Bugatti Type 57

Bugatti Type 57
Type 57 Atalante 1936
Overview
Manufacturer	Bugatti
Production	1934–1940 710 produced
Body and chassis
Class	Grand tourer
Powertrain
Engine	3257 cc DOHC Inline 8
Chronology
Predecessor	Bugatti Type 49
Successor	Bugatti Type 101

The Bugatti Type 57 and later variants (including the famous Atlantic and Atalante) was an entirely new design by Jean Bugatti, son of founder Ettore. Type 57s were built from 1934 through 1940, with a total of 710 examples produced.

Most Type 57s used a twin-cam 3257 cc engine based on that of the Type 49 but heavily modified by Jean Bugatti. Unlike the chain-drive twin-cam engines of the Type 50 and 51, the 57's engine used gears to transmit power from the crankshaft.

There were two basic variants of the Type 57 car:

• The original Type 57
• The lowered Type 57S

The Type 57 chassis and engine was revived in 1951 as the Bugatti Type 101 for a short production.

A rediscovered Type 57 sold for 3.4 million euros at auction on 7 February 2009 at a motor show in Paris.

Type 57G

The famous Type 57G tank-bodied racers used the 57S chassis in 1936 and 1937 and the 57C for 1939.

Type 57

Type 57 Coupé 1936.

The original Type 57 was a touring car model produced from 1934 through 1940. It used the 3.3 L (3257 cc; 198 cu in) engine from the Type 59 Grand Prix cars, producing 135 hp (100 kW). Top speed was 95 miles per hour (153 km/h).

It rode on a 130-inch (3,302 mm) wheelbase and had a 53.1-inch (1,349 mm) wide track. Road-going versions weighed about 2,100 pounds (950 kg). Hydraulic brakes replaced the cable-operated units in 1938, a modification Ettore Bugatti hotly contested. 630 examples were produced.

The original road-going Type 57 included a smaller version of the Royale's square-bottom horseshoe grille. The sides of the engine compartment were covered with thermostatically-controlled shutters. It was a tall car, contrary to the tastes of the time.

Dimensions:

• Wheelbase: 130 in (3,302 mm)
• Track: 53.1 in (1,349 mm)
• Weight: 2,100 lb (950 kg)

Type 57T

Type 57T Tourer

The "tuned" Type 57T pushed the performance of the basic Type 57. It was capable of reaching 115 miles per hour (185 km/h).

Type 57C

Type 57C

A Type 57C racing car was built from 1937 through 1940, with nearly 750 possibly produced. It shared the 3.3 L engine from the road-going Type 57 but produced 160 hp (119 kW) with a Roots-type supercharger fitted.

Type 57C Tank

The famous 57C-based Tank won the 1936 French Grand Prix, as well as the 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans. It used a different 4.7 L (4743 cc; 289 cu in) engine.

Type 57S

1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Gangloff Drop Head Coupe from the Ralph Lauren collection.

The Type 57S/SC is one of the best-known Bugatti cars. The "S" stood for "surbaissé" ("lowered"), though most felt it stood for "sport". It included a v-shaped dip at the bottom of the radiator and mesh grilles on either side of the engine compartment.

Lowering the car was a major undertaking. The rear axle now passed through the rear frame rather than riding under it, and a dry-sump lubrication system was required to fit the engine under the new low hood. The 57S had a nearly-independent suspension in front, though Ettore despised that notion.

Just 43 "surbaissé" cars were built.

Dimensions:

• Wheelbase: 117.3 in (2,979 mm)
• Track: 53.1 in (1,349 mm)
• Weight: 2,100 lb (950 kg)

Type 57SC

See also Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic (57374)

Just two supercharged Type 57SC cars were built new, but most 57S owners wanted the additional power afforded by the blower. Therefore, most of the original Type 57S cars returned to Molsheim for the installation of a supercharger, pushing output from 175 hp (130 kW) to 200 hp (150 kW) and 120 mph (190 km/h). The Type 57SC is also the most expensive car ever purchased at auction, when an anonymous bidder spent an estimated 30 million dollars at the Gooding Classic Car Auction on May 5th 2010.

Atlantic

1938 Type 57SC Atlantic from the Ralph Lauren collection.

1938 Type 57SC Atlantic engine from the Ralph Lauren collection.

Considered by some to be the most beautiful pre-war car, the Atlantic body Type 57S featured flowing coupe lines with a pronounced dorsal seam running front to back. It was based on the "Aérolithe" concept car of 1935. Like the Type 59 Grand Prix car, the Aérolithe used Elektron (a magnesium alloy) or Duralumin (an aluminium alloy) for its body panels. Therefore, the body panels were riveted externally, creating the signature seam.

The production Atlantics (just four were made) used plain aluminium, however. But the dorsal seams were retained for style, and have led to the car's present fame.

Only two of the cars survive. One is in the collection of Ralph Lauren, the second was owned by Dr. Peter Williamson, and won the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Williamson's car (#57374) was sold for between $30 and $40 million at an auction in May 2010 to the Mullin Automotive Museum located in Oxnard, California.

Type 57S45

A special Type 57 S45 used a 4743 cc engine like the Tank.

Type 57S Tank

Another Tank, this time based on the "surbaissé" Type 57S, won Le Mans again in 1939. Shortly afterwards, Jean Bugatti took the winning car for a test on the Molsheim-Strasbourg road. Swerving to avoid a drunken bicyclist on the closed road, Bugatti crashed the car and died at age 30.

Atalante

57SC Atalante

The Atalante was a two door coupe body style similar to and built after the Atlantic, built on both the Type 57 and 57S, but with a single piece windscreen and no fin. Only 17 Atalante cars were made, four of which reside in the Cité de l'Automobile Museum in Mulhouse, France (formerly known as the Musee Nationale de L'Automobile de Mulhouse). The name Atalante was derived from a heroine of Greek mythology, Atalanta.

Rediscovered Type 57S Atalante

Main article: Bugatti Type 57S Atalante number 57502

In 2008 the Bugatti Type 57S with chassis number 57502 built in 1937 with the Atalante coachwork for Earl Howe was discovered in a private garage in Newcastle upon Tyne, having been stored untouched for 48 years and known about only by a select few people. It was auctioned in February 2009 at the Retromobile motor show in Paris, France, fetching €3.4 million (about US$4.6 million), becoming one of the highest valued cars in automotive history, owing much to its extremely low mileage, original condition and ownership pedigree.

References

• Ray Bonds (2003). The Illustrated Directory of Sports Cars. Motorbooks. ISBN 0-7603-1420-9.