Editor: Jaap Horst
Holger Wittich
The Bugatti EB.LA is a response, a response to the question: "What would be, if Jean Bugatti had not died." This question was asked by the 24-year-old design student Marian Hilgers in the context of his Bachelor's thesis at the University of Pforzheim and answered by making a counter-proposal for the Bugatti Veyron.
And this should be, in the spirit of innovation of Jean Bugatti and in the opinion of Marian Hilgers, " merged technical innovation, the combination of design and function, consistent lightweight design and efficiency, precision, with connection to racing and outstanding performance" .
Bugatti EB.LA for 3 passengers
Hilgers Bugatti EB.LA is 4.62 meters long, 1.10 meter low and is 1.96 meters wide, compared to the Veyron which measures 4.46 meters in length and almost two meters in width and a height of 1.2 meters. Three Persons can be seated in the EB.LA, possible by using the seating arrangement of the McLaren F1, in which the driver is also positioned in the middle and the two passengers besides him are shifted a bit to the rear.
All three look through a large windscreen which coninues almost seamless into the hood The clou: only in the direct front view the interpretation of the legendary and now modern Bugatti-Radiator can be seen. Large fenders create room for huge wheels and tower like two mountain ridges in front of the A-pillars of the Bugatti EB.LA.
In the side view strong beams between the wheels catch the eye, while in the top view the down/rearward lines are prominent. These form the basic structure of the CFRP-monocoque that also represents the body of the Bugatti. "For this, the CFRP-monocoque of the Veyron is reinforced with lightweight metal foam ", so Hilgers. "The rest of the surface bulges to strive around this, and in that way contributes to the further stability of the overall shape, similar to the 'Panton'- chair. Due to the design of the surface and the width to the outside of the Pillars, a lot of material be saved in the monocoque and the entire module is a total of about 50 percent lighter , than conventional designs including body."
Bugatti-Study with 600-HP Hybrid
All braces of the already almost classical Sportscar body lead to two fins which slope down to the rear, contrasting in design from the rest of the Bugatti. These elements are similar to the radiator in the front and in their pronounced form should maintain the directional stability of the EB.LA in heavy crosswinds. Finally the Conceptcar only weighs 750 kilograms. The car is not driven by the huge 8.0 -liter W16 with at least 1,001 HP which is needed to propell the almost 1.9 tons of the Veyron.
In the Bugatti EB.LA the drive system is a symbiosis of a turbocharged four-cylinder, two electric-engines on the front wheels and a flywheel energy storage device. 600HP is what the Bugatti with this hybrid drive would develop. The Bugatti EB.LA was designed as a Bachelor thesis in the VW Design Center in Potsdam.
Originally published in auto-motor-und-sport.de , translated by B.A. Bylon