Bugatti 16 C Galibier: four doors.

At a time when the automotive world is falling over itself to embrace greener technologies and break free from a dependence on oil, ultimate performance and luxury marquee Bugatti has chosen to unveil what it describes as the ‘most exclusive, elegant, and powerful four-door automobile in the world’ – cue the Bugatti 16 C Galibier concept.

We’ve all seen Jeremy Clarkson creaming is pants over the Veyron (even my 12-year-old daughter wants one, though she’ll settle for a Mini Cooper S convertible – Ed ) but how will the ultimate luxury offering from the folks at Molsheim in Alsace, France, fit into today’s world of faltering economics and hybrid engines?

Yet, maybe it doesn’t matter to the super-rich who can be this car’s only market; we’ll see if it ever gets built. Bugatti president Dr Ing. Franz-Josef Paefgen has stressed that the Galibier is one of several concept studies the company is considering for the future direction of the brand.

So, as the climax of its centenary celebrations, the VW subsidiary showed off its 16 C Galibier concept to a bunch of the good and the great – or filthy rich (do you mean customers and opinion-formers – Ed?)  at the company HQ founded by the legendary Ettore Bugatti. ‘Galibier’ is the name of one of the most difficult alpine passes along the Tour de France and was a version of the four-door Type 57 Bugatti which, in its time, was the epitome of sportiness and elegance.

Galibier: arte, forme, technique.

New materials

‘Art, Forme, Technique’ are the brand values which Bugatti founder Ettore and his son Jean espoused in order to develop ever-more-powerful engines and even more ‘noble’ body designs for each new model, which in their heyday were unequalled in terms of quality, handling, speed and elegance. In the process, they experimented again and again with new materials; Bugatti was one of the first manufacturers to use aluminium parts for bodies, engine blocks and wheels.

Today, ‘Art, Forme, Technique’ are also the brand values which the company says its design and engineering team adhered to in the development of the Galibier, particularly by using new material combinations for its construction. Accordingly, the body uses hand-made carbon-fibre parts coloured dark blue so that, when illuminated, the woven structure shimmers strikingly.

Carbon fibre, of course, is not only extremely rigid but also especially light. The cars wings and doors are moulded out of polished aluminium.

Sporting comfort

The Galibier’s designers have attempted to master the challenge of uniting ‘sportiness’ with the comfort and elegance of a modern four-door saloon. The basic architecture picks up on the torpedo-like character of the Type 35, which was already revived in the Veyron, and reinterprets it.

Galibier: 16 cylinder, turbo.

With the typical Bugatti radiator grille, big round LED headlights and clamshell running the length of the vehicle (which became synonymous with the brand identity under Jean Bugatti in the Type 57), this latest concepts takes classic Bugatti genes and reinterprets them in a modern setting.

Beneath the bonnet, which folds back from both sides, sits a 16-cylinder, eight-litre engine with two-stage supercharging. What makes this engine special is that it was developed as a flex-fuel unit and has the option to run on ethanol.

Four-wheel drive, specially developed ceramic brakes, and a new suspension design contribute to a level of agility and surefootedness not always seen in a saloon of this size.

Suitcase

The interior reflects the elemental design of the exterior, says Bugatti. (It looks smart but a bit like being inside a suitcase, there’s so much leather about; and what’s with the TV by the driver? Keep your eyes on the road – Ed!)

Interior: sparse but lots of leather.

The dash panel has been stripped to the essentials; two centrally located main instruments keep even the rear passengers constantly informed of the actual speed and previous performance. Parmigiani, the Swiss maker of fine watches, created the removable Reverso Tourbillon clock for the Galibier, which may be worn on the wrist thanks to a cleverly designed leather strap.

Price?

And because it’s only a concept there’s no indication of price or production date, or even whether the car will be produced. One thing’s for certain, though; if it does go into production, it will be expensive!

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