EB110GT — The Making of a Dream Car at Bugatti Automobili
Behind the scenes of the EB110 — People, process, and precision
In this second chapter of the Bugatti Automobili story, we move behind the scenes of Bugatti Automobili to follow the making of the EB110 Gran Turismo—from early design decisions to the daily work that transformed an ambitious idea into a functioning automobile.
This was not only a technical process. The workplace had been conceived to place people at the center, encouraging concentration, collaboration, and creative freedom at every stage. Let Romano Artioli tell his story
Focusing on the workplace and the human factor
Once the factory was made, the car had to be built.
Follow us in this second episode on Bugatti Automobil, a behind the scene journey in the various design phases that led to the new Gran Turismo’s birth. The human factor was at the center of everything.
Let’s leave it to Romano Artioli to tell the mood that had been created.
Bugatti Automobili was an environment immersed in nature, which stimulated creativity. The entire plant was therefore designed primarily to give technicians maximum comfort and the freedom to express their talent in the best possible way.
It was exciting to see how everyone was engaged in their work and how carefully they installed or molded the materials with automated equipment. They were a group of engineers who programmed each new process with passion, without any distractions. They took advantage of moments at the lunch table to exchange suggestions and ideas to do better and better. I’d never seen anything like it before: everyone felt privileged because they had the chance to make something unique. They were never tired or stressed. They had entered the world of advanced technology, art and beauty without any pressure.
From Romano Artioli’s book “Bugatti & Lotus Thriller.”
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Partendo dal fattore umano e ambiente di lavoro.
Fatta la fabbrica, bisognava mettere in atto il sogno di Romano Artioli e costruire la macchina.
Questo è la seconda parte della storia di Bugatti Automobili (qui la prima). E’ un viaggio dietro le quinte sulle varie fasi che hanno creato questa mitica Gran Turismo.
Lasciamo che sia Romano Artioli a raccontare il clima che si era creato.
Questo progetto mi permetteva di coltivare l’attenzione al fattore umano, che per me rimaneva centrale.
Era entusiasmante vedere come tutti si impegnavano nel loro lavoro, con quale attenzione installavano o plasmavano i materiali con le macchine automatiche. Erano un gruppo di tecnici che programmavano con passione ogni nuova lavorazione, senza farsi distrarre da nulla. Approfittavano dei momenti a tavola per scambiarsi suggerimenti e idee per fare sempre meglio. Non avevo mai visto qualcosa di simile: tutti si sentivano privilegiati perché avevano la possibilità di realizzare qualcosa di irripetibile. Non erano mai stanchi o stressati, erano entrati senza alcuna pressione nel mondo della tecnica più avanzata, dell’arte e del bello.
Dallo splendido libro di Romano Artioli: “Bugatti e Lotus thriller”.
Note sulle due immagini di questo capitolo.
1. Il “Reparto Esperienze” al gran completo. Di fronte, il primo prototipo della EB110 disegnato da Marcello Gandini.
2. Lo staff di ingegneri e tecnici: da sinistra Antonio Cesaroni, Oliviero Pedrazzi, Stefano Mion, Federico Trombi, Achille Bevini, Nicola Materazzi, Pavel Reimisch, Tiziano Benedetti.
The “Reparto Esperienze” — Development Team and First EB110 Prototype.
Beneath the iconic Bugatti oval and the blue Prove Motori building — the technical and aesthetic heart of Romano Artioli's factory — the entire Reparto Esperienze gathers with the first EB110 prototype, designed by Marcello Gandini.
Engineering staff (left to right): Antonio Cesaroni, Oliviero Pedrazzi, Stefano Mion, Federico Trombi, Achille Bevini, Nicola Materazzi, Pavel Reimisch, Tiziano Benedetti.
A remarkable concentration of talent in a single frame.
Left to right: Antonio Cesaroni, Oliviero Pedrazzi, Stefano Mion, Federico Trombi, Achille Bevini, Nicola Materazzi, Pavel Reimisch, Tiziano Benedetti.
Working on the Chassis
The chassis was designed by Olivero Pedrazzi and built by the French company Aérospatiale.
It allowed an extremely fast car to grip the road perfectly, but he was also robust to provide improved safety in case of an accident; in other words, the chassis was rigid but also very light.
Pedrazzi, and he alone was the true technical creator of everything in the Bugatti’s bodywork. Pedrazzi was neither an engineer nor a technical expert but a genius with the ability to invent the most effective solutions. He then submitted them to the engineers, who only had to choose the most suitable out of two or three proposals, all impeccably designed.
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Il telaio.
Il telaio era una meraviglia. Disegnato da Oliviero Pedrazzi fu costruito dalla famosa azienda francese Aérospatiale.
