The Big Car Database

Bugatti Type 57 1934-1940

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/SC

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.

Manufacturer Bugatti
Production 1934–1940
710 produced
Body and chassis
Class Grand tourer (GT)
Chronology
Predecessor Bugatti Type 49
Successor Bugatti Type 101

Type 57

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.

Specifications

3.3-litre

Identifying Features:
Small ledges on radiator; front shutters, 18in wheels

Years Made
(approx): T57: 1934-40; T57C: 1937-40

Number Made:
630

Engine:
No of cylinders: 8
Bore x stroke: 72 x 100mm
Capacity: 3257cc
BHP (approx): T57: 135; T57C: 160
RPM Limit (prudent): 5000
Camshafts: dohc
Valves (per cylinder): 2
Camshaft drive: Rear, spur train, helical
Crankshaft bearings: 6 plain, plain rods
Supercharger (Roots): 57C only
Carburettor: Stromberg UUR2
Ignition: Coil
Plugs per cylinder: 1
Firing Order: 1, 6, 2, 5, 8, 3, 7, 4

Clutch:
Type: Dry, single-plate; double reduction lever (1939)

Gearbox:
Location: Integral with engine, 4-speed and reverse
Gear change lever: Central, top back

Rear Axle:
Normal Ratio: Early 12/50 = 4.16
Later 11/46 = 4.18

Dimensions:
Wheelbase: 130in (3.3m)
Track: 53.1in (1.35m)
Chassis Weight (approx): 2100lb (950kg)

Brakes:
Location and Type: 4-wheel, 1934-7 cable operated: 1938-40 hydraulic
Brake drum diameter: 350mm

Wheels:
Type: Rudge wire
Tyre size: Original and modern fitment: 18 x 5.50

Crossbreeding with Other Types:
Engine basically as used on T59 GP cars. T57S and T57SC are direct derivatives

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

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/SC

 

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

The Type 57S/SC variants are some of the most iconic Bugatti cars. The "S" stood for "Surbaissé" ("Lowered") and the "C" for "Compresseur" (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-sumplubrication 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 and only two supercharged Type 57SC's were originally manufactured. 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.

Specifications

3.3-litre

Identifying Features:
Vee radiator, low build; usually with rakish body; rear axle passing through frame, multiple exhaust pipes, dry sump

Years Made
(approx): T57S, 1936-38; 57SC, 1937-38

Number Made:
40

Engine:
No of cylinders: 8
Bore x stroke: 72 x 100mm
Capacity: 3257cc
BHP (approx): T57S: 170; T57SC: 200
RPM Limit (prudent): 5500
Camshafts: dohc
Valves (per cylinder): 2
Camshaft drive: Rear, spur train, helical
Crankshaft bearings: 6 plain, plain rods
Lubrication: Dry Sump
Supercharger (Roots): 57SC only
Carburettor: Bugatti or Stromberg UUR2
Ignition: Scintilla Vertex
Plugs per cylinder: 1
Firing Order: 1, 6, 2, 5, 8, 3, 7, 4

Clutch:
Type: Dry, two plates

Gearbox:
Location: Integral with engine, 4-speed and reverse
Gear change lever: Central, Top back

Rear Axle:
Normal Ratio: 11/46 = 4.18

Dimensions:
Wheelbase: 117.3in (2.98m)
Track: 53.1in (1.35m)
Chassis Weight (approx): 2100lb (950kg)

Brakes:
Location and Type: 4-wheel, 1936-38 cable operated
Brake drum diameter: 350mm

Wheels:
Type: Rudge wire
Tyre size: original and modern fitment, 18 x 5.50, front; 18 x 6.00 rear

Crossbreeding with Other Types:
Derived from T57 and T57C; engine very similar to that of T59 GP car

"Aérolithe" concept and Atlantic production cars

 

1935 Bugatti Type 57 Aérolithe.

 

1937 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 Specifications Short description
1936 57374 Bugatti Type 57SC - Aéro Coupe The first of the four Atlantic cars built by Bugatti. It was completed on September 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. Lately, the vehicle had been transferred to the Petersen Automotive Museum where it is currently being displayed.
1936 57453 Bugatti Type 57S - 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 lost. The last mention about this vehicle was on a list of cars that were sent to Bordeaux in February, 1941.
1936 57473 Bugatti Type 57S - Atlantic Coupe Succeeding chassis 57453, this vehicle was finished in December 1936 and it was delivered to its first owner, Mr. Jacques 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 in the hands of its current owner, 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 Rene Chatard. He 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 the French police. Most of the car survived but what remained was purchased in 1965 by an enthusiastic 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 Bugatti Type 57SC - 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.

Bugatti Type 57S Atalante (57502)

 

 

1937 Bugatti Type 57S number 57502 pictured in the garage where it was discovered (undated photograph released by Bonhams)

The Bugatti Type 57S Atalante number 57502, built in 1937 by Automobiles Ettore Bugatti, is one of 43 Bugatti Type 57S made and one of only 17 Type 57S produced with the in-house Atalante coupé coachwork. The car hit the headlines in 2009 when auctioned by Bonhams, after having been rediscovered in 2008, following 48 years of storage in a private owner's garage in Gosforth, England, with few people aware of its location.

History

Chassis number 57502 was completed at the Bugatti works on 5 May 1937, with the works number plate 1127-W5;  it then wore the British number plate DYK 5, finally being re-registered as EWS 73, the number which it wore on rediscovery. The car was ordered new from the factory by Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe (1884–1964), a keen motor racing enthusiast, who took delivery of it on 9 June 1937 from Sorel of London, the UK agents for Bugatti. 57502 then passed through three intermediate owners before being bought in 1955 by Dr. Harold Carr (1917–2007), from Newcastle upon Tyne. Passionate for machinery, aviation and adventuring, Dr. Carr suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder, which in his later life caused him to become a recluse and to develop a hoarding instinct. In December 1960, after its last tax disc expired, Dr. Carr stored the Bugatti along with other classic carsin a lock up garage in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne. There it remained unused and untouched until after Carr's death, when it was discovered by Carr's nephew clearing the garage of his uncle's possessions in 2008. 57502 still possessed its original chassis, engine, drive train and body, though it did contain some modifications: bespoke bumpers, rear-view mirrors on the A-pillars, and a luggage rack dating from the Earl Howe ownership, as well as a Marshall K200 supercharger fitted by a later owner. According to the nephew, notes found in the garage showed that some people had previously inquired about the car, and attempted to buy it from Carr. Other family members had known of the Bugatti and other cars in Dr. Carr's possession, but weren't aware of the car's true value.

Auction house Bonhams, instructed to sell the car by the eight Carr heirs, made it the centrepiece of their February 2009 sale at the Rétromobile car show in Paris. Due to its rarity, low mileage and original condition, it was speculated that it could become the most expensive car ever sold at auction, at around £6 million. These hopes were dashed, however, as it fell short of the £3 million reserve price, reaching £2,989,495 (3,417,500 euros, US$4,408,575).