Bugatti’s Centodieci special-edition is a homage to the EB110 super sports car.
The EB110 was a very flat, wedge-shaped and graphically quasi two-dimensional super sports car of the late 1980s.
Transporting this classic look into the new millennium without copying it was technically complex, to say the least.
The designers had to create a new way of combining the complex aerothermal requirements of the underlying Chiron technology with a completely different aesthetic appearance.
Centodieci (Italian for 110) is even sportier and more extreme than the Chiron and Divo hyper sports cars, yet elegant and timeless like the La Voiture Noire — it’s a one-of-a-kind Bugatti for the enthusiast.
Instead of a V12, the car features the iconic 8.0-litre W16 engine with an incredible 1176kW (1600hp) of power at 7000 rpm — in effect two V8s.
An additional air inlet in the area of the oil cooler reliably regulates the temperature of the performance-enhanced engine.
The result is a car that sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.4 seconds, to 200 km/h in 6.1 seconds and to 300 km/h in just 13.1 seconds.
Top speed is electronically limited to 380km/h.
“It’s not just the top speed that makes a hyper sports car,” says Buggati boss Stephan Winkelmann
“With the Centodieci, we once again demonstrate that design, quality and performance are just as important.”
Unladen Centodieci weighs 20kg less than the Chiron.
This has been achieved among other things by the use of stabilisers and awindscreen wiper made of lightweight carbon, giving the car a power-to-weight ratio of just 1.13kg per horsepower.
“The increased power and lower weight further improve performance – for even better acceleration at high speeds,” Winkelmann says.
“The Centodieci offers customers an improved power-to-weight ratio and even more dynamic handling.”
The front plays second fiddle to the generally low geometry of the vehicle, despite its original, predominant cooling surface.
The newly developed, complex and very narrow headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lights provide the perfect match.
Five round air inserts – positioned in the form of a diamond – ensure sufficient air intake for the iconic 16-cylinder engine.
Instead of the graphic two-dimensional rear of the EB110 with its two pill-shaped tail lights, the Centodieci relies on a wide air outlet opening for more efficient engine thermals, bringing to life the flying tail light elements in graphic kinship with the EB110.
It took several months to develop solutions to ensure a balanced temperature.
Like the EB110, the engine cover is made of a transparent glass surface.
The rear is formed into a single ventilation hole, characterised by the eight rear light elements, 2+2 exhaust tailpipes positioned on top of each other in a black matt anodised finish and a performance diffuser to improve downforce.
The overhanging rear wing is permanently attached in the style of the original EB110 SS which increases the downforce, with the support of an aerodynamic tailgate and a laminar flow-optimised rear window.
The small series, limited to 10 vehicles (and already sold out) and handcrafted in Molsheim, France, will be delivered in two years at unit prices starting at 8 million euros plus tax.
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