Bugatti was inches away from producing its first ever four-door but the 1000-hp car was canned at the last minute

Bugatti once built its first-ever four-door vehicle, and it came with a powerful 1,000 horsepower engine, but sadly, the project was shelved, and the car never went into production.

Bugatti is known for its sleek two-door supercars, like the iconic Veyron or the sold-out Tourbillon. 

But back in 2009, the luxury carmaker unveiled its 16C Galibier concept car, which featured four doors. 

The stunning concept was set to be the world’s most powerful four-door, but the road to production was not smooth.

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The four-door 16C Galibier concept would have been a game-changer

The Bugatti 16C Galibier was unveiled at an exclusive, invite-only show at the marque’s assembly plant in Molsheim, before being shown off to the world at the Frankfurt Auto Show. 

The car was shown in two exterior color schemes, a smart-looking all-black version and a two-tone dark blue and polished aluminum one. 

The stunning car had some cool features, including a front bonnet that opened in two parts along a central hinge and a longitudinal rib that had appeared on previous EB118 and EB218 concepts.

It also had four doors, making it unlike any Bugatti we’d seen before.

The 16C Galibier also had a seriously luxe interior finished in plush tan leather with warm wood accents, and a unique Parmigiani Fleurier Turbillon timepiece that could be used as a clock on the dashboard or worn as a watch. 

Although luxurious, the cabin was also fuss-free with a small touch-screen and a couple of gauges on the dash to show the speed and power. 

The car was powered by a front-mounted 8.0-liter turbocharged W16 engine that was reported to offer more than 1,000 horsepower and a top speed in excess of 235mph. 

At the time, Bugatti had been slated to build 3,000 units – each with a price tag of $1 million.

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Bugatti decided to shelve the project and focused on another car instead

A production version of the 16C Galibier had been expected to hit the market around 2014 or 2015. 

However, in September 2013, Bugatti announced that it was scrapping the project. 

Speaking to Hagerty in 2020, Bugatti’s then design director Achim Anscheidt said that during development, the concept car ended up looking quite different.

Anscheidt said the four-door vehicle began to look ‘like a dachshund from the side’ and a ‘bowler hat on wheels’ from the back. 

Which probably goes some way to explaining why it was canned. 

Instead, the marque decided to pour all of its efforts into a Veyron successor, which – of course – turned out to be the iconic Chiron. 

The most legendary Bugattis ever built

1909 Bugatti Type 13: The brand’s first production car and early racing icon
1924 Bugatti Type 35: One of the most successful race cars in history
1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic: Ultra-rare masterpiece, one of the most valuable cars ever
1991 Bugatti EB110: Bugatti’s 90s comeback supercar with quad turbos
2005 Bugatti Veyron: The hypercar that redefined speed and luxury
2016 Bugatti Chiron: Veyron successor with 1,500 hp and extreme performance
2019 Bugatti La Voiture Noire: One-off tribute to the Atlantic, built for a collector
2020 Bugatti Divo: Track-focused Chiron with sharper handling and limited numbers
2022 Bugatti Centodieci: Modern EB110 tribute with futuristic styling

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