In the mid nineties the Bugatti marque faced a bleak future. The proud racing heritage of the Bugatti name seemed a long way away, as the recently revived company tumbled into administration . Despite producing one of the most technologically advanced super-cars to date in the form of the Bugatti EB110, in 1995 the company went under after an unsuccesful bid to survive in the harsh world of the modern automotive industry.
An unlikely saviour arrived though when Volkswagen purchased the rights to the Bugatti name in 1998, and after a short period of development with Ital Design starting exhibiting a succession of incredibly high-powered luxury concept cars at motor shows around the world. First up was the Bugatti EB118 concept at the Paris Auto Show, sporting an outrageous W-configuration 18-cylinder engine pushing out 555 hp. Next in 1999 was the Bugatti EB 218 concept, introduced at the Geneva Auto Show, it was designed to echo the Bugatti Royal and again used the W18. Lastly, and the form that obviously laid a lot of the styling groundwork for the Veyron, came the Bugatti 18/3 Chiron introduced at the IAA in Frankfurt.
At the Tokyo Motor Show the EB 218 reappeared, and for the first time a concept was announced that was actually intended for production - the Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron.