Our team at duPont REGISTRY Live proudly presents this 1994 Bugatti EB110 GT, chassis 39012, known within EB110 circles as "C13." One of just 15 factory prototypes constructed during the EB110 development program, this second-series carbon-fiber prototype shows only 1,146 kilometers (approximately 712 miles) at the time of cataloging and is finished in Bugatti Blu over a light gray leather interior. Retained by Bugatti Automobili for promotional and exhibition duties rather than durability testing, C13 survives as one of the lowest-mileage factory prototypes from the French marque's modern revival under Romano Artioli. Powered by Bugatti's quad-turbocharged V12, paired with permanent all-wheel drive and Marcello Gandini's iconic scissor-door design, it represents one of the most historically significant surviving examples from the EB110 program. 

Bugatti's modern revival began in the late 1980s when Italian entrepreneur Romano Artioli acquired the dormant marque and built a new purpose-built factory in Campogalliano, in the heart of the Italian Motor Valley, i.e., the Blue Factory, to build it. The EB110, named after Ettore Bugatti's 110th birthday, was the first product of that effort, developed under technical director Paolo Stanzani with bodywork styled by Marcello Gandini, the designer behind the Lamborghini Miura, Countach, and Diablo. The supercar was famously unveiled in September 1991 in Paris, over a two-day extravaganza.

 

Across the full EB110 program, Bugatti built 84 GT production cars and 30 SS production cars, alongside 15 factory prototypes and 10 pre-production cars. The prototypes are split into two phases. Aluminum-chassis development cars built in 1990 and 1991 carried an "A" prefix in their chassis numbers. A second series followed in 1991 and 1992, built instead on carbon-fiber chassis sourced from the French aerospace firm Aérospatiale, carrying a "C" prefix designation. Most of these second-series cars were driven hard through certification and durability testing, and several were destroyed in crash testing.  Chassis #39012, seen here, designated "C13," belongs to this second generation. 

Completed in 1992, this particular example was originally finished in dark green metallic (Verde Scuro) paint over a gray leather interior. Rather than serving as a test mule, the car was assigned to factory promotional duty, appearing at the Bologna Motor Show in December 1992 and at a promotional showing at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London in February 1993. During Bugatti's 1994 emissions certification program for Swiss and American homologation, the factory temporarily re-stamped the chassis with an alternate identification number before restoring its original VIN, ZA9AB01E0NCD39012, during the company's 1996 bankruptcy proceedings. The engine currently fitted, numbered 41, is a refurbished unit sourced from EB110 chassis 39044 during the liquidation process, replacing the engine originally installed in the prototype.

 

Following Bugatti Automobili's bankruptcy, C13 was acquired by Jochen Dauer's Dauer Racing, the German firm that became custodian of much of the company's remaining inventory, engineering knowledge, and spare parts. Restored in Nuremberg, the car received a bespoke light gray leather interior, GT-specification wheels, and several Dauer-specific details, including a revised rear panel bearing a centered Bugatti emblem inspired by late-production EB110s, a front license plate bracket, and an engraved "110 proto" sill plate. The completed restoration was featured in the April 2001 issue of Automobil magazine. 

Power comes from Bugatti's 3.5-liter quad-turbocharged 60-valve V12 that produces 550 horsepower and 451 pound-feet of torque, and pairs with a six-speed manual transmission and permanent all-wheel drive. At launch, the EB110 achieved a homologated top speed of 212 mph at the Nardo ring in southern Italy, making it the world's fastest production car in the world at the time. The exterior retains Gandini's signature scissor doors, distinctive aerodynamic bodywork with an EB110 Super Sport rear grille, and 18-inch BBS magnesium alloy wheels. Other interior highlights include a Nardi steering wheel and wood-grain trim surrounding the instrument cluster and seat controls. 

C13 represents one of the few surviving factory prototypes that directly contributed to Bugatti's modern-day rebirth ahead of the VW-era that spanned the Veyron and Chiron. Combining documented factory provenance, exceptionally low mileage, exhibition history, and a well-recorded ownership chain spanning Bugatti Automobili, Dauer Racing, and appearance at the Monaco Motor Museum, it represents among the most historically important examples of the EB110 ever offered.