This forgotten Bugatti was meant to be a $2 million monster… but only one prototype was ever made

This forgotten Bugatti was meant to be a $2 million monster, but only one prototype was ever made.

The Bugatti 16C Galibier was unveiled way back in 2009 as a new concept.

The car was planned to be the pinnacle of luxury and dubbed the most exclusive and powerful four-door car on the planet.

But only one was ever actually reportedly ever made.

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Bugatti is known to have created some seriously powerful cars.

The Veyron, the Mistral, and the Bollide – the French marque’s hypercars are loved by gearheads worldwide.

For example, a one-off Veyron was hidden for eight years, although it has now been added to an elite US Bugatti collection.

What’s more, the Bugatti Tourbillon comes with a secret compartment that reveals how to unlock the hypercar’s top speed.

But, for all its famed members of the fleet, there is a car that was forgotten.

Enter the Bugatti Galibier – the car was revealed in 2009 as a four-door concept car.

With a mountain-inspired name that will resonate with Tour de France cycling fans, the Galibier was based on an earlier Bugatti model, the Bugatti Type 57 Galibier, built in the 1930s and 1940s.

But this was a completely new 21st-century car, and Bugatti wanted to take a leap into the unknown.

“The Galibier’s design masters the challenge of uniting sportiness with the comfort and elegance of a modern four-door saloon,” Bugatti said at the time.

“The basic architecture picks up on the torpedo-like character of the Type 35, which was already revived in the Veyron, and reinterprets it.”

A 16-cylinder, eight-liter, two-stage supercharged engine powered the car.

“What makes this engine special is that it was developed as a flex-fuel engine and can optionally 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 brand continued.

Inside, it was rather special, and Swiss watchmakers even curated a ‘removable tourbillon clock’ which could be worn on the lucky owner’s wrist, complete with a specially designed leather strap.

The car’s name references a notorious cycling destination and mountain pass, as Bugatti explained: “‘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.”

The car was revealed as one of several concepts that paved the way for Bugatti, with the body made of handmade parts of dark blue carbon fibre and polished aluminium wings and doors.

You can check out the announcement video for the concept below: