One-Off Carbon Fiber Bugatti EB110 Draws Record $5.5M Bid

Updated on August 17, 2026 • 5 min read

A rare carbon fiber-bodied Bugatti EB110 Super Sport attracted a $5.5 million bid at Mecum’s Monterey 2026 auction, setting what is reported to be the highest public-auction bid ever recorded for an EB110.

The car ultimately left the auction without changing hands because the bidding failed to reach its reserve price. Mecum listed it with a “bid goes on” status, allowing negotiations with interested buyers to continue privately.

Even without a completed sale, the $5.5 million offer is significant. Previous EB110 auction sales have remained considerably below that level, including a Super Sport that sold for approximately $3.16 million in 2022.

What makes this particular example especially unusual is its history after the collapse of Bugatti Automobili S.p.A., its carbon fiber body, 705-horsepower V12 and one-off exposed carbon finish.

Built After Bugatti’s Campogalliano Era

The story behind the car differs from that of a regular production EB110.

After Romano Artioli’s Bugatti Automobili entered bankruptcy, remaining EB110 components were acquired by German motorsport company Dauer Racing.

Dauer subsequently completed five additional EB110-based cars using the available components while making significant changes of its own.

Among the most important was the adoption of carbon fiber bodywork.

The Dauer-built cars were also offered with more powerful versions of the EB110’s quad-turbocharged V12, with reported outputs of 645 and 705 horsepower.

The Monterey car uses the more powerful 705-horsepower specification.

Exposed Carbon Fiber Makes This EB110 Unique

While all five Dauer examples are noteworthy, this particular vehicle stands apart because of its exterior.

It is reported to be the only Dauer EB110 finished with an exposed, clear-lacquered carbon fiber body.

Rather than hiding the composite beneath conventional automotive paint, the transparent finish leaves the carbon fiber construction visible across the exterior.

That gives the material two roles.

Structurally, carbon fiber enabled Dauer to replace conventional exterior bodywork with lighter composite components. Visually, the exposed weave becomes a defining element of the vehicle’s identity.

Today, exposed carbon fiber has become familiar on limited-production hypercars, but its use on an EB110-based vehicle places the car within a much earlier period of carbon fiber adoption in road-going supercars.

Only 6,025 Miles on the Odometer

The specification is complemented by unusually low mileage.

The car has reportedly covered only 6,025 miles, or approximately 9,690 kilometers, and was presented in highly preserved condition.

The combination of limited production, unusual manufacturing history, exposed carbon bodywork, the 705-horsepower engine and low mileage helps explain why bidding moved substantially beyond previous EB110 auction results.

Bidding initially opened at $1 million before quickly climbing through $3 million and $4 million.

Competition then continued in approximately $100,000 increments before stopping at $5.5 million.

$5.5 Million Would Have Smashed the EB110 Record

Had the owner accepted the $5.5 million bid, the result would have established a substantial new auction record for the Bugatti EB110.

Several previous Super Sport examples provide context.

A 1994 EB110 Super Sport reportedly sold for the equivalent of approximately $2.3 million in Paris in 2019. Another reached $2.75 million at Monterey in 2021, while an EB110 Super Sport sold for approximately $3.16 million at Pebble Beach in 2022.

The latest bid therefore exceeded the reported existing auction-sale record by more than $2 million.

However, because the transaction was not completed, $5.5 million should be treated as a high bid rather than a new sale-price record.

That distinction is important when assessing collector-car values.

Carbon Fiber Adds to the EB110’s Engineering Story

The EB110 already occupies an important position in the development of modern supercars.

Its original engineering combined a quad-turbocharged V12, all-wheel drive and advanced lightweight construction at a time when such technologies were far less common in production road cars.

The Dauer examples took the lightweight approach further through their carbon fiber bodywork.

For this particular car, leaving that material exposed also makes the composite construction immediately visible rather than concealing it beneath the finished exterior.

More than three decades after the EB110 era began, that combination of engineering history and rarity appears to be attracting increasing attention from collectors.

Whether the owner will eventually accept a private offer remains unknown. But the $5.5 million public bid provides a new reference point for what collectors may be willing to pay for one of the rarest carbon fiber-bodied interpretations of the EB110.

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