Joining the ranks of supercar status, B Engineering hoped to score more success with their Edonis, low numbers and a troubled production life inadvertently created more intrigue than the car itself, one that few gearheads aware even exists.
Built on the foundations of a previous supercar, one that itself didn't quite deliver on its promise despite world beating performance, B Engineering had all the expertise and experience in place even if the goals were mighty ambitious. Rarity and big power figures alone are hugely attractive, if only you have the credibility to deliver on your goals. B Engineering sadly fell short, joining the ranks of failed supercars that really should have sold better.
Looking back at one of the most unusual supercars of recent years, despite its borrowed footings, there are plenty of surprises lurking beneath Edonis' skin.
9 Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining...
Supercars come and go all the time, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche continually rolling out faster, zanier designs with the intention of robbing one another of customers. So in 2001, when B-Engineering rolled out their aptly named Edonis, the automotive world took notice, a newcomer amongst the same old names.
The Edonis story goes a little deeper than just another up-start supercar maker, B-Engineering cheating a little using an existing chassis and engine platform to get the ball rolling. The demise of Bugatti's EB110 and subsequent spares pile provided B-Engineering a golden ticket into the 200 mph club briefly.
8 Inherited V12 Engine
Picking through the remains of what was Bugatti, B-Engineering inherited its basic chassis, body and running gear, including a potent V12 motor. At its launch, the EB110 wasn't exactly lacking in the bragging stakes, 3.5 liters and four turbochargers dishing out 553 hp in stock form, more if you were behind the wheel of a Super Sport.
Already good enough for supercar status, the V12 in the back of B-Engineering's effort was more or less the same, save for a jump in displacement to 3.76 liters and two larger turbochargers in place of the EB110s smaller items. The net result was more power, the Edonis producing between 671-715 hp depending on configuration.
7 Analog Supercar Experience
Nerdy gadget-loving gearheads should look elsewhere. B-Engineering doesn't do "tech" for the sake of it, instead keeping things simple in an analog old-school way, eschewing driver aids at every turn.
If we could have one tiny concession towards usability, it would be traction control. As it stands, the only thing standing between unwary drivers and the nearest ditch is your right foot. Given the Edonis has more power and less grip than the EB110, accidents become "when" rather than "if".
6 Sharper Styling
Love it or hate it, the EB110 wasn't the prettiest supercar, it was all angles, and aside from its headline grabbing performance, it lacked the wow factor.
With plenty of room for improvement, B-Engineering called in favors from Marc Deschamps of Bertone, who under the basic remit of sleeker and more aerodynamically efficient penned the Edonis final design sketches. Angles made way for curves, ducts, and grilles featuring on every panel, more so at the rear channeling cooling air in to the V12s domain.
5 Two Is Better Than Four?
Two is better than four? In the case of the Edonis' engine sure, swapping to fewer turbos released more power, we'll let B-Engineering have that one. However, the Italian supercar maker wasn't done with the EB110s inherited drivetrain just yet.
Ridding the Edonis of any scrap of excess weight resulted in another of its inherited traits deleted, switching to rear-wheel drive only shaved 70 kgs from its mass, both the font drive shaft assembly and associated prop-shaft consigned to the bin.
4 More Power, and Less Weight = More Speed
On power figures alone, the Edonis should be both faster to 60mph, and at the top end. In reality, things are less straightforward, off the line with all-wheel drive the EB110 is a full six-tenths quicker, more traction clearly a bonus.
Overcoming the battle of traction, the Edonis with more power and less weight begins to claw back the advantage, however the margins are not as big as you might think. Flat out, the EB110 manages 220.3 mph, the Edonis edging it with a claimed maximum of 227 mph. We'll call this one a draw.
3 Special wheels & Tires
Astonishing performances aside, B Engineering tailored every designed element of the Edonis to be as light and efficient as possible, including ditching the unnecessary weight and space normally occupied by a spare tire. Getting around the real world possibility of a flat required some lateral thinking.
Michelins unique PAX wheel and tire system came to the rescue, designed to be usable at speeds of up to 50 mph over a distance of 125 miles used a unique solution. A third element secured within the tire itself, adding much needed rigidity in the even of a loss in pressure. Like the majority of supercars the Edonis used uneven sized tires front (245/650 Z R480) and rear (335/670 Z R500), even without PAX speed would have been limited by a space saver.
2 A Short Lived Dream
Building on an existing chassis and engine supply limited how many cars B-Engineering (now Casil Motors) could produce. Starting out with enough resources for an intended run of 17 cars, the remaining monocoque chassis acquired separately by Dauer Sportwagen and Monaco Racing, the Edonis is nothing if not exclusive.
Adding another twist to the B-Engineering/Casil motors saga, 15 of the planned production cars were to be completed as the Edonis, with new its new owners planning to upgrade the remaining cars under the SP-110 Edonis Fenice name sporting Casils' own Rinascita Aero Package. None of which explains the occasional "Edonis" badged Bugatti-inspired spin-offs that grace motor shows from time to time.
1 Vaporware?
Plans to continue or extend production appear to have stalled. In 2018, Casil Motors announced the SP-110 was ready for production, requesting interested buyers to register with a mere $2500 deposit, the final cost dependent on each customer bespoke specification.
A quick search of the classifieds turns up very little, avid gearheads have more chance picking up mint-in-box Hot Wheels example, first editions considerably cheaper too, starting around $15.