The Bugatti Type 57 is one of the most emblematic and legendary models of Bugatti, and the high end automobile industry of the 1930s. This model was presented at the 1933 Paris Motor Show. Designed by Jean Bugatti, the son of Ettore Bugatti who inherited the CEO title of the brand, The Bugatti Type 57 replaces the Bugatti Type 49 after which it takes the engine and chassis. It was powered by a Bugatti 8-cylinder in-line double overhead camshaft engine producing approximately 140 horsepower. The crankcase, with the clutch and the gearbox housing contribute to the rigidity of the chassis as for any car of this era.
Several engine and body variants had seen the light of day, such as the Galibier (four-door saloon), the Stelvio (convertible), the Ventoux (two-door) and the Atalante (coupe). Between 1934 and 1940, when manufacturing of the model closed, 800 units or so of the different Type 57 versions had left the brand’s workshops.
However the Atlantic version had a completely different fate. The car’s body, elegant and exotic, was already a sensation at the time. The wheel arches provide a visual contrast to the lines of the body while its engine cover visually lengthens the bow, despite the car being only 3.7 meters long. The rear lines flow into a swooping oval which stops at the curb. he stern is completed by six particularly thin tailpipes.
The Atlantic models are developed after the Aérolithe concept, also called Coupé Special or Coupé Aéro. To design the body of this unique model (body number 57 104), Jean Bugatti used elektron, an of magnesium and aluminum from the aeronautical industry. Elektron is composed of 90% magnesium and 10% aluminum. Light and resistant, it is nonetheless difficult to use because it cannot be welded.
This is why Jean Bugatti riveted the body panels using the famous crest. The Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic is named after Jean Bugatti’s friend, Jean Mermoz. A legendary Aéropostale pilot, he was the first to cross the South Atlantic by plane before disappearing during a final crossing in 1936.
Only three units of the Atlantic model, which were handcrafted, were sold to customers. In 1936 Bugatti had built the first Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic for British banker Victor Rothschild. This model was thus devoid of compressor and sported a gray blue livery. Victor Rothschild’s Atlantic is known today by its chassis number: 57 374. The third example manufactured by Bugatti, stamped with the number 57 473, was delivered to Frenchman Jacques Holzschuh in October of the same year.
The second owner of the coupé, a collector, found himself trapped on a level crossing with his Atlantic: he perished in the accident and the car was completely destroyed. Several decades later, it was completely restored, although the engine was lost in the accident.
The last Atlantic model manufactured is currently owned by fashion designer Ralph Lauren. With chassis number 57 591, this unit built in May 1938 was initially delivered to Briton R.B. Pope.
In 2010, the first of the three Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic 1936 (derived from the 1935 Bugatti Aérolithe concept car) was sold at an auction to the Peter Mullin Collection, for a sum between 30 and 40 million dollars (between 23 and 31 million euros). This made it the most expensive car at that time, a record which has been since broken by the Ferrari 250 GTO.
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