Bugatti Type 57

Bugatti Type 57
Overview
Manufacturer	Bugatti
Production	1934–1940 710 produced
Body and chassis
Class	Grand tourer (GT)
Powertrain
Engine	3,257 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 created by Jean Bugatti, son of founder Ettore. Type 57s were built from 1934 through 1940, with a total of 710 examples produced.

Type 57s used a twin-cam 3,257cc engine based on that of the Type 49 but heavily modified by Jean Bugatti, unlike the single cam engines of the Type 49 and earlier models. The engines of the Type 50, 51 used bevel gears at the front of the engine to transmit power from the crankshaft, whereas the Type 57 used a train of spur gears at the rear of the engine, with fiber gear wheels on the camshafts to achieve more silence in operation.

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.

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

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 (3,257 cc; 198 cu in) engine from the Type 59 Grand Prix cars, producing 135 hp (100 kW). Top speed was 153 kilometres per hour (95 mph).

It rode on a 3,302 mm (130 in) wheelbase and had a 1,349 mm (53 in) wide track. Road-going versions weighed about 950 kg (2,090 lb). 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: 3,302 mm (130 in)
• Track: 1,349 mm (53 in)
• Weight: 950 kg (2,090 lb)

Type 57T

Type 57T Tourer

The "tuned" Type 57T pushed the performance of the basic Type 57. It was capable of reaching 185 kilometres per hour (115 mph).

Type 57C

Type 57C

A Type 57C racing car was built from 1937 through 1940, with about 96 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 2nd incarnation Tank, this time based on the Type 57C, 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.

Type 57S

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

The Type 57S/SC are some of the most iconic Bugatti cars. The "S" stood for "Surbaissé" ("Lowered") and the "C" for "Compressor" (a supercharger introduced by Bugatti as a result of customer's desire for increased power). 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: 2,979 mm (117 in)
• Track: 1,349 mm (53 in)
• Weight: 950 kg (2,090 lb)

Type 57SC

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 190 km/h (120 mph). 2014 saw the unveiling of Ralph Lauren's unique $40 million version of this classic.

"Aérolithe" concept and Atlantic production cars

1935 Bugatti Type 57 Aérolithe.

1938 Type 57SC Atlantic No. 57591 from the Ralph Lauren collection.

The Atlantic body Type 57S featured flowing coupe lines with a pronounced dorsal seam running front to back. It was based on the 1935 Aérolithe concept car designed by Jean Bugatti. 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.

However the production Atlantics (just four were made) used plain aluminium, but the dorsal seams were retained for style, and have led to the car's present fame. Also, the first and the second of the Atlantics were described as "Aéro Coupes", both based on the same mechanics as the Aérolithe concept.

Three of the original four cars are known to survive and each has been restored to their former glory. Two have been honored with Best of Show awards at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Year of production	Chassis Number	Mechanics	Informations
1936	57374	Aéro Coupe	The first of the four Atlantic Coupes built by Bugatti. It was completed in September of 1936 and sold to Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild. The vehicle was restored over long term ownership of Dr. Peter Williamson in New Hampshire. The restoration culminated in Best of Show at the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours, shortly before Dr. Williamson's passing. 57374 was then sold (at a reported price over $30 million) to Peter Mullin of the Mullin Automotive Museum near Los Angeles.
1936	57453	Aéro Coupe	Also known as "La voiture noire" ("The black car"), this is the second Atlantic that was manufactured. Apart from its first years after production, the car's history is unknown. It was built by Bugatti and finished in October, 1936, later to be used for the company's brochures and exhibited to 1937 Nice and Lyon Motor Shows. Lately, it was driven by Jean Bugatti and then by Mr. William Grover-Williams and his wife. Formerly, the Grover-Williams spouses moved to England shortly after the World War II broke out and the car was forgotten. The last mention about this vehicle was on a list of cars that were sent to Bordeaux in February, 1941.
1936	57473	Atlantic Coupe	Succeeding chassis 57453 and referred to as its "twin" vehicle, chassis 57473 was finished in December of 1936 and lately it was delivered to its new owner, Mr. Holzschuch. He eventually died by the end of the World War II and the car was sold to the renowned Paris coachbuilder Joseph Figoni. The vehicle received significant styling changes, so 57473 stands different than the other Atlantics. Its history takes a dark turn afterwards. After World War II it spent some time as a racecar and then was sold to a Rene Chatard. Chatard and a female companion were driving the car near Gien, France when they were hit by a train. Neither survived the crash and the car was confiscated by French police. Much of the car survived but what remained was purchased in 1965 by an enthusastic Frenchman who began a full reconstruction. The car was finished in 1977 and then went on to several owners before the car underwent a full restoration by Paul Russell and Co. in 2006. The car has been restored to its Figoni specification and won acclaim at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
1937	57591	Atlantic Coupe	This final production Atlantic led a charmed life that continues to this day. It was originally sold to a Bugatti enthusiast in Great Britain. It came under the ownership of Ralph Lauren, who then commissioned a full restoration with Paul Russell and Co. 57591 was unrestored at the time but had received multiple rebuilds and touch-ups through the years. Russell and Co. were able to cut through the past restoration work and revive the car back to its 1937 glory. They were rewarded with Best of Show at Pebble Beach in 1990 and Best of Show at Villa d'Este in 2013, along with many other top awards.

Type 57S45

A special Type 57 S45 used a 4,743 cc engine like the Tank.

Type 57G Tank

The famous, 57S-based, 57G Tank won the 1936 French Grand Prix, as well as the 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans. Three 57G Tanks were produced. Chassis number 57335, the Le Mans winner is the only one known to exist and is currently on display at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia.

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).

One Atalante, chassis number 57 784, with a 3 seats, 37 cm elongated aluminium bodywork made by Vanvooren, resides in the Museu do Caramulo in Caramulo, Portugal. Vanvooren would do two more bodies alike, one (Chassis 57808) for the French government, who gave it, in 1939, as a marriage gift of Prince Reza and Princess Fawzia, and another one (Chassis 57749). These two cars are in private collections in the United States.

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 Francis Curzon, 5th 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 Rétromobile motor show in Paris, France, fetching €3.4 million (~ US$5 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.

External links

• Type 57 history at RitzSite