The Insanely Beautiful 2013 Bugatti C16 Galibier

The 2013 Bugatti C16 Galibier was revealed earlier this year. It was named after an Alpine pass featured in the Tour de France and combines the styling cues of the Type 57 Atlantic coupe with the Galibier sedan name of the 1930s in a 4-door flagship that also has echoes of the legendary Bugatti Royale.

The nose of the insanely beautiful Galibier sports a large horse collar grille, a Bugatti signature, along with a pronounced fore/aft center spine. The hood has a center hinge along that line, with engine bay access covers opening to the sides of the vehicle. The two-tone body treatment is similar to the Veyron's — the sides done up in polished aluminum that is contrasted by the royal blue hood, roof and rear body panels crafted from carbon fiber. The rear of the vehicle tapers into a boattail, and there's a hatch for access to the rear cargo area. The body silhouette may remind some of the profile of the recently released Porsche Panamera (which for some will not be a compliment but for me, it works.)

The fastback shape of is rear window certainly does evoke Porsche, but upon closer inspection, a large crease runs the length of the roofline and INTO the glass of the window. Shockingly, perhaps, the crease doesn't begin on the roof, but instead, can be seen within the windscreen and the hood as well.

The magic doesn't stop there. The car's "third tail light" is embedded within this crease in the rear window. Like most Bugattis of the past, this will be a truly beautiful car to behold - if we are lucky enough to see one, that is! Production numbers are likely to be less than 5,000.

Beneath the hood is Bugatti's 8.0-liter W-16 engine, which is a flex-fuel unit capable of running on ethanol. The engine, with two-stage superchargers, is said to propel the Galibier to a top speed of 217 mph. The all-wheel-drive car is also equipped with an advanced reactive suspension and carbon-ceramic disc brakes.

Inside, it's a leather-wrapped paradise, of course, with enough wood to build furnish a small apartment. Which, of course, is standard Bugatti fare. The seats look plush and the windscreen appears spacious and unobstructed by the aforementioned crease.