Rigido ma molto leggero consentiva una perfetta tenuta di strada a un’auto estremamente veloce. Era allo stesso tempo robusto, per maggior sicurezza in caso di incidente.
Il vero artefice di tutto ciò che stava sotto la carrozzeria della Bugatti fu proprio lui, Pedrazzi, non era né ingegnere né perito tecnico, ma era un genio, con la capacità di inventare le soluzioni più efficaci. Le sottoponeva poi agli ingegneri, che dovevano solo scegliere quella più adatta, tra due o tre proposte, tutte disegnate in modo impeccabile.
Note sulle due immagini di questo capitolo.
1. Il banco di prova e misurazione con il telaio disegnato dalla azienda francese Aérospatiale.
2. Al lavoro per collegare telaio e roll-bar con la supervisione di Federico Trombi.
The measurements test-bench with the EB110 carbon fiber chassis built by Aérospatiale
Designed by Bugatti Automobili and built expressly by the French company Aérospatiale.
Such a powerful car required a chassis that would allow an extremely fast car to grip the road perfectly, but which also robust so as to provide improved safety in case of an accident; in other words, the chassis had to be rigid but also very light.
Connecting the EB110 roll-cage to the chassis under the supervision of Federico Trombi
A critical assembly step where precision and responsibility converge.
Working on the Engine
With five valves per cylinder, the 12-cylinder aluminum and magnesium engine block was designed in a single piece containing the six-speed transmission and two differentials: a marvel that surprised the engineering departments of all the major car manufacturers.
For the first time in such a powerful car, Pedrazzi was able to create synchronizers that allowed the gears to be changed without the slightest effort, a step forward for all manufacturers. The central differential, which provided a balanced four-wheel drive, driving pleasure, and safety under all conditions, even the most extreme, was another Oliviero invention.
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Il motore.
Il blocco del motore di alluminio e magnesio a 12 cilindri, con cinque valvole per cilindro, era stato disegnato in un unico pezzo che conteneva la trasmissione a sei marce e due differenziali: una meraviglia che sorprese tutti gli uffici tecnici delle grandi case automobilistiche. Pedrazzi riuscì a realizzare, per la prima volta in un’auto così potente, dei sincronizzatori che permettevano di cambiare le marce senza il minimo sforzo, un passo avanti per tutti i costruttori. Il differenziale centrale che assicurava trazione bilanciata alle quattro ruote, piacere di guida e sicurezza in tutte le condizioni, anche le più estreme, era un’altra invenzione di Oliviero.
Note sulle quattro immagini di questo capitolo.
1. Il motore della Bugatti EB110, un 12 cilindri a V di 60º, in monoblocco in lega di alluminio e magnesio e testate in alluminio e titanio, è sistemato in posizione posteriore centrale longitudinale che ingloba il cambio e parte della trasmissione.
Distribuzione a due alberi a camme in testa per bancata, con 5 valvole per cilindro. La cilindrata è di 3.500 cm³, l' alesaggio 81,0 mm e la corsa 56,6 mm. Eroga una potenza di 560 CV a 8.000 giri/min.
2. Il dispositivo per verificare la perfetta esecuzione del supporto degli assi a cammes di azionamento delle trenta valvole per testata.
3 e 4. Testando il motore sotto massimo sforzo.
The 3.5 L Bugatti EB110 quad-turbocharged V12 engine
The 3.5 L Bugatti EB110 quad-turbocharged V12 engine. With five valves per cylinder, the 12-cylinder aluminum and magnesium engine block was designed in a single piece containing the six-speed transmission and two differentials.
This marvel surprised the engineering departments of all the major car manufacturers.
Verifying camshaft support for the thirty valves per head — Bugatti EB110
A level of control pushed to extremes.
Verifying the perfect execution of the support of the cam axes driving the thirty valves per head.
Testing the Bugatti EB 110 engine under maximum effort.
Engineering pushed to its breaking point — by design.
Testing endurance under extreme thermal and mechanical stress.
Engineering pushed to its breaking point — by design.
Working on the Body
The birth was long and complicated. The first version was designed by Marcello Gandini. Still his bodywork proposal did not satisfy Romano Artioli. The front and tail were very wide and flat, as dictated by the fashion of the time, which for me was already largely outdated. Unfortunately, Gandini refused to modify it.
I asked Giampaolo Benedini to intervene and work quickly with the model designers to create a new and pleasing shape. He was very good with this as well, even though he was an architect and not a car designer. I think it was the first and only time that an architect has even attempted to create the style for a Gran Turismo car-not to mention the Bugatti rebirth!
