The Centodieci, which was exhibited at the Quail, a Motorsports Gathering and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance during world renowned Monterey Car Week, caused automotive aficionados to go abuzz with excitement. Following this week-long car heaven, the superlative Bugatti Centodieci took part in another exhibit at Le Domaine Bugatti. To honor the French marque’s 110th year anniversary, the hypercar manufacturer celebrates their long-standing history with the unveiling of the Centodieci that pays homage with its name derived from the anniversary year.
“It is a unique sight to have all Bugatti hyper sports cars of the last 30 years together,” says Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann. “Not only our customers, but all automotive enthusiasts visit our stand as a clear highlight of the weekend. And I think they will get their money’s worth.” There were many noteworthy cars this time around including an EB110 Super Sport, a Veyron Super Sport, a total of three Chiron Sports, the Divo, the La Voiture Noire that is currently limited to just one model, which was positioned on the Concept Car Lawn underneath the Bugatti stand, and the new Centodieci.
Bugatti’s prestige didn’t stop with the Centodieci this year as, besides some of the other newer models displayed throughout the week, an assortment of ravishing pre-war examples from private collectors were showcased during the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. But, like the preceding years, Stephan Winkelmann and Bugatti Design Director Achim Anscheidt had utilized their prowess fortify the judges ability to assess the 22 categories of automobiles that stand for originality, functionality and elegance.
“Monterey Car Week is a traditionally important event for Bugatti. The U.S. is our largest market worldwide, and California in particular has a large number of enthusiasts for the most exclusive sports cars,” explains Winkelmann. “Every year, historic Bugatti vehicles can be admired on the lawn here at Pebble Beach, and more than once, a Bugatti has been named the ‘Best of Show’.”
Even though the EB110 has been built in Campogalliano, Italy, the french influences remain strong within its DNA. The previous owner of the hypercar, Romano Artioli, established the factory on Ettore Bugatti’s 109th birthday. Artioli had purposely selected Campogalliano as the location of the factory due to the environment’s key advantages in the year 1990, with it being the domain of several Italian sports car manufacturers, which made it simple for highly capable individuals to be recruited for work in his factory. In commemoration of Ettore Bugatti’s 110th birthday, Artioli unleashed the EB110 hypercar from the factory and into the eyes of the public, which bears a name that combines the initials of Ettore Bugatti with the 110 years since his birth.
“With the Centodieci, we pay homage to the EB110 super sports car which was built in the 1990s and is very much a part of our tradition-steeped history,” states Stephan Winkelmann. “With the EB110, Bugatti catapulted itself to the top of the automotive world once again after 1956 with a new model.”
The new Bugatti Centodieci’s stunning form is reminiscent of its super car predecessors that date back to the 1990s. “The challenge was not to allow oneself to be captivated too much by the design of the historic vehicle and work solely in retrospect, but instead to create a modern interpretation of the shape and technology of that time,” says Achim Anscheidt, Head Designer at Bugatti. The aerodynamic and energetic spirit of the EB110 champions over both the Bugatti Chiron and Divo in the view of its sporting stance. Furthermore, the sheer grandeur and timeless vibe the EB110 emulates is equally evocative of the La Voiture Noire, which stands by its identity as a birthday present for Ettore Bugatti.
“We faced a number of technical challenges in terms of the development and design of the Centodieci,” says Achim Anscheidt. The EB110 is a very flat, wedge-shaped and graphically quasi two-dimensional supercar originating from the late 1980s. “Transporting this classic look into the new millennium without copying it was technically complex, to say the least. We had to create a new way of combining the complex aerothermal requirements of the underlying Chiron technology with a completely different aesthetic appearance.”
Revealing its draft solely through the side view, the radiator, which is shaped like a flat horseshoe, coordinates along with the freshly built, ingrained front spoiler and the three-segment air intakes to create a harmonic facade. The exterior of Centodieci is beyond words as the front drops to an extremely low level, which draws out the awareness of high acceleration and dexterous handling. A reduction has occurred for the Bugatti horseshoe, whereas the Bugatti logo Macaron is placed above the hood – this is perceived as the heart by the supercar’s black element. This format of the Centodieci rekindles the fire that the EB110 possessed. The agility of the car is then bolstered by the elongated front splitter and airflow through the hood.
“The body has a lot of sculpture, you will see a lot of change between negative and positive,” says Frank Heyl, Head of Exterior Design at Bugatti. “What is really important to us is that it is not seen as a retro car. It draws inspiration from the EB110, but it is not trying to recreate that in modern technology. That is why you see that there are several elements that remind you of the EB110, but other than that it is a completely fresh modern car – that is why it had to be rather futuristically looking.”
