Given how it set several world records at the time, including one for the fastest production car in the world, the Bugatti EB110 has got to be one of the most underrated and technologically advanced exotic cars of the 1990s. This particular Super Sport or SS example from 1994, with just 981 miles on the clock, is currently available through Miller Motorcars in Greenwich, Connecticut. Offered in a striking yellow over black wheels with a black interior, #ZA9BB02E0RCD39024, it represents a rare opportunity to acquire something that, in today’s collector car market, captures the bold vision of Romano Artioli’s revived Bugatti Automobili S.p.A.
Long before the Ferdinand Pïech led Volkswagen era gave us the W16 Veyron and Chiron, the EB110 was the daring Italian-led rebirth of the French marque. The car’s name honored Ettore Bugatti’s 110th birthday when it debuted in September 1991, and its unveiling was as extravagant as the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that built it in Campogalliano, in the heart of the Italian Motor Valley. The launch event stretched out across Paris and Versailles, complete with vintage Bugattis, a motorcade down the Champs Élysées leading up to the Arc de Triomphe, and thousands of guests in attendance for a grand gala dinner in the French capital. Bugatti wanted to announce it was back on the world stage.
Engineering made the EB110 more than just a headline spectacle. Under the hood sits a 3.5-liter V12 with four turbochargers, five valves per cylinder, and gear-driven camshafts often seen in motorsports, that pair with a six-speed manual gearbox. V12-manuals remain a niche market even today. The carbon-fiber monocoque, which only weighed 276 pounds, was supplied by French aerospace firm Aérospatiale, making it the first all-carbon production supercar. Standard all-wheel drive delivered 73 percent of power to the rear wheels, giving it stability without sacrificing handling.
Period tests recorded 0 to 60 mph in about 3.4 seconds, which made it quicker than a Ferrari F40 or Lamborghini Diablo, with a top speed north of 200 mph. Officially, the Super Sport variant was rated at 218 mph and achieved a Nürburgring lap time of 7:47. This was in the mid-1990s, a figure that nearly matched the Veyron over a decade later. At one point, the EB 110 SS even held the title of the world’s fastest production car, before the McLaren F1 beat it with 240.8 mph. Ironically, Bugatti would reclaim that record a decade later, when the Veyron pushed the benchmark to 253 mph.
Production numbers vary, but according to Bugatti themselves, 134 EB110s were built in total between 1991 and 1995, split between prototypes, GTs, and 39 Super Sports variants. The SS shaved 300 pounds through carbon fiber panels, magnesium wheels, and fixed composite seats, while boosting output from 553 horsepower to 603. Visual changes included the large, distinctive cooling portholes (five on each side, also seen more recently on the Centodeici), a fixed rear wing, and Recaro seating, compared with the GT’s more luxurious trim.
For any collector, originality and specification weigh heavily on value. Color plays a role in desirability as well. Most EB110s were delivered in Bugatti Blue, white, silver, or black, making the few yellow examples that exist especially rare. But yellow EB110 Super Sports are particularly prized, especially since Michael Schumacher purchased one in 1994 during his Benetton Formula One tenure. While he would eventually sell his car after signing with Ferrari, that association elevated the EB110’s long-term desirability.
Valuations reflect that rarity, and for years, the EB110 was overshadowed by the McLaren F1 and Ferrari F50, but prices have surged in the last decade. GTs trade between $1.5 million and $2.2 million, while Super Sports regularly exceed $3.0 million, with the best examples pushing beyond $4.0 million. Keep in mind that maintenance requires specialists, and annual service can easily reach five figures.
The EB110’s story is often described as tragic, given Bugatti’s collapse in 1995, which Artioli partly attributed to supplier sabotage. Having said that, it serves as a bridge between old-world craftsmanship and modern hypercar engineering. Owning one today, especially a yellow example like the one seen here, with fewer than 1,000 miles, means you will have a tangible piece of Bugatti’s modern renaissance, and an Italian-built exotic hypercar that set the stage for everything that would follow.
Images Source: Miller Motor Cars, Bugatti
