Recent sightings captured Fernando Alonso threading a Bugatti EB110 GT through the streets of Monaco. The two-time Formula One champion usually favors the newest hypercars money can buy. This particular car dates back more than three decades, and its arrival in his collection caught plenty of attention.
Alonso received this EB110 in his garage earlier this month, and before long he was behind the wheel, taking it for a drive. Monaco is now home to many of his high-performance automobiles, including a number of Aston Martins (a Valkyrie), a LaFerrari, a McLaren P1, a 918 Spyder, and a one-of-a-kind Pagani Zonda that he purchased a few months back. The old Bugatti is a bit of a departure, a shift in speed.
LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport Hypercar 42222
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It all began in the early 1990s, when Italian businessman Romano Artioli intended to restore the famed Bugatti name by establishing a plant in Campogalliano, Italy, and directing his staff to create a hypercar that would outperform everyone else. The engineers spent a significant amount of time collaborating with aerospace vendors and designers to achieve heights that most others could not. The EB110 GT was released in 1991 to commemorate Ettore Bugatti’s 110th birthday. Marcello Gandini had some style suggestions early on, and Giampaolo Benedini helped give the final shape its finishing touches. The end result is a car with a low, wide stance, some sharp angles and corners, and a profile that still appears exotic today. And those scissor doors don’t hurt either, as they provide some drama when they lift up.
The EB110 features a 3.5-liter V12 engine with four turbochargers and five valves per cylinder. This produces 553 horsepower @ 8000 rpm and 451 pounds of torque. A six-speed manual transmits this power to a four-wheel drive system with a rear bias; at the time, the straight line speed was quite astounding. It can accelerate from zero to sixty in around 3.5 seconds and reach speeds of up to 210 mph. At the time, it was among the quickest cars on the road with a homologation certificate, setting many records at the Nardò track. The carbon fiber monocoque chassis restricted the weight to around 3570 pounds and, while still somewhat uncommon at the time, provided a stable base for the car.
There were strict limitations on the quantity of EB110s built. Around 140 examples of the EB110 family left production before economic difficulties forced a halt and Bugatti Automobili declared bankruptcy in 1995. The GT accounted for the majority of the 140 automobiles, and then what? Prices for a well-preserved EB110 have risen, with some going for millions.
