We just love super-saloon concept cars. Here are the top ones who never created retail.
Bugatti Galibier
The Bugatti Galibier, unveiled in 2010, nearly became a manufacturing reality. It was 5.3 meters long and had the same 8.0-litre W16 engine as the Veyron, but it had twin superchargers rather than four turbos for improved low-end torque. Bugatti set the top speed at about 217mph and indicated that it would cost well north of £ 1 million if they were to bring the über-limo into development. Sure. Of course.
Cadillac Sixteen
The Cadillac Sixteen is very much about figures, as you might have noticed from its name. 16-cylinder, 13.6-liter, 1,000bhp and 1,000lb-ft. We’re talking about that. Made to pay homage to the Thirties’ 16-cylinder Caddys, the Sixteen was as much an experiment in engineering as an idea. Using a Corvette V8 as its platform, its engine was designed from scratch and could shut down to 12-cylinders under light loads to save power.
Any of the styling features made it to output, but the V16 didn’t. Desperate times!
Lamborghini Estoque
While the Urus is visually spectacular, we wish that Lamborghini had built the Estoque instead. Disclosed at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the Estoque was a super-saloon design almost ready for production, designed to gauge public opinion. The prototype has the V10 and all-wheel drive of the Gallardo. Still, Lambo execs suggested that a V12, electric, or diesel could be mounted in the ultimate production vehicle. Perish the idea of that.
The Estoque never existed, for some reason, and the four-door Lambo we finally got was SUV-shaped.
Peugeot 908 RC
By only French luxurious saloon standards, the 908 RC was strange. Remarkably, that is to say. In short, it’s a luxurious four-door limo with a 5.5-litre twin-turbo V12 diesel car from the 908 Le Mans racer Peugeot. The motor was good for a hefty 691bhp and 885lb-ft of torque, installed behind the passengers.
Of course, manufacturing was never produced. It was just a promotional ploy to generate confidence in the 908 racers that would continue to win Le Mans in 2009.
Also Read, Best supercar concept designs from the 1970s
Ferrari Pinin
Made public at the 1980 Turin Motor Show to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pininfarina, the very first four-door Ferrari was the Pinin (named after the father of Sergio Pininfarina, Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina). The only four-door Ferrari exists, except for the unique 456s made for Brunei’s Sultan until the completed Purosangue SUV is seen.
It seems Enzo was keen to bring the Pinin into development, at least initially, but never provided it with the green-light.
It was initially just a frame, but the Pinin has been upgraded from a Ferrari 512BB into a flat-12 working engine.
Bugatti EB112
In the early 90s, Bugatti was a distinct organization. The VW Company was not controlled by Romano Artioli, the Italian merchant, and its cars were made in Italy, not in France.
After the EB110, the EB112 was Old Bugatti’s second model. Disclosed at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show, it had a 6.0-litre V12 nat-asp, six-speed manual transmission, and all-wheel drive. Production was set for 1996, but in 1995, Old Bugatti went bust when the Giugiaro-designed four-door production was still pending.
2 or 3 cars are thought to exist due to a Monegasque entrepreneur who, when Old Bugatti collapsed, purchased the part-finished remnants. One of them was sold to Retromobile in 2016, and the other is thought to remain in Russia.
In the late nineties, the idea was revised, with Bugatti showcasing a two-door GT called the EB118 but another four-door called the EB218. They both were using a W18 motor.
Ford Interceptor
Concerning the Interceptor, nothing that complex. And that’s why it pleases us. Just a tall, full-size rear-wheel-drive car from the good ole ‘U.S. A. That’s hardly in the same class as many of this museum’s other uber-saloons, but it looks gorgeous, so we’re granting it a pass.
The Interceptor had a 5.0-litre V8 operating on ethanol, with 400bhp and a recorded top speed of about 170mph, based on an extended Mustang frame. Of default, Ford wasn’t in the best form back in 2006.
The Lotus Eterne
In 2009, Dany Bahar entered Lotus from Ferrari and unveiled FIVE new designs within the first year, which he planned to develop by 2015.
One of those designs was the Eterne-a four-door Porsche Panamera competitor. It was to get a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 and KERS hybrid setup, set to be focused on the same framework as one of the other models, the Elite 2+2 floating hard-top. In 2015, production was established, with prices beginning at about £120,000.
In 2012, Bahar was sacked, and the five new cars were all discontinued.
B99 Jaguar by Bertone
There was very little that Jaguar B99 had to do with Jaguar. It was planned and constructed by Bertone-B for Bertone, 99, as a potential substitute for the X-Type for 99 years after the company was formed. A competitor of the BMW 3 Series avoided the latest design trend of Ian Callum (see the XJ, first-gen XF) in favor of something a bit more traditional. Looks like an ace, no?
Jaguar decided not to accept Bertone’s support, and we got the Jaguar XE instead a few years back.
