The Bugatti 16C Galibier is a luxury 5-door

fastback A fastback is an automotive styling feature, defined by the rear of the car having a single slope from the roof to the tail. The kammback is not a fastback design with a roofline that tapers downward toward the car's rear before being cut of ...

concept car built by Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. It was unveiled at an invitation-only show held at the

Molsheim Molsheim (; ) is a Communes of France, commune and a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Bas-Rhin Departments of France, department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

assembly salon on September 12, 2009. The 16C Galibier was to use a front-mounted, 8.0 L twin-

supercharged In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. It is a form of forced induction that is mechanically powered (usually by ...

W16 engine A W16 engine is a sixteen-cylinder piston engine with four banks of four cylinders in a W configuration. W16 engines are rarely produced, with the notable exception of the Volkswagen Group 8.0 WR16 engine, which has been used since 2005 in the ...

delivering power via permanent

all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. Types The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflects one axle with ...

. A production version of the 16C Galibier concept was initially expected to reach the market around 2014 to 2015; however in September 2013, Bugatti announced that it will be "pulling out" of the Galibier project in favour of the Veyron's successor, the

Chiron In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs". Biography Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology for ...

Name origin

The 16C Galibier name is a reference to the Bugatti Type 57 Galibier. Bugatti traditionally gave Type 57 variants names that referred to

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

es. Galibier refers to France's

Col du Galibier The Col du Galibier (el. ) is a mountain pass in the southern region of the France, French Dauphiné Alps near Grenoble. It is the eighth List of highest paved roads in Europe, highest paved road in the Alps, and recurrently the List of highe ...

. The "16C" refers to the engine's 16 cylinders. Bugatti 16C Galibier rear side

Design

The 16C Galibier features a

bonnet A bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap. Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include Native American *War bonnet, feathered headgear worn as an earned military decoration by high-ranking Plains Indians United King ...

which opens in two parts along a central hinge. The 16C Galibier features the longitudinal rib also seen on the previous EB118 and EB218 concepts that references the longitudinal body seam of the Type 57SC Atlantic. The Gabilier would most likely have been one of if not the most luxurious cars in the world, with interior features such as an analog timepiece which can be mounted in the dash as a clock or on a wristband as a watch.

Debut

Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. debuted the Bugatti 16C Galibier 5-door

concept at an invitation-only show held at the

assembly salon on September 12, 2009. The 16C Galibier was first shown to the general public at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show. It was shown in two color schemes, a two-tone of dark blue and polished aluminium, and black.

Powertrain

The 16C Galibier uses a front-mounted, 8.0 L twin-supercharged

that delivers power via permanent

four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

. The engine is derived from the quad-turbocharged unit used in the

Bugatti Veyron The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engine sports car designed and developed in Germany by the Volkswagen Group and Bugatti, and manufactured in Molsheim, France by French automobile manufacturer Bugatti. It was named after the racing driver Pi ...

. An optional hybrid powertrain was considered primarily to reduce pollution in urbanised environments. Performance figures were not specified, but power output was hinted in excess of while exceeding speeds of .

Production

A production version of the 16C Galibier concept, expected to be named the Royale, was originally scheduled to reach the market in 2013. In December 2009 a patent was uncovered for a very similar design to the concept, but with a more upright front end and a longer, less curvaceous rear end. In 2011, Bugatti postponed the release of the Royale to 2015 or later to refine the vehicle's design. Bugatti was expected to produce 3000 units of the Galibier compared to 300 of the Veyron. It was also expected to cost more than £1 million. In a 2014 interview with ''Top Gear'', President of Bugatti Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber said that Bugatti will never manufacture Galibier nor SuperVeyron because it will confuse their customers. Bugatti design director Achim Anscheidt said in 2020 that it was planned was to replace the Veyron with the Galibier as Bugatti's sole model once 450 Veyrons were built. Bugatti bosses asked for significant changes to the production design based on customer clinic feedback from the concept. In an attempt for a more practical "jack of all trades" model, the Galibier grew in length and height, and eschewed the concept's liftgate for a small trunk for further appeal to Chinese buyers. Anscheidt described the new design as looking like a dachshund from the side and "a bowler hat on wheels” from the rear. The Galibier project was cancelled in May 2012, from a viewing by a "powerful and influential gentleman from Salzburg, Austria", (speculated by the press to be

Ferdinand Piëch Ferdinand Karl Piëch (; 17 April 1937 – 25 August 2019) was an Austrian business magnate, engineer, and executive who held the positions of chairman of the executive board (''Vorstandsvorsitzender'') of the Volkswagen Group from 1993 to 2002 ...

) who expressed a strong disliking of the new design, and how it had changed from the concept. Bugatti then focused their efforts on the

, which had begun development the previous summer as a precaution in case of the Galibier's cancellation. The 16C Galibier lead to the development of the 2015 Bugatti Rembrandt, which followed the Galibier as a front-engine luxury concept powered by Bugatti's W16, but as a 2 door coupé. In 2016, the then Bugatti CEO

Wolfgang Dürheimer Wolfgang Dürheimer (born 20 June 1958) is a German automotive business executive who, until January 2018, was the president of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. He was the former executive vice president of research and development at Porsche AG. Li ...

stated a production version of the Galibier concept was being considered as one of four possible alternatives for a successor to the Chiron. In 2020, the company still expressed interest in developing a four-seater model.

References

External links

The newest 2009 Bugatti 16C Galibier blueprints
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bugatti 16c Galibier Bugatti concept vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Retro-style automobiles 2000s cars