Under Volkswagen's ownership, Bugatti has built its reputation almost exclusively on mid-engined, two-door hypercars, from the Veyron to the Chiron and beyond. Yet in Molsheim's pre-war golden age, the marque offered far more than just nimble race- and sports cars like the Type 35. Ettore Bugatti also catered to royalty and statesmen with stately limousines such as the Type 41 Royale, which impressed with huge engines and sprawling proportions. Cars that put Cruella de Vil's personal vehicle to shame. When Italian entrepreneur Romano Artioli revived the brand in the early nineties, he wanted to honour that tradition, and the result was the extraordinary EB112.
Conceived as a dramatic four-door fastback, the EB112 borrowed its carbon-fibre chassis architecture from the mid-engined EB110, though the layout was fundamentally changed: the engineers in Campogalliano moved the V12 engine to the front. Its displacement was increased to 6.0 litres, while the EB110's turbochargers were removed in favour of natural aspiration, producing a claimed 460 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 590 Newton-meters of torque. A six-speed manual and a rear-biased all-wheel drive system completed a mechanically fascinating package. Artioli himself later described the handling as "go-kart-like", even though the bulgy bodywork would suggest otherwise at first glimpse. A 0–100 km/h sprint of 4.3 seconds and a 300 km/h top speed complete the impressive figures.
The Interior previewed the Veyron cockpit
Where the EB110 was a contemporary wedge, Giorgetto Giugiaro's bodywork for the EB112 reached further back into Bugatti's past. A longitudinal spine and split rear window echoed the legendary Type 57 SC Atlantic, while the wheel design revisited the solid vented alloys of the Type 41. The horseshoe grille, barely visible on the EB110, returned as a proud centrepiece, just like on the Royale. The interior blended metal panels in a classic Perlée finish with a restraint that, in hindsight, anticipated the cockpit of the Veyron.
Only three EB112s exist. A driveable prototype debuted at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show, but Bugatti Automobili's bankruptcy in 1995 halted all further development. This car here isn't just getting auctioned off in Monaco on the 25 April, with an estimate of 1.5 to 2 million Euros, but is also historically closely connected to the principality.
Monegasque businessman Gildo Pallanca Pastor acquired the remaining chassis and eventually brought two examples to completion. To this day, no four-door Bugatti of the new age has entered series production, making the EB112 the sole opportunity to own and drive a modern saloon from Molsheim. This incredibly rare car was a few times spotted on Monte Carlo tarmac but only has 388 kilometers on the odometer.
