The Bugatti Centodieci pays homage to the EB110 supercars of the 1990s, but one owner decided to take it a step further by commissioning a one-off livery to match the EB110S that competed in the 1994 Le 24 Hours Mans drove.
The car, one of 10 Centodieci customer cars produced, went to a US owner, Bugatti said in a Facebook post. A Coach-built special edition based on the Chiron, the Centodieci was unveiled in 2019 to commemorate the original EB110, a car that helped bring the Bugatti name back from its slumber.
Bugatti Centodieci in 1994 EB110 LM Le Mans livery
Introduced in 1991 to celebrate Ettore Bugatti’s 110th birthday, the EB110 was the brainchild of Italian businessman Romano Artioli, a staunch supporter of the brand. While it revived Bugatti and laid the groundwork for the Volkswagen Group’s takeover of the marque later that decade, the EB110 was not a commercial success. Only 134 cars were built, including two racing cars.
Of the two factory built Bugatti EB110 race cars, one was built for the Rolex 24 at Daytona while the other was built for Le Mans. The Le Mans-spec car, officially known as the EB110 LM, sported starting number 34 and a patriotic French Racing Blue livery (plus some sponsor decals), which is reproduced here.
Bugatti Centodieci in 1994 EB110 LM Le Mans livery
Bugatti has a rich racing heritage, but the EB110 couldn’t do it justice. The EB110 LM did not finish its only outing at Le Mans. The Daytona car fared no better, retiring from this race after a $0.50 transmission part broke. Bugatti filed for bankruptcy in 1995, and while it’s now thriving, it’s unlikely to return to motorsport anytime soon.
Despite being priced at $8.9 million, the Centodieci was already sold out when it was launched in 2019. However, customers had to wait for Bugatti to complete development before getting their cars. The first Centodieci was delivered last June and the tenth and final car was delivered last month. Even among this tiny production run, this racing-inspired Centodieci stands out.