One of only 30 production EB110 SS examples built
Chassis no. ZA9BB02EORCD39011
Est: € 2,000,000 - 2,500,000
Est: £ 1,700,000 - 2,100,000
• Delivered new to Germany
• One of the most powerful SS models built
• Four owners from new
• Full Bugatti service history
• Circa 30,000 kilometres from new
Text and Image courtesy of Bonhams
Forty years after Ettore Bugatti's death in 1947, the once legendary but moribund marque, one of the most renowned in automotive history, was acquired by ambitious Italian businessman Romano Artioli, whose aim was nothing less than a resurrection of Bugatti in the form of a state-of-the-art supercar. Artioli chose Modena, home to Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati, as the place to build his modern factory from which the first completed production car rolled out in 1992. Designated 'EB110' (signifying its debut 110 years after Ettore's birth) the first new Bugatti since the 1950s was an advanced mid-engined supercar acclaimed as worthy successor to its formidable antecedents.
The Bugatti EB110 GT was designed by none other than engineer Paolo Stanzani and stylist Marcello Gandini, co-creators of the exotic Lamborghini Countach supercar to which the EB110, with its short nose, wedge-shaped body and gull-wing doors, bore a strong resemblance. Beneath the skin there were similarities too, the short-stroke V12 engine with forward mounted gearbox having been pioneered on the Countach. Had the EN110 stopped there it would have constituted a remarkable enough debut for a fledgling manufacturer, but to the already outstanding specification Stanzani added five valves per cylinder, four turbo-chargers, a bespoke six-speed gearbox and four-wheel drive! Despite the complexity, the EB110 worked well on the road, its compact dimensions combined with four-wheel drive making for exceptional agility, with excellent grip and balance no matter what the conditions. The 3.5-litre V12 developed 561bhp, good enough for a top speed of 340km/h, a figure recorded at the Nardo test track in Italy which placed the EB110 on a par with that other 'World's Fastest Car', the Jaguar XJ220.
There was also a lightweight version, the even more powerful and expensive EB110 SS (Super Sport), which debuted at the Geneva Salon in 1992, six months after the launch of the EB110 GT. For the Super Sport, Bugatti boosted power still further; published outputs varied but all had one thing in common - they were in excess of 600bhp. The increase in power had been achieved by fitting a new ECU together with larger fuel injectors and a less restrictive exhaust system. Overall weight was reduced by 202kg by replacing some aluminium panels with carbon/Kevlar alternatives and fitting magnesium BBS wheels. For the Super Sport, Bugatti claimed a 0-100km/h time of 3.14 seconds and a top speed of 355km/h, breathtaking figures even by today's standards.
While, understandably, headline writers emphasised its stupendous performance to the exclusion of almost everything else except the price ($380,000 for the SS version) the EB110 was nevertheless a very well built product possessing a roomy and lavishly equipped interior.
Unfortunately for Artioli and his collaborators, the EB110 launched just as the early 1990s' recession took hold, and the company entered receivership in 1994. In addition to the five aluminium and eight composite-chassied pre-production prototypes, it is believed that a mere 125 of these exotic cars were built (95 GT and 30 SS), Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher and HRH the Sultan of Brunei being perhaps the most high-profile owners.
This EB110 SS was specially ordered on 30th July 1993 and delivered via the German imported Auto König in April 1994 to Dr Bernd Pöhlmann, its first owner, a sports car enthusiast living in Bavaria. Special options included blue anodised aluminium control pedals, gear shift knob, and window switches, while the interior colour was changed by the customer to dark blue during production. Dr Pöhlmann also specified that his EB110 SS should have a more powerful engine, and this car's (number 'B110.01 085') is one of the most powerful SS engines produced.
Having driven around 9,000 kilometres, Dr Pöhlmann sold the Bugatti in October 1997 to Mr Jürgen Jaudszims of Hamburg, who kept the car till 2003 when it was sold to the collector, Jan Van Stuivenberg. The Bugatti was then licensed in the Netherlands as '83-RK-ZD'. Mr Van Stuivenberg owned the car for ten years, during which time the recorded mileage total increased to 18,074 kilometres and sold it in March 2013 to the fourth and last owner (in Munich). In his ownership the car was driven regularly and routinely serviced.
Especially for this sale, the Bugatti was despatched to B.Engineering in Campogalliano for a full service, technical inspection and certification, and at the same time was returned to absolutely original condition. In addition, the car was carefully examined and found to show no signs of any accidents. The car has been serviced by the Bugatti Customers Service Department on three occasions in total (November 2005, February 2014, and July 2021), the odometer reading on the last visit being recorded as 29,995 kilometres.
The car is currently German registered and comes with a huge file of service and maintenance invoices, and the all-important Certificato di Autenticità supplied by Bugatti. A sports exhaust and a seat made for larger drivers are included in the sale.
Finished in Grigio Chiaro metallizzato (Light Grey metallic) with dark blue leather interior, '011' is presented in excellent order throughout and represents a rare opportunity to own and enjoy one of the iconic supercars of the 1990s, the performance of which few cars can match, even today.
The Zoute Sale - 10 Oct 2021, 14:00 CEST - Knokke-Heist, Place Albert de Knokke Le Zoute, Belgium
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Text and image courtesy of Bonhams
