Throwback Thursday: 1994 Bugatti EB110 GT road test

“There was a time when Bugatti’s glorious return to form looked shaky,” we began. “But the fingernail chewing is now over, terminated, and the blue EB110 you see here is the terminator.”

It was powered by a quad-turbo 60-valve petrol 3500cc V12 that could “reach double the legal limit faster than many saloons take to even break it”.

For just £285,500 (around £520,000 today), you could have one (left-hand-drive only), but what was it, we wondered? “The world’s most usable super supercar with unprecedented engineering integrity behind it or just another relic from a bygone age whose speed, price and significance went out with the yuppie in the 1980s?”

Thankfully, the 212mph, four-wheel-drive beauty was the former. In our opinion, “made more sense” than the larger XJ220, being “sensationally dynamic, but useable every day”.

The EB110 had 553bhp@8000rpm and 451lb ft@3750rpm being channelled through a six-speed manual gearbox and delivered to all four wheels, but it wasn’t light. In fact, it was heavier than any other contemporary supercar, bar the “portly” Lamborghini Diablo VT.

Yet it still had a power-to-weight ratio of 353bhp/tonne, beaten then only by the Caterham Seven JPE (472), LCC Rocket (358) and the XJ220 (372).

“To use regular performance parameters when attempting to relay the nature and size of the capabilities of a car like the Bugatti is a somewhat pointless exercise,” we said, “because even by the time 60mph flashes by in 4.5sec, the car hasn’t really got into its stride. Nor has it genuinely relaxed by the time 100mph registers 5.1sec later. If you must boast of one figure, make it the 30-70mph time of 3.3sec.

“Think of the fastest car you’ve ever sat in and remember the time when you accelerated hard to get past a couple of slow-moving caravans; however fast that felt, double it and you’ll get some idea. Alternatively, jump off the top of an office block and watch how fast the ground approaches – it’s probably a similar sensation. “Only the Jaguar, in our experience, is faster overall.”

It wasn’t just the engine's speed that impressed, but it’s extraordinary flexibility at low revs which we found to be “almost surreal” – “floor it below 1000rpm in sixth and tit would merely gather steam gradually with no hit of the filling-loosening vibrations that dominate the XJ220’s cabin below 2500rpm, making the Bugatti a much friendlier, easier town companion”.

All accompanied by a “proper supercar deep guttural rumble that builds, along with the multifarious whooshes and whistles from the four turbos and their respective wastegates, to an intoxicating, if not quite Ferrari 512 TR-rivalling scream as the 8500rpm cut-out looms.”

The transmission was nothing to fear, either, with “a driveline as tight as a drum and a shift, though meaty, that is cleaner and quicker than you could ever wish. Even the clutch isn’t viciously heavy”.

We would have liked to try and match Bugatti’s 212.5mph claimed top speed, but we couldn’t – the two-mile bowl at our Millbrook testing ground simply couldn't accommodate these levels of speed.

So, there’s the crazy side, but what about the whole ‘everyday’ business?

The EB110 actually achieved “incredible” fuel economy of around 20mpg which was “5-10mpg more frugal than any other supercar”, and “one of the few with a genuine 500-mile-plus range”.

Of handling, we said: “If Bugatti wanted to ensure that its near-racer could be entrusted to your average multi-millionaire, then the EB110’s four-wheel drive chassis is peerless. No question.

“Within minutes you’ll have the confidence to start nibbling at the limit, such is the lack of intimidation." In fact, we thought the EB110 required the same level of skill and driver commitment to punt quickly as a Nissan 300ZX.

“The weighting of the controls – specifically the steering – and the relatively shrunken proportions are such that they allow you to thread the EB110 confidently along roads that would be virtual no-go zones to XJ220s, Diablos and 512 TRs.”

But that’s not to say it was missing something, even though it didn't have “the bottomless grip and composure of the XJ220 through long, fast bends,” or its “eloquently communicative steering”, but it wasn’t far behind, and what it did possess was agility. That’s not to mention excellently well-sorted suspension and body control to such a degree that “you end up wondering whether there is any corner of earth that the Bugatti can’t negotiate at 80mph”. Stopping wasn’t an issue, thanks to “unbeatable” race-spec 332mm brakes.

On top of that, it was the best-riding supercar we’d yet driven, “effortlessly” sponging up ruts around town, and “miraculous” absence of body roll.

There was “one significant flaw,” however: accommodation.

“Basically, if you are taller than 6ft, finding a comfortable driving position is almost impossible with the boot (actually a “beautifully trimmed” 77-litre suitcase that fitted behind the seats) installed, owing to the lack of space.

However, for shorter people, it was like “a favourite glove”, with adjustable bucket seats that were supportive enough for touring journeys, pedals and a gearlever that couldn’t be better located, and a functional dashboard layout. The XJ220 had an actual boot and a much bigger interior.