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Il design della carrozzeria
Il parto fu lungo e complicato. La prima versione fu disegnata da Marcello Gandini. Potete vederla nella foto di gruppo con il reparto esperienze. La sua proposta però non soddisfala Romano Artioli. Muso e retro erano “piatti”, come di moda a quel tempo, che “secondo me erano largamente datati”. Sfortunatamente Gandini rifiuto di effettuare modifiche sostanziali.
“Pregai quindi Giampaolo Benedini di intervenire e di lavorare velocemente con i modellisti per realizzare una nuova e bella forma. Fu molto bravo anche in questo caso, nonostante fosse architetto e non stilista d’auto. Credo che sia stata la prima e unica volta che un architetto si sia cimentato anche a realizzare lo stile di un’auto Gran Turismo, per giunta della Bugatti della rinascita! Benedini fu capace di ammorbidire la linea e di rifinire la carrozzeria molto bene, inserendo anche la famosa calandra Bugatti, in versione ridotta. Anche l’aerodinamica era perfetta, senza turbolenze laterali e con le giuste pressioni sugli assi, grazie all’alettone retrattile.
Note sulle quattro immagini di questo capitolo.
1. Gandini, Benedini ed Artioli discutono animatamente sulle modifiche richieste.
2. Al lavoro per le ultime rifiniture del modello in legno.
3. Il modello visto di tre quarti da dietro.
4. Vista posteriore
Design Debate Around the EB110 Wooden Model.
Marcello Gandini, Romano Artioli, and Gianpaolo Benedini gathered around the full-scale wooden model of the EB110 during an intense design review at Campogalliano.
The image captures a decisive moment in the project’s development, when vision, engineering, and architecture confronted one another directly—revealing both the creative energy and the underlying tensions that shaped the car’s final form.
Form adjusted in real time under deadline pressure — Wooden model side view
Campogalliano. Final surface refinements underway on the full-scale wooden model during the last phase of the EB110’s development.
The blurred figure records active work in progress, marking the urgency and intensity of the final design phase.
The moment when design decisions become fixed — Wooden model three-quarter rear view.
Campogalliano. The completed wooden model of the Bugatti EB110 photographed after the final refinements.
This view documents the definitive rear proportions and surface transitions that guided the subsequent engineering and production phases.
Symmetry, balance, and final verification — Wooden model rear view.
Captured after completion, this image records the resolved geometry of the rear fascia, exhaust layout, and overall stance before translation into functional prototypes.
Optimizing Aerodynamics at Pininfarina Wind Tunnel
The birth was long and complicated. The first version was designed by Marcello Gandini. Still his bodywork proposal did not satisfy Romano Artioli. The front and tail were very wide and flat, as dictated by the fashion of the time, which for me was already largely outdated. Unfortunately, Gandini refused to modify it.
I asked Giampaolo Benedini to intervene and work quickly with the model designers to create a new and pleasing shape. He was very good with this as well, even though he was an architect and not a car designer. I think it was the first and only time that an architect has even attempted to create the style for a Gran Turismo car-not to mention the Bugatti rebirth!
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Ottimizzando l’aerodinamica alla Galleria del vento di Pininfarina.
Tutte le migliorie della carrozzeria furono realizzate nella più nota delle gallerie del vento. Pininfarina è, sino dal 1972 un Centro di eccellenza nella ricerca e sviluppo nel campo della aerodinamica e aeroacustica.
Note sulle cinque immagini di questo capitolo.
1-5. Al lavoro per rifinire la carrozzeria alla Galleria del Vento di Pininfarina.
The full-scale model of the Bugatti EB110 positioned inside the Pininfarina Wind Tunnel during aerodynamic testing.
Active since 1972, the facility was a recognized center of excellence for research in aerodynamics and aeroacoustic.
Engineering decisions made in real time.
Engineers working around the Bugatti EB110 model during aerodynamic testing at the Pininfarina Wind Tunnel. Human presence and motion reflect the adjustment phase of the process, where measurements, corrections, and refinements converge.
Side view of the Bugatti EB110 model undergoing aerodynamic evaluation at the Pininfarina Wind Tunnel.
This configuration highlights the car’s proportions, surface continuity, and airflow behavior along the body and lower sections.
Rear view analyzing wake, turbulence, and rear aerodynamic efficiency at the Pininfarina Wind Tunnel.
The test focuses on airflow separation, rear turbulence, and the aerodynamic behavior of the exhaust and diffuser area.
Work in progress backstage
Peeking during works. A random backstage reportage.
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Lavori in corso.
Sbirciando dietro le quinte durante i lavori.
Mechanical layout exposed before final integration.
Rear view of the EB110 prototype raised on a workshop lift, with body panels removed to allow access to drivetrain and cooling components.
