Pebble Beach Concours: Bugatti EB110 misses out as Type 59 takes top honors

It’s been exactly a week since the winners of the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance were announced. Yes, a Bugatti won, but not everyone was pleased with the results in the Bugatti camp.

The 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports was awarded the ‘Best of Show’. Once a factory race car, it has multiple Grand Prix wins to its name. For the first time, a preservation car took top honors at Pebble Beach. The Type 59 has been preserved in the livery it was given when redressed by King Leopold of Belgium.

Another special Bugatti was part of this year’s event – the one-off EB110 Sport Competizione. We were hoping it would win its class (1990s BPR & FIA GT Race Cars), not just because of its provenance, but also because it was entered by a good friend. The car was prepared ahead of the event by multiple Pebble Beach award winners: ‘E. Zweimueller GmbH’.

Ing. Giacomo Danisi (Pic 1) removing the passenger seat and ex-Audi Design Director Marc Lichte (Pic 2) making sure everything’s perfect.

The EB110 Sport Competizione was Bugatti’s last race car and the final car to leave the Campogalliano factory. It competed in the 1995 and 1996 seasons and even took part in the Le Mans 24 Hours. The car has been preserved in its original condition and despite being a race car, it is street-legal.

Unfortunately, it came 2nd in class with the Ferrari F40 GTE Michelotto being adjudged the winner. It came as a huge surprise, not just to experts and concours regulars, but also to amateurs like us.

The F40 was restored by the Ferrari Classiche Department for over 3 years. At one point, it even failed to start in front of the judges and had to be pushed onto the ramp during the awards ceremony.

Unlike the over-restored trailer queen, the EB110 was an unrestored original. It was used during the Tour d’Elegance that preceded the Concours.

It begs to question – Why on the one hand the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance honors, treasures and celebrates the Type 59 for its original paint, patina, and participation in the Tour (which it did!) and then not do the same for its Fraternal (or dizygotic) ‘twin’ the Bugatti EB110 Sport Competizione ‘IMSA’?

Source: Pebble Beach