously engineered the Lamborghini Miura and Countach, the 60-degree V12 featured five valves per cylinder (three intake, two exhaust), chain-driven camshafts, and dry-sump lubrication. The quad-turbo system used water-to-air intercooling, and the entire engine management system was controlled by a Bugatti-developed electronic unit.

The Super Sport's chassis was a carbon fiber monocoque -- a technology that was cutting-edge for a production car in 1992. The carbon fiber construction saved approximately 150 kg over the GT's aluminum structure, reducing the Super Sport's curb weight to approximately 1,566 kg. The body panels were also carbon fiber, contributing to the weight savings.

The permanent all-wheel drive system distributed power through a viscous coupling center differential, sending approximately 27% of power to the front wheels and 73% to the rear under normal conditions. This split provided the traction of AWD without the understeer penalty that a more front-biased system would create.

The six-speed manual gearbox featured an unusual gate pattern and was known for requiring a firm hand, but it was robust enough to handle the V12's enormous torque output. The limited-slip differentials front and rear ensured optimal power distribution to all four wheels.

Performance was extraordinary: 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds (making it the fastest-accelerating production car in the world at the time) and a top speed of 221 mph. These figures rivaled the McLaren F1's performance using an entirely different engineering philosophy.

Only 31 EB110 Super Sport models were produced before Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. entered bankruptcy in 1995. This extreme rarity, combined with the car's genuine engineering significance and remarkable performance, has driven values upward dramatically in recent years.

The EB110 SS has been belatedly recognized as one of the most important supercars of the 1990s, and its pioneering use of carbon fiber, all-wheel drive, and multi-turbo technology anticipated the approach that Volkswagen's Bugatti would later use in the Veyron.