For the average North American driver, who has lived his or her life surrounded by GM, Ford and Chrysler products, the Porsche Panamera’s looks might seem unusual, excentric even. In Europe, though, a curvy figure with a truncated rear end topped by a hatch is far from shocking. On the contrary, it even ranks as a prestigious vehicle.
History buffs will quickly point out that the style isn’t all that new, and they’ll draw a parallel between the first sedan in the history of Porsche and another car that was introduced earlier – in 1993, that is.
That year, at the Geneva Auto Show Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, employed by Ital Design, lifted the veil on what would become the second model of the Bugatti brand, which was revived a few years earlier by a wealthy Italian businessman by the name of Romano Artioli.
From Ferrari to Bugatti
Born in 1932, Artioli was destined to become the biggest Ferrari dealer in Italy. He would also become the Suzuki brand importer in his country. But selling vehicles wasn’t enough: he dreamed of creating his own. So in 1987, he acquired the Bugatti brand, founded Bugatti Automobili SpA and commissioned the construction of a large assembly plant in Campogalliano, near Modena, home of the Lamborghini brand.
Development of the first car to bear Ettore Bugatti’s oval badge since the 1950s began in 1989. Then, on the 110th anniversary of the birth of the “Boss”, September 15, 1991, a two-person, high-performance coupe was presented at Campogalliano: the EB110. Powered by a 12-cylindre, quad-turbo, 3.5-litre, 550-hp engine, this all-wheel-drive thoroughbred stallion with the carbon fiber chassis and all-aluminum body could, according to the manufacturer, rocket up to 342 km/h.
A few variants of the two-person coupe would follow before Artioli and Giugiaro presented the EB112 prototype in March of 1993. The graceful four-door, four-person sedan was equipped with a naturally aspirated, 6-litre, 460-hp V12 engine. It is amazing to see how its profile is reminiscent of the Panamera, which would be introduced 15 years later. The proportions of both cars are the same, give or take a few centimetres! The EB112 wouldn’t sport a hatch, though. Its designer chose instead to give it a dorsal fin stretching all the way to the end of the trunk. A design element destined to bring the 1938 57SC Atlantic to mind, the masterpiece of Jean Bugatti, Ettore’s cherished son.
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| The Bugatti EB112 was introduced in March 1993 at the Geneva Auto Show. The prestigious sedan, which would become the second model of the brand revived by Romano Artioli, looks a lot like a Porsche Panamera. (Photo: Ital Design) |
History buffs will quickly point out that the style isn’t all that new, and they’ll draw a parallel between the first sedan in the history of Porsche and another car that was introduced earlier – in 1993, that is.
That year, at the Geneva Auto Show Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, employed by Ital Design, lifted the veil on what would become the second model of the Bugatti brand, which was revived a few years earlier by a wealthy Italian businessman by the name of Romano Artioli.
From Ferrari to Bugatti
Born in 1932, Artioli was destined to become the biggest Ferrari dealer in Italy. He would also become the Suzuki brand importer in his country. But selling vehicles wasn’t enough: he dreamed of creating his own. So in 1987, he acquired the Bugatti brand, founded Bugatti Automobili SpA and commissioned the construction of a large assembly plant in Campogalliano, near Modena, home of the Lamborghini brand.
Development of the first car to bear Ettore Bugatti’s oval badge since the 1950s began in 1989. Then, on the 110th anniversary of the birth of the “Boss”, September 15, 1991, a two-person, high-performance coupe was presented at Campogalliano: the EB110. Powered by a 12-cylindre, quad-turbo, 3.5-litre, 550-hp engine, this all-wheel-drive thoroughbred stallion with the carbon fiber chassis and all-aluminum body could, according to the manufacturer, rocket up to 342 km/h.
A few variants of the two-person coupe would follow before Artioli and Giugiaro presented the EB112 prototype in March of 1993. The graceful four-door, four-person sedan was equipped with a naturally aspirated, 6-litre, 460-hp V12 engine. It is amazing to see how its profile is reminiscent of the Panamera, which would be introduced 15 years later. The proportions of both cars are the same, give or take a few centimetres! The EB112 wouldn’t sport a hatch, though. Its designer chose instead to give it a dorsal fin stretching all the way to the end of the trunk. A design element destined to bring the 1938 57SC Atlantic to mind, the masterpiece of Jean Bugatti, Ettore’s cherished son.
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| The central fin is reminiscent of the Atlantic coupe presented by Jean Bugatti in 1938. Ital Design created four EB1112s. (Photo: Ital Design) |