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Extremely Rare, Race-Spec Bugatti EB 110 SC Returns to the Track After 25 Years

One of the most breathtaking supercars of the 1990s, the EB110 symbolized the rise from the ashes of the famous French luxury brand. Most of the 139 units built became part of exclusive collections and saw limited time on the road, let alone on the track. A select few were specifically developed for motorsport, among which we find this Sport Competizione (SC) variant that was recently brought back to the place where it ended its short-lived career.
Bugatti EB 110 Super Sport 9 photos
Photo: Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.
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In 1987, Romano Artioli bought the Bugatti trademark rights and kickstarted the revival of the legendary company. On September 15, 1990, he officially inaugurated a new factory in Campogalliano, a small Italian city northwest of Modena. A year later, to mark Ettore Bugatti’s 110th birthday, the EB 110 was unveiled at Versailles and in front of the Grande Arche de la Défense, near Paris.

One of the most cutting-edge supercars of its time, it featured a 3.5-liter V12 with four turbochargers, all-wheel drive, and a lightweight carbon monocoque chassis. It quickly became popular, and a few years later, legendary Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher purchased a yellow Super Sport variant. He subsequently crashed it into a truck soon after, blaming the "inadequate brakes" for the incident.

Questionable brakes aside, the 603-hp Italian-made Bugatti was undoubtedly fast. Able to reach 218 mph (351 kph), it held the record for the fastest production car of the period, but Artioli wanted more than just a place in the record books. He was hellbent on bringing Bugatti back to the world of motorsport.

Bugatti EB 110 Super Sport
Photo: Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.
Thus, in addition to the GT and the Super Sport, two official race-spec variants boasting up to 690 hp were manufactured at the time. The first one was a blue EB 110 LM, which competed in the 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans but sadly did not finish the race. However, the car piqued the interest of Gildo Pallanca-Pastor, a wealthy Monegasque businessman, race car driver, and Bugatti enthusiast. In March 1995, he set a speed record on ice in a stock Super Sport. Still, he was actually more interested in entering official races, so he commissioned a bespoke race version to participate in the U.S. IMSA and other endurance races that year.

Engineers extensively revamped a stock EB 110 SS, making it lighter, faster, and ready to dominate the track. Named Sport Competizione, it was ready to compete in just six months after development started.

Bugatti EB 110 Sport Competizione
Photo: Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.
Pallanca-Pastor competed in a handful of events that season, and although the car performed adequately, it never managed to impress. Unfortunately, the supercar market began to collapse at the time, and so did the Italian reincarnation of Bugatti.

Even though spare parts were scarce, the Monegasque driver didn’t give up on the EB 110 SC and managed to prepare it for the next season, planning to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. In June, he entered the two-hour race in Dijon, France but soon after the start, during the second lap, he was involved in a crash. Due to extensive damage, he could not continue. The lack of spare parts meant that the mechanics were unable to repair it in time, so the EB 110 Sport Competizione didn’t make it to Le Mans, which started a week later.

Although the incident ended the short motorsport career of the last factory race car built by Bugatti to date, it was eventually repaired and sold to a collector that kept it in perfect shape. Recently, it made its way back to Dijon for a photoshoot, 25 years after its last race. You can admire the (in)glorious machine in the gallery above.
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About the author: Vlad Radu
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Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times.
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