They wanted to call it the Caliber, but Dodge stole that name for its smallish hatchback. So Bugatti changed a couple letters around and got Galibier.
Okay, it’s not a funny joke. And anybody with an ounce of French language training knows that the more appropriate pronunciation for this car is Gal-ib-err but Gahl-eeb-yay. Why so much talk about the name?
Well, we don’t know much else about this four-door Bugatti. Its proportions are kind of; a little bit; sort of similar to the Lamborghini Estoque concept. But those very same proportions aren’t unlike those of the Aston Martin Rapide. Perhaps this is just the nature of ultra-expensive sedans.
The Galibier was introduced to the elite in Bugatti’s home of Molsheim in the Alsace region of France. An 8-litre sixteen-cylinder engine uses two-stage supercharging (a la VW’s twin-charged Golf?) and can run on E85 fuel. Swiss watchmaker Parmigiani created a removable clock that can be worn on the owner’s wrist. Rather gaudily, Ettore Bugatti’s signature sits on a panel atop the glovebox. Oh, and about that name: Galibier is the name of a stage in the Tour de France as well as a particular version of Bugatti’s old Type 57.
