Background
In 1934, Bugatti presented the Type 57, an entirely new design series created by Jean, the son of Ettore Bugatti and founder of the brand. The brand built a total of around 800 Type 57 chassis between 1934 and 1940 when the Second World War broke out and put a halt to production. The 57 series was manufactured with a variety of different coachworks and chassis styles, each having distinctive features. The cars used the 3,257cc in-line eight-cylinder twin cam engine that was in essence a modernized Type 49 power unit. As with the coachwork, different engine configurations were available, the most popular of which was the addition of a supercharger that increased power to 200hp and allowed a top speed of up to 190 km/h, depending on the coachwork of the car. In fact, only two 57 were originally delivered with a supercharger, and most owners sent their 57 back to the factory to fit the upgrade post-delivery.
The unconventional decision of Jean to build one model type but to offer it with different chassis and body styles was a stroke of genius that greatly contributed to modernising Bugatti. The Type 57 was available as a sedan named Galibier, a two-door sedan called Ventoux, a Stelvio convertible and as an Atalante. On top of that a variety of third-party coachbuilders such as Van Vooren offered the Type 57 with their own coachwork styles.
Top of the line of all Type 57 built was the Type 57SC Atlantic. The car used design clues from the Aerolithe prototype, and its body was built entirely in Aluminium. From 1936 to 1938, only four examples were built: chassis 57374 owned today by the Peter Mullin Automotive Museum in the US, chassis 57543 which disappeared during WWII, chassis 57473, largely destroyed when hit by a train in 1955 and lastly chassis 57591 owned by Ralph Lauren and the only black car in existence.
If ever offered for sale, a Type 57SC Atlantic, with its achingly beautiful coachwork, would possibly be the most valuable car ever to be sold.







