Bugatti showed off the prototype for the 16C Galibier at a private soiree in Molsheim, France, in 2009. According to chief stylist Achim Anscheidt, the company wanted the Galibier to substitute the Veyron when that line ended. Alas, that didn’t happen.
Looking closely at the front, you can see some of the Veyron’s lineage. But the long hood and hint of a dorsal seam running the length of the car to the modest tear drop tail looks very much admire a nod to the Aérolithe and Atlantic. It even had the Veyron’s engine — a twin-supercharged 8.0-liter W-16 capable of 1,000 hp and a reported 250 mph top speed. What made it different was its ability to run on ethanol, making it a flex-fuel engine.
The Galibier’s body was handmade using dark blue carbon fiber pieces that shimmered when bathed in light. While the car’s hood and backside were made from rigid yet lightweight carbon fiber, the front fenders and doors were fabricated in polished aluminum.
Additionally, the four-door coupe had four-wheel drive and an entirely new suspension that would have combined to make it the fastest, most potent, and agile sedan on the market … if only Bugatti had made it.
This prototype is particularly special because, at the time, Volkswagen owned Bugatti. The executives from that group wanted drastic changes made, including making it 60 inches longer and 6 inches taller, which abandoned the original concept of a “sporty, elegantly-tailored sedan.” Thus, the company shifted to its backup scheme — the Chiron.