In spite of its main cooling surface, the car’s front is downgraded to the lower geometry. In addition, the taper headlamps of the vehicle are fused together with LED daytime active lights. As a result of these recently perfected headlights, the front and rear of the car free itself from cluttering surfaces in order to pay homage to the EB110. This created a visually stimulating design that is nostalgic of both the past and the present as it also incorporates a semblance of modern technology.
“It’s only ten cars so we allowed ourselves to completely deviate from what we normally do, which is very refreshing to the design team. The horseshoe is now very small, which makes the space between the horseshoe and the outside of the car much longer. That altogether makes the front really low and that is what really inhales us to drives the wedge much up together with a taller rear end we get this kind of gesture into the car and that is completely new to us,” says Frank Heyl
The wedge-shaped design was implemented into the development process, however the Centodieci modified it in an all-new approach. Rather than just using the same old classic Italian wedge where the force pushes from the rear to the front wheel, Bugatti opens a new door for the Centodieci. The inactive Bugatti line, specifically the C line on the B pillar, allows for a new design language to prevail. Set up in a diamond shaped pattern, five circular air inserts work to provide ample air intake for the exemplary 16-cylinder engine. Through the aforementioned method, the Centodieci introduces optically dazzling wedge belonging to the EB110 SS towards a new era.
“It’s fully wedged, so we allowed ourselves to make the rear a little bit higher than the Chiron. Normally if you go to the designer and make something like this he will say ‘NO’, but we deliberately made this to [start low and finish high] to get the wedge into the car. For us it’s a new flavor and a fresh breath of air. You need to know, we can only do these things because we have our main product in the market already. So with our main product having to have the two tone configurative ability,” states Frank Heyl.
Unlike the EB110’s two-dimensional rear alongside its two pill-shaped tail lights, an expansive air vent opening that raises the effectiveness of the engine thermals is prevalent in the Centodieci as the flying tail light conveys a spirited focus similar to the EB110. The car features a perfectly balanced temperature solutions that were only realized after many months. And just like the EB110, the Centodieci shares the same characteristic of having its engine covered by a lucid glass surface. The rear of the car is masterfully designed to form a single ventilation window that is further reinforced by eight rear light elements, 2+2 exhaust tailpipes located above one another in a black matt anodised finish and a performance diffuser in order to better enhance downforce. The rise in downforce is contributed partly to the fixed projected rear wing that has been replicated from the EB110. A laminar flow-revamped rear window and streamlined tailgate sustains the downforce of the Centodieci.
“An interesting character to mention here is Mr. Benedini. [Giampaolo] Benedini is an architect who designed the factory [during the brand’s Italian era], which still stands to present day. Mr. Benedini also got trusted by Mr. Artioli to design the car, which is remarkable as he being an architect. And that is why you find so many geometrical shapes on this car – it is quite unusual for a car design. In the day, this was quite a remarkable car in itself already; it had four wheel drive, four turbochargers, both of which you find on all of our new cars. So, it was groundbreaking at the time to have these elements on the car,” says Frank Heyl.
Harboring an 8-litre W16 engine with 1,176 kW/1,600 hp at 7,000 rpm, the Centodieci is capable of unleashing fierce power. The temperature of the performance-heightened engine is controlled by an extra air inlet located within the bounds of the oil cooler. This limited production supercar can go not to 100 km/h in just 2.4 seconds, from not to 200 km/h in 6.1 seconds and or from not to 300 km/h in 13.1 seconds. However, the Centodieci forcefully tops out at 380 km/h. “It’s not just the top speed that makes a hyper sports car. With the Centodieci, we once again demonstrate that design, quality and performance are just as important,” says Stephan Winkelmann.
The Centodieci reserves 20 kilograms more of unburdened weight in relation to the Chiron. The car is complemented by a lightweight windscreen wiper and carbon fibre constructed stabilisers. Through these elements the power-to-weight ratio is merely 1.13 kilograms per horsepower.
The limited-edition Centodieci is available in an array of Bugatti colors. With a limited production of only ten examples, the car is already sold out and deliveries are scheduled to begin in two years at a base price of 8 million EUR not including VAT. “We are proud of our long Bugatti history, of which the EB110 is very much a part. That’s why we’re celebrating a reinterpretation of this extraordinary vehicle with the Centodieci – Italian for 110,” says Stephan Winkelmann.
Images and video courtesy of: Bugatti.com
