Bugatti EB110 and Bugatti Chiron: what do they have in common 25 years on?

Between the Bugatti EB110 and the Bugatti Chiron, 25 years have passed, yet both share many similarities. Without a doubt, these supercars have marked a before and after in the history of the automotive industry.

Four turbochargers, all-wheel drive and a carbon fibre monocoque. These three ingredients are, according to Bugatti, the components of the wildest dreams starring supercars. Almost 25 years separate the Bugatti EB110 and the Bugatti Chiron, yet they have some things in common.

Bugatti managed to produce a superlative sports car in 1991 with the Bugatti EB110. Developed and created by the enthusiast Bugatti Romano Artioli, the Bugatti EB110 played in a league of its own, an epic development decades ahead of the competition. It was created from scratch, without a predecessor model. Everything was new, such as the 3.5-litre V12 engine with four turbochargers. Five valves per cylinder ensured a rapid charge cycle.

For the first time in a supercar, an all-wheel drive system was used, capable of permanently delivering between 560 and 620 CV. The Bugatti EB110 could go from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.3 seconds, with a top speed of 351 km/h. This was a world record for a series-production car, and a speed range that very few vehicles reach even today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM_BVRkcJQw

Bugatti EB110, a before and after in the supercar segment

Until 1995, the supercar was built by hand in Campogalliano, Italy, not in France. This was for practical reasons: other supercar manufacturers such as De Tomaso, Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini are located nearby, so there was qualified staff available to hire for the company. But the ambitious project failed, mainly due to the deterioration of the economic situation.

“The EB110 is a true sports supercar that joins an extensive lineage of extraordinary ancestors of Bugatti, a development of its era,” said Stephan Winkelmann, president of Bugatti. With only 128 series-produced vehicles and an initial price of 450 million and 550 million Italian lire, the EB110 GT and the EB110 SS were reserved for a very exclusive clientele.

Bugatti Veyron, the arrival of the first hypercar

It was not until 20 years later, in 2005, that the French brand launched the Bugatti Veyron, a new vehicle that again reflected a whole range of superlatives. A supercar progresses to become a hypercar: this is not surprising given the more than 1,000 CV delivered by the 8.0-litre W16 engine. As with the Bugatti EB110, the manufacturer continued its philosophy with the Bugatti Veyron: all-wheel drive, four turbochargers and a carbon monocoque. In addition, the vehicle featured selected materials and high-quality craftsmanship that were unsurpassed.

As before, all vehicles were handmade, but from now on in Molsheim, France, where Ettore Bugatti originally founded his company 110 years ago. “The Veyron catapulted Bugatti into a new dimension in the early 2000s. As the first luxury hypercar, we set standards at that time. It is something that continues to make us proud to this day,” added Stephan Winkelmann.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvn4lHrr6AQ

Like the Bugatti EB110, the Bugatti Veyron broke several acceleration and speed records and redefined what high-end automotive design was capable of: exceptional driving performance, excellent engineering skills and a level of quality never before seen in vehicle construction. With a top speed of over 400 km/h, it was the fastest series-production sports car. Bugatti built the Veyron until 2015.

Bugatti Chiron, a new ‘child’ born in 2016

Since 2016, employees of the brand in Molsheim have produced the Bugatti Chiron, another extraordinary vehicle that is almost impossible to compare with any other car. And yet there are some parallels with the Bugatti EB110 and the Bugatti Veyron: like its predecessors, the Bugatti Chiron features all-wheel drive, four turbochargers and a carbon monocoque.

Moreover, it has excellent craftsmanship and driving performance figures that are difficult to surpass. The iconic 8.0-litre W16 engine delivers at least 1,500 CV and 1,600 Nm of torque. Again, this guarantees an impressive driving performance. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.4 seconds and to 200 km/h in only 6.1 seconds; the Bugatti Chiron reaches 300 km/h in 13.1 seconds. The top speed of this series-production vehicle is limited to 420 km/h. In addition, the Chiron offers very balanced and very safe handling.

The Bugatti Veyron and the Bugatti Chiron are hypercars, but they are still completely different vehicles. The aerodynamics, suspension, engine, steering and all-wheel drive are even more refined in the Bugatti Chiron. More direct and precise, with even better feedback than the Veyron. The differences compared with the Bugatti EB110 are enormous.

“Today, the Bugatti Chiron combines maximum performance with exclusive design, as well as the best possible quality in terms of materials, craftsmanship and comfort. In this combination, it is truly unique in the world: the last luxury sports car,” stated Stephan Winkelmann.

Today these three vehicles share the fact that they are very rare. Recently, only 200 limited-production units of the Bugatti Chiron have left the workshop out of the 500 created. Bugatti produced only 128 of the Bugatti EB110, while of the Bugatti Veyron it built 450 vehicles across all versions. These are vehicles now in high demand, and their value is also rising.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkkV1vLHUvQ

Moreover, all three model names are directly related to the French brand. While the Bugatti EB110 is an acronym for the birthday 110 of Ettore Bugatti, the name of the Bugatti Veyron recalls the French racing driver and Le Mans winner Pierre Veyron, who was active between 1933 and 1953 and worked for Bugatti as a test driver and development engineer. The Bugatti Chiron, for its part, bears the name of the Monegasque racing driver Louis Chiron, who competed with and for the manufacturer between 1926 and 1933.

However, the Gallic manufacturer does not only look to the past. Today, it is primarily oriented towards the future. The development of new projects is progressing at unexpected rates. With the Bugatti Chiron and the Bugatti Divo, the Molsheim workshop currently produces the most exclusive, powerful, fast and extraordinary vehicles in the world. In the spirit of Ettore Bugatti, the creator of the brand of luxury hand-built cars, once said that “if it is comparable, it is not a Bugatti”. Each one is a unique specimen in its own right. Unique, and not comparable. In any case, only to one another.