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Bugatti 16 C Galibier

Bugatti’s new 16 C Galibier concept is the climax of the marque’s centenary celebrations, intended to be “the most exclusive, elegant, and powerful four-door automobile in the world.”

It is, according to Bugatti president Dr. Ing. Franz-Josef Paefgen, one of several concepts which the company is considering for the future of the Bugatti marque.

Company founder Ettore Bugatti and his son Jean experimented repeatedly with new materials, such as aluminium parts for bodies, engine blocks and wheels. Hence it’s appropriate that the 16 C Galibier has wings and doors in polished aluminium, with the remainder of the body in dark blue carbonfibre – a woven structure that shimmers in the light.

The basic architecture, says Bugatti, picks up on the torpedo-like character of the Type 35, already revived in the Veyron and now reinterpreted. A characteristic Bugatti radiator grille, big round LED headlights and the ‘clamshell’ running the length of the vehicle are all present in the Galibier. The bonnet folds back from both sides to reveal a 16-cylinder, 8-litre engine with two-stage supercharger, likely to develop around 800bhp, an engine which can readily run on either petrol or ethanol. Also featured are four-wheel drive, ceramic brakes and a new suspension design specifically tailored for a saloon of this formidable size.

Inside the cabin is a removable Reverso Tourbillon clock, created for the Galibier by Swiss watchmaker Parmigiani, and which can be removed and worn on the wrist. The dashboard, meanwhile, has been kept minimal, with two centrally located main instruments so clear as to be visible to passengers in the rear. Just so they know how phenomenally fast this Bugatti saloon is. Exactly how fast that is, however, we don’t yet know.

Text: Charis Whitcombe
Photos: Bugatti


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