It’s been over a decade since the Bugatti Galibier concept was revealed during the Frankfurt Auto Show, and a little less than one since the five-door car nearly—but never—went into production. The model would’ve represented a shift in Bugatti’s new direction, from designer and maker of hypercars to designer and maker of ‘ultra’ touring cars.

Bugatti kicked around the idea of changing the name of the four-door sedan before production, which would’ve associated the new Bugatti with a model from the automaker’s heyday, the Royale. The first time around, the Royale was produced for about a six year period beginning in the late 1920s; it was one of the biggest cars of its era. The depression limited production of the be-all-and-end-all model to just 7 examples, six of which are still in the hands of collectors. A 1932 example was rolled out for 2013’s Goodwood Festival, presumably as a promotional stunt to support the new version.

Although the Galibier—that is, the new Royale—favored a rear-heavy design like the original, it looked a bit like a shooting brake—dangerously close to station wagon design language, then, for an exotic build. VW Group chief Ferdinand Piëch didn’t like it, and it faded into history. But the Galibier’s interiors would’ve acted as homage to Bugatti’s heyday more than those of any other new Bugatti model, with a series of evocative features to link past and present in an acute manner.

But the model was not to be, and Bugatti opted to continue making beautiful cars built for luxuriously fast driving. And, hence, the Chiron.