The forgotten Bertone's EB110 proposal design

Only Clay Still about one of the forerunner the design proposal for Bugatti EB110 which is expected to arouse the French automotive brand from its long hibernation. As we all knew, the French legendary car brand had been hibernated in a long time since the 1960s, in early 1990s it's tried to be revived by Ferruccio Lamborghini and Paolo Stanzini was then proposed to Romano Artioli.

The Bertone's proposal design for the next Bugatti EB110 back in the 1990s. (Picture from: CarStylingru)

Then through the new formed company named Bugatti Automobili S.p.A., Artioli assembled an unparalleled group of talents in pursuit of building a supercar worthy wore the Bugatti's badge. Besides empowering their own designers and engineers, it turned out that the newly risen company also invited several well-known designers and design houses such as ITAL Design, Gruppo Bertone, Paolo Martin and Marcello Gandini to submit a new car design proposal which was later known as Bugatti EB110.

The Bertone's proposal design for the next Bugatti EB110 back in the 1990s. (Picture from: CarStylingru)

Now we will discuss a little about the design proposal made by the Nuccio Bertone-owned design house. The Turin-based coachbuilder was invited in the project and also had opportunity to develop a design proposal for the next Bugatti's supercar to mark the revival of the French' legendary brand. In short, the designer team lead by Marc Deschamps, the chief designer of Gruppo Bertone at the time built  a clay model in 1:1 scale.

The Bertone's proposal design for the next Bugatti EB110 back in the 1990s. (Picture from: CarStylingru)

In our opinion, the model presented by Bertone at least, one of the most intriguing, as the car manages to look radical yet simultaneously refined and aesthetically cohesive with well integrated aerodynamic features that hadn’t been seen on production cars to quite the same extent at the time. Although it was quite an enticing design, there is one drawback ie its form is look not ease to recognizable as the Bugatti, so considered not meeting expectations of Romano Artioli, the Bugatti' CEO whose from the very beginning has the aim to tie together the past of Molsheim to the present in Campogalliano.

The three variants of the Bugatti EB110 in front of the company headquarter in Molsheim. (Picture from: Autoblog)

However, in early 1990, the Bertone's in clay model was tested in the Pininfarina wind tunnel in the presence of Oliviero Pedrazzi. Unfortunately it then made the collaboration between Bugatti and Bertone became increasingly difficult. On the one hand, Bugatti wants to assemble its own coachwork component (made by Golden Car based on the design of the Marcello Gandini). On the other hand, Nuccio no longer believes in the project. And by his own initiative, then ended the collaboration.

As we all knew, the Marcello Gandini's wedge design was chosen which would by further explored by Paolo Stanzini and the engineers of the marque, forming the basis of the five aluminium prototypes. There is also an interesting story behind the design concept created by Bertone, after pulling out of the Bugatti EB110 design invitation, the Bertone' design team then removed some Bugatti's badges of the model, and made a design overhaul included to change its color. After it was finished, it was submitted to Lotus's brasses as a car design proposal named Lotus Emotion in 1991. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES |  SPORTCARDIGEST | CARSTYLINGRU | CONCEPTCARZ | AUTOBLOG | WIKIPEDIA | SOMETIMES-INTERESTING | TORQUEDAILY ]

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