This stage reveals the provisional nature of early assemblies, where systems remained accessible for adjustment and testing.
Form, structure, and mechanics aligned.
Technicians working beneath the raised body and open doors of the EB110 prototype designed by Marcello Gandini.
The photograph captures a transitional moment in which structural elements, bodywork, and mechanical systems were refined simultaneously.
Early Assembly of the EB110 Prototype.
Technicians working on the chassis.
Raw EB110 Body Under Inspection.
The unfinished aluminum body of the EB110 prototype during manual inspection and fitting.
At this stage, surface treatment and final detailing had not yet begun, allowing direct evaluation of form, tolerances, and construction quality.
Parallel development of a singular vision.
Two EB110 prototypes representing Marcello Gandini’s original design version seen simultaneously inside the workshop.
The presence of multiple bodies illustrates the iterative nature of the project, where alternative solutions were developed and compared side by side.
Bugatti EB110, First Model, Prototype, EB110 Supersport, EB11
Unveiling the EB110 — EB110 Supersport - EB112
The development of the car, from the Epowood model with cover wheel to the production model of the EB110, the EB110 Supersport and the Giugiaro EB112.
Caption for the image above — Anticipation staged as spectacle.
The EB110 fully veiled inside the futuristic Circular Building showroom, moments before its public presentation. The controlled lighting and theatrical setting emphasized suspense and symbolism, framing the car as an event rather than a product.
The official unveiling took place on September 15, 1991, simultaneously at Versailles and in front of the Grande Arche de La Défense in Paris, exactly 110 years after Ettore Bugatti’s birth.
Caption for the featured Image — Engineers Working Late at Bugatti Automobili
Federico Trombi, Nicola Materazzi, and Achille Bevini working late inside the futuristic designers’ building at Bugatti Automobili.
Tight development deadlines often extended work well beyond regular hours, reflecting the intensity and ambition driving the EB110 project.
Copyright Links and Credits
Photography, Copyright & Credits
All photographs © Ikonographia / Roberto Bigano — All Rights Reserved. These images are part of the Ikonographia Visual Archives: Bugatti Automobili & EB110 Archive (1990–1995).
Roberto Bigano served as official photographer for Bugatti Automobili throughout the company's operational years in Campogalliano. This archive was produced from inside the project, with unrestricted access and no editorial constraints. The material is exclusive to Ikonographia and available nowhere else.
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Credits & Acknowledgments
Ikonographia gratefully acknowledges the fundamental contribution of Romano Artioli, founder of Bugatti Automobili, and Gianpaolo Benedini, architect and designer of both the Fabbrica Blu and the EB110, without whose vision, trust, and collaboration this archive would not exist.
Excerpts from Romano Artioli's book "Bugatti & Lotus Thriller" are reproduced with the author's authorization.
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Terms of Use (Summary)
The images presented in this archive are copyrighted and available for licensed use only through Ikonographia Visual Archives.
You may not download, reproduce, publish, or distribute these images without a valid license. For commercial or editorial licensing, please refer to the product pages or contact Ikonographia directly. A full explanation of licensing terms is available in the Shop / Licensing Information section under "Ikonographia — Standard License" and "Ikonographia — Merchandising & Product Use Licenses."
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Ikonographia Mission Statement
Ikonographia is committed to the accurate documentation, preservation, and ethical dissemination of twentieth-century visual culture.
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Archival Notes
These photographs were produced between 1990 and 1995 as part of Roberto Bigano's role as official photographer for Bugatti Automobili. The archive documents the factory, the production process, the design evolution, and the people behind one of the most ambitious automotive projects of the late twentieth century.
The story is told from inside: by the founder who initiated the enterprise, the architect-designer who shaped its form, and the photographer who followed the project throughout its development. All images follow Ikonographia's internal archival standards for resolution, color accuracy, and metadata structure to ensure long-term consistency across the collection.
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Further Reading (Selected Sources)
- Romano Artioli, Bugatti & Lotus Thriller — A first-person account of the Bugatti Automobili project by its founder: the dream, the factory, the cars, and the dramatic events that brought it all to an end. Available in English — Amazon US · Italian — Amazon IT
- Romano Artioli — Official Website The story of a boy with a big four-wheel dream.
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Explore the Bugatti Automobili Archive
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Bugatti “Prove Motori” Development Building — Campogalliano, 1991
€89.00 -
La Fabbrica Blu — Bugatti Campogalliano Factory by Gianpaolo Benedini (1991)
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The Production Building — The iconic modular structure with Ettore Bugatti’s EB logo
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Bugatti Design Hall and Offices — Night View, Campogalliano
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