Rad to the bone AUTOart’s 1:18 Bugatti EB110 GT is a 90s masterpiece

It’s safe to say that the 1990s was one of the greatest eras for performance automobiles. Then-Chrysler-owned Lamborghini was pumping out ludicrous, brutish variations of the Diablo, Ferrari was turning up the noise to 11 with the F355 Berlinetta, and Gemballa managed 600 horsepower in a twin turbo 993 911. We also saw the revival of France’s greatest automotive marque: Bugatti.

Bugatti was a struggling company during the second World War and failed to make ends meet soon thereafter. Bugatti was brought back from the dead to honor what would have been its founder’s 110th birthday no more than 45 years after its closing. The car that symbolizes such an occasion was fittingly named the “EB110” (Ettore Bugatti 110), and proved to be the raddest car of its time.

The EB110 is a performance monster with quad turbochargers and 12 cylinders. It clocked a 0-60 of under 3.5 seconds, could continue to accelerate all the way to 213 miles per hour, and pushed the bounds of engineering. Both of those figures above are greater than the comparable Lamborghini Diablo 6.0 VT SE — the well-established Italian brand’s flagship.

A car this iconic had to make its way into my 1:18 collection. This particular model is produced by AUTOart as a part of their defunct, top-tier “Signature” line. AUTOart ceased production of these diecast metal models some time ago, yet they still hold up fabulously alongside their new ABS-plastic-bodied counterparts. Retail for one of these bad boys is $220 and that is almost a bargain for what you recieve!

All AUTOart Bugattis come in the same royal blue cardboard box with the marque’s badge placed front and center. Inside the elegant packaging is a styrofoam shell containing the model and a tool to help open the air-tight panels.

This EB110 GT’s French Racing Blue paint coat is applied as even as it gets; orange peel is kept to a minimum and paint rash is nowhere to be found. Each of the some 30 vents are perforated, as one would expect, with some of the most proportionate photo-etching I’ve come across. AUTOart has gone so far as to perfectly deboss the center-lock wheel caps which do justice to the EB110’s quintessentially 90s, 18-inch BBS wheels. AUTOart further makes that $220 price tag seem a touch more justifiable with a fully adjustable rear spoiler and chrome exhaust with plenty of depth in them.

AUTOart has not skipped a beat once inside the EB110 GT’s iconic interior. The gorgeous wood-clad center console looks as real as it gets without using real wood. Sport seats reflect a similar level of quality and are textured to show “wear” in the “leather” covering them. The EB steering wheel logo is embossed as well, and seat controls in between the seat and door sill are labeled and even legible!

The real star of the show is what lies under the engine cover. The only V12 produced by Bugatti made its way into the EB110, and is certainly one of AUTOart’s greatest detailing efforts. Throttle body linkages are almost lifelike, and the Bugatti script is molded perfectly into the engine cylinder banks. Carbon-covered tubes and other various wires surround the engine bay too. It’s absolutely perfect… outside of the fact that the engine cover’s hinges can’t support the cover itself. This can be fixed with an unwinded paperclip, but regardless it’s something that you shouldn’t have to do for $220.

AUTOart’s EB110 GT is a stunning model; I’d argue it’s one of their best to date. I only came across a small number of issues, the attention to detail is next-level, and the price tag is far below what AUTOart has today. You’d have to spend some $100+ more to get better quality elsewhere, proving AUTOart to be the best of the best at this price point. How much more could you ask for?