Photo credit: Bugatti Newsroom, Italdesign, Wheelsage
After the rebirth of Bugatti in 1991 with the rear-engined EB110 Granturismo, Romano Artioli’s dream was to bring back the true spirit of the aristocratic brand from Molsheim with the addition of an exclusive sports sedan. The year was 1993 and in the pavilions of the Geneva Motor Show, the EB112 entered, driven and with the engine running to show that it was not a mere display piece.
The design was penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Italdesign and the result was a stunning mix between the past and future: the sloping roof of Jean Bugatti’s 57S Atlantic, rims inspired by the Royale, the double rear window and the classic horseshoe radiator. The mechanics were equally inspired, with carbon fibre and an all-aluminium body shell powered by a 6-litre, naturally aspirated V12 engine derived from the EB110.
Production was set to begin in 1995 with roughly 300 units a year, but just a few months before launch, Artioli declared bankruptcy and the dream of Bugatti’s rebirth vanished once again: showing the new model in advance was not sufficient to convince the creditors.
In addition to the Geneva prototype, currently kept in the Italdesign Museum, two other examples were made by recovering unused material after the company folded. Too little for a car that would deserved more and that not even the Volkswagen Group, after taking over Bugatti, decided to propose.
