First Look: Bugatti 16C Galibier Concept
Bugatti Sets out to Build the Fastest, Most Powerful Four Door in the World
November 11, 2009 / By Angus MacKenzie

When you've built the worlds' fastest production car, what do you do for an encore? That's a question the VW Group execs running Bugatti have been wrestling with for some time.

The Bugatti Veyron exists because in 2001 then VW Group boss Ferdinand Piech demanded his engineers turn the concept car he unveiled at that year's Geneva Show into a properly homologated production vehicle. "Piech wanted four things," recalls one insider. "The car had to have more than 1000 hp, do more than 250 mph, accelerate to 60 mph in less than three seconds, and had to be civilized enough for him to drive to the opera."



The engineering challenges were enormous. Piech insisted the design of the Veyron concept had to be retained, yet no-one how that would affect high speed stability. (This was a particularly hot-button issue at the time, as VW Group had been dealing with an embarrassing rash of Audi TT crashes that were traced to the high-style car's tendency to develop rear end lift at speed, a problem subsequently fixed with the addition of a rear spoiler.) Equally, while the engineers figured the 1000 hp engine was doable, no-one knew how they would be able to keep it cool. When tire-makers were first presented with the Veyron's performance and weight parameters, they simply laughed and said it was impossible.

It was a long and costly project -- VW insiders confirm the first attempt at the car was a disaster -- but Piech got his Veyron. It is the benchmark against which all supercars are judged, and one that's unlikely to ever be beaten: VW Group loses money on every Veyron it builds, and rival automakers from Ferrari to Toyota are now more concerned with meeting ever tougher emissions and safety regulations than spending a fortune just to see who can build the world's most extreme supercar.



Topping the Veyron makes no sense for Bugatti, either. When already you have more power, a higher top speed, and faster acceleration than any fully crash-tested, emissions-certified, road legal car in the world, why bother? That explains why the next Bugatti will be a luxury limousine, rather than a sports car.

The Bugatti Galibier will be no ordinary luxury limousine, however. It will be the fastest, most powerful four door in the world, "and by some margin," confirms a smiling Molsheim source. How fast? Top speed will be about 220 mph. How powerful? 800 to 900 hp. It will also be the most expensive, with a price tag expected to be in the $1.2 million to $1.5 million bracket.



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