Radical Concept Apparently gloomy days have also been experienced by a well-known automotive company like Bugatti. In the 1960s, the Molsheim-based company had declared bankrupt and should ceased production for a long time before revived back in the 1980s. The idea of Bugatti’s revival was initially proposed by none other than Ferruccio Lamborghini together with ex-Lamborghini engineer and designer Paolo Stanzani to Romano Artioli.
The most radical proposed design concept for the Bugatti EB110 called Bugatti 110 PM1 by Paolo Martin in 1989. (Picture from: SportscarDigest)
This happened when Ferruccio wanted to start another project after selling his raging-bull logoed company in 1981. At that time Romano Artioli was known widely as a Bugatti collector, turn out also had a personal ambition to establish a company worthy of Ettore Bugatti’s legacy, Bugatti macaron, and the horseshoe grille. And made the initial idea to estabilish a new brand changed into a wildly ambitious plan to revive one of the all-time great auto marques.
The wooden maquette of the Bugatti 110 PM1 posed along with its creator Paolo Martin at the Turin Auto Show 1991. (Picture from: Carstbatnevermadeitetc)
Disagreement with Artioli’s ambition to go huge from the very start, then prompted Ferruccio Lamborghini retreated. Following the dispute, Artioli and Stanzani soon started working on a draft to acquire the Bugatti brand. After successfully acquiring the brand, they teamed up with like-minded enthusiast, automotive historian Jean-Marc Borel founded a holding company called Bugatti International in Luxembourg in 1987.
The Bugatti 110 PM1 featured with a panoramic windshield and a floating rear wing integrated within
the diagonal character line starting behind the front wheels. (Picture from: AllCarIndex)
Borel was managing the holding, while Ettore’s youngest son Michel Bugatti was among the board of directors. Romano Artioli himself led the Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. while 35% of the Bugatti International holding was held by Tecnostile, a highly regarded independent engineering company employing former Lamborghini personnel. In short to strategically place Bugatti at the center of the supercar industry, the company then established a modern production facility in Campogalliano, the outskirts of Modena.
It is interesting that in the Paolo Martin's design appears to reference the Luigi Colani’s extraordinary Lamborghini Miura Le Mans Concept of 1970. (Picture from: SportscarDigest)
In early days of this newly
resurrected auto brand the man in charges leading the project was Paolo
Stanzani together with Tecnostile, envisioning the underpinnings of the
car. Both Artioli, Stanzani, and the principal Tecnostile team of Achille Bevini, Tiziano Benedetti, and Oliviero Pedrazzi
agreed that the car had to go beyond the well-established concept
boundaries of the time, namely the mid-engined V12 supercar. Still, the
team spoke from experience, as they developed the chassis and the engine
of the Lamborghini Miura.
The Bugatti 110 PM1's design revolved around aerodynamic efficiency, but it proved to be too
far-out and definitely not elegant enough to be considered for
production. (Picture from: SportscarDigest)
In the car design later known as the forerunner of the Bugatti EB110, apart from involving its own designer team, the company also invited several well-known designers at the time such as Giorgietto Giugiaro, Paolo Martin, Marcello Gandini, and Nuccio Bertone to create the looks of the upcoming car. A quartet of accomplished designers returned their vision for the future Bugatti and each was special in its own right.
The Bugatti 110 PM1 concept sat on display as a wooden maquette at the the 65th Turin International Motor Show in 1991. (Picture from: Bestinsketch.it)
After some time ago we had discussed Giorgietto Giugiaro' designed car called the Bugatti ID90 Concept. Well, now we will discuss about the most radical proposal came from Paolo Martin (a former Pininfarina designer) who created a unique prototype called the Bugatti 110 PM1 in the 1989.
The Bugatti 110 PM1 concept shown as a model of sports car in 1: 1 scale and made entirely of wood. A structure whose shape exceeds the stylistic value. (Picture from: SportscarDigest)
The car appears in such an unusual shape with a panoramic windshield and a floating rear wing integrated within the diagonal character line starting behind the front wheels. Meanwhile, Bugatti 110 PM1 was a single seater sports car controlled by a joystick and “paddles” rather than a steering wheel. It
is interesting that in the Paolo Martin's design appears to reference
the Luigi Colani’s extraordinary Lamborghini Miura Le Mans Conceptof 1970.
The Bugatti 110 PM1 concept has a single-seater cabin consists of a capsule
in which the steering wheel is replaced by two handwheels located on
the arm rests, for a more ergonomic ride. (Picture from: Carstbatnevermadeitetc)
The designer said that the philosophy of the project was
essentially to create two distinct areas, that of traction and strength
tied to earth and that of the living cell with aerial shape and ideally
detached from the body. Inside its capsule cabin consists only one-seater in which the steering
wheel is replaced by two handwheels located on the arm rests, for a more
ergonomic ride. For safety, the driver has a four-point anchor belt
that incorporates an abdominal airbag.
For safety, the Bugatti 110 PM1 driver has a four-point anchor belt that incorporates an abdominal airbag. (Picture from: Carstbatnevermadeitetc)
Although they had made in a 1:4 scale model but this project reportedly did not run smoothly, due to the design proved to be too far-out and definitely not elegant enough to be considered for production and later the project was cancelled.😩
The Bugatti 110 PM1 concept in any case a reality resolved in a traditional way and presented so simply, to reawaken that intimate sense of taste and charm that always accompanies a valid work for a long time. (Picture from: SportscarDigest)
Furthermore, in 1991 this project had back on the track after Joshiro Kitami, a Japanese businessman was interested in it and wanted to revived the Ford Cobra's brand in which he had investments. Even in that time the designer had executed its polystyrene model to start engineering, but unfortunately this operation back to fail due to financial problems.😭
The Bugatti PM1 Concept known as a single-seater supercar made entirely of wood while sat on display at the National Automobile Museum (Il Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile) in early year of 2016. (Picture from: la Repubblica)
It made the designer then switched to build a 1:1 scale model out of wood. Finally, the wooden maquette of Bugatti 110 PM1 (only bodywork) finished and shown to the public for the first time at the the 65th Turin International Motor Show in 1991.
Observed in its unique technical aspects or appreciated simply as an "unusual mobile" car, the PM1 is in any case a reality resolved in a traditional way and presented so simply, to reawaken that intimate sense of taste and charm that always accompanies a valid work for a long time. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | BESTINSKETCH.IT | SPORTSCARDIGEST ]
This happened when Ferruccio wanted to start another project after selling his raging-bull logoed company in 1981. At that time Romano Artioli was known widely as a Bugatti collector, turn out also had a personal ambition to establish a company worthy of Ettore Bugatti’s legacy, Bugatti macaron, and the horseshoe grille. And made the initial idea to estabilish a new brand changed into a wildly ambitious plan to revive one of the all-time great auto marques.
Observed in its unique technical aspects or appreciated simply as an "unusual mobile" car, the PM1 is in any case a reality resolved in a traditional way and presented so simply, to reawaken that intimate sense of taste and charm that always accompanies a valid work for a long time. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | BESTINSKETCH.IT | SPORTSCARDIGEST ]
