Bugatti Unveils Their 16 C Galibier Concept

Auto Shows, Concept Models, Featured | Dean | September 15, 2009 at 16:54

The latest Bugatti news revolves around the 16 C Galibier Concept which will sadly, not be at the Frankfurt Show. The news of the 16 C Galibier not at the Frankfurt show pretty much ties in with the previous reports stating that the Bordeaux will not be on show.

However, at Frankfurt or not we’re happy to announce that the new Bugatti is however here. The company’s CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen describes it as the “most exclusive, elegant and most powerful sedan in the world.”

The power on this four-seater beast will come from an eight-litre 16-cylinder engine with a two-stage set of superchargers screaming through the revs. The power figures will roam between 588kW and 735kW where this will all be pushed to the all-wheel-drive system.

The supersaloon will use standard fuel, where there is also the option of ethanol as an alternative, you know, in case there isn’t any fuel around. Braking power will come from a set of carbon ceramic stoppers that will try and keep the power under control.

On to the looks.

The new Bugatti 16 C Galibier Concept will boast four exhaust pipes on either side, where the rear window will house a third brake light which will run down from the roof. Many body parts will be made from polished aluminium, where the rest of the body (blue parts) will be made from carbon fibre reinforced plastic.

Bugatti has of course added their own style grille and badge for the overall look.

Inside of the new ‘Gatti you’ll find a surfboard-shaped dashboard created out of wood and leather. The center console will feature a large LCD screen while the speedometer will be moved to the center of the dash — deliberately.

The previous names for the 16 C Galibier include Project Lydia and Bordeaux.

Press Release:

As the climax of its centenary celebration ceremonies, Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. presented customers and opinion-makers with the Bugatti 16 C Galibier concept, intended to be the most exclusive, elegant, and powerful four door automobile in the world last weekend in Molsheim. At the historic site where Ettore Bugatti once laid the cornerstone of his company, Bugatti’s current president, Dr. Ing. Franz-Josef Paefgen emphasised that the Galibier is one of several concept studies with which the company is considering for the future of the Bugatti marque.

Art – Forme – Technique: those are the brand values to which Ettore Bugatti and his son Jean oriented
themselves in order to develop even more powerful engines and even more noble body designs for each new model, which were without equal in quality, handling, speed and elegance. In the process, they experimented again and again without compromise with new materials; thus was Bugatti one of the first
manufacturers to use aluminium parts for bodies, engine blocks and wheels.

Art – Forme – Technique are also the brand values to which the design and engineering team of Bugatti
Automobiles S.A.S. oriented themselves in the development of the Galibier. With this new four-door
concept car, Bugatti assumes anew a leading role in the use of new material combinations. Thus the body is constructed of handmade carbon fibre parts coloured dark blue so that, when illuminated, the woven structure shimmers through strikingly. Carbon fibre not only possesses unusually great rigidity but is also especially light. The wings and doors are out of polished aluminium.

The Galibier’s design masters 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. With the typical Bugatti radiator grille, big
round LED headlights and the clamshell running the length of the vehicle which became synonymous
with the brand identity under Jean Bugatti in the Type 57, this car transports the Bugatti genes into the
modern world.

Beneath the bonnet, which folds back from both sides, there resides a 16-cylinder, 8-litre engine with
twostage supercharging. What makes this engine special is that it was developed as a flex-fuel engine and can optional be run on ethanol. Four-wheel drive, specially developed ceramic brakes and a new suspension design enable the agile, always-sure handling of a saloon of this size.

The interior reflects the elemental design of the exterior. The dash panel has been reduced to the essential; 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.

“Galibier” is not just the name of one of the most difficult alpine passes along the Tour de France but, in its time, was a version of the four door Type 57 unequalled in sportiness and elegance.