a blast from the past: $9 million bugatti centodieci hyper sports car

although enriched with a 110 year-old history, the bugatti centodieci echoes the brand’s more recent past with the exclusive new hyper sports car. first revealed at the quail during monterey car week 2019, the design pays homage to the hallmarks of the EB110 – the brand’s legendary sports model from the 1990s – as well as the chiron, divo and la voiture noire. as such, for only $9 million USD, the modern interpretation pairs exceptional design with bugatti’s renowned extreme power.

all images courtesy of bugatti

‘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,‘ says stephan winkelmann, president of bugatti. ‘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.‘

as it aims to evoke the very flat, wedge-shaped design of the EB110 without simply replicating the form, the exterior of the bugatti centodieci was a challenge from the very beginning. to start, the car appears with a flat, horseshoe-shaped radiator that only reveals its real depth when viewed from the side. above, the front drops very low and is interrupted by a black panel in the center. this sculpted shape, as well as the extended front splitter, optimizes airflow to improve aerodynamics. exemplified by the sharp groves for the headlights, the modern design is even more extreme yet also elegant than the EB110.

the typically dominant and C-shaped ‘bugatti’ line at the B pillar is smoothed into a new softer design, which positions five round air inserts into the shape of a diamond. the centodieci’s rear is then defined with two pill-shaped tail lights and a permanent overhanging rear wing. its wide body supports a great air outlet running across its width. this encompasses a single ventilation hole, and is characterized by eight light elements, 2+2 exhaust tailpipes and a performance diffuser to improve downforce.

with a performance to match its extreme exterior design, the centodieci is powered by an 8.0-litre W16 engine with 1,600 hp. this enables the hyper car is accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 2.4 seconds, to 124 mph in 6.1 seconds, and to a top speed limited to 236 mph. weight reductions, such as the use of carbon for elements such as the windscreen wipers and stabilizers, deliver an incredible power-to-weight ratio of just 1.13 kg per horsepower. ‘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,‘ concludes stephan winkelmann.