Back in the early 2000s, Volkswagen tried making a premium sedan to rival the likes of the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-Series. And while the resulting car, called the Phaeton, was a surprisingly nice vehicle, it sold very poorly due to the fact that most people looking to spend upwards of $100k on a VW Group product would likely opt for an Audi A8 or even a Bentley Flying Spur.

Given that, when VW took the wraps off a second-generation Phaeton that almost made it to production, the automotive world was sufficiently shocked. Now, a new video from Autogefuhl gives us an unprecedented look at the car’s canceled successor in all its glory.

Read More: VW Shows Near-Production Prototype Of The Axed Second-Gen Phaeton

The first thing that surprised us was that this car was created in 2014. The reason that was so surprising is that just based on looks, we would’ve guessed it was brand new rather than 8 years old. The design is quite handsome and clean, and the overall shape of the body is somewhat reminiscent of the Audi A8. That should make sense, though, because it’s precisely that car’s MLB Evo platform that this new Phaeton is based on. Something else it has in common with the A8 is that it was planned to be offered with a W12 engine just like the original.

The interior of the car also has some similarities to the A8, most notably in the dashboard/infotainment area. But just because it’s a Volkswagen doesn’t mean it doesn’t get all the goodies of a proper ultra-luxury sedan. To name a few, the car features soft-close doors, camera-based body roll control, and electrochromic windows all around, not just on the sunroof. The rear passengers also receive the luxury of an executive seating configuration complete with screens on the front seatbacks and tablet controls for various amenities.

See Also: Cancelled Second-Gen VW Phaeton D2 Was Designed To Get A W12 Engine

The cabin in general is also filled with high-quality leather, wood, and metal trim, featuring very little plastic. We’d actually go as far as to argue the Phaeton is even a bit more luxurious than the tech-filled A8, with its classy, timeless charms almost creeping up to Bentley levels of opulence.

But as cool as this car is, it’s probably for the best that VW learned their lesson the first time around. That being said, this car got shockingly close to production, and to hear the full story behind its creation and subsequent cancellation, as well as see it in full detail, you can check it out in the video below