Ever since the launch of the 1000hp Bugatti Veyron back in 2005, the marque has been leading from the front in the hotly contested hypercar segment, yet it may never have seen the light of day were it not for the efforts of Romano Artioli, the man behind the ’90s EB110 and even more powerful EB110 Super Sports.
The Centodieci has been created as an homage to this important model, as Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann explains, “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. With the EB110, Bugatti catapulted itself to the top of the automotive world once again after 1956 with a new model.”
This was a crucial moment for the brand and the Centodieci (Italian for 110) is a reinterpretation of this important car and brings both its styling and performance into the modern age.
Achim Anscheidt, Bugatti’s head designer, went to great lengths to ensure that the styling of the new car was both cutting-edge yet still contained elements of the EB110s more angular design. This can be seen in areas like the grille, which is a modern interpretation of the original and the five round air inserts that mimic those used on the EB110 SS and provide additional air cooling for the mid-mounted powerplant.
Unlike the original’s 3.5-liter quad-turbo V12 motor, the Centodieci uses the towering 8.0-liter W16 quad-turbo unit as found in the latest Chiron. However, in this application it has been tuned to produce a massive 1600hp, making it the most powerful in the range. The performance stats are predictably mad; the 0-62mph sprint is over in 2.4 seconds while 186mph is reached just 10.7 seconds later. Top speed has been limited to 237.5mph, which should be sufficient for most, and the additional power and 20kg (44 pounds) lighter curb weight compared to the Chiron give the Centodieci superior acceleration and handling in every other area.
“With the paint finish in white, we’re demonstrating a powerful contrast with the La Voiture Noire: two completely opposing yet related forces, like yin and yang,” says Winkelmann. The small production run of just 10 cars have all been accounted for and customers will be able to specify any interior and exterior color combination they desire. Priced at $8.8-million, deliveries are set to begin in two years.
Images courtesy of Bugatti
