1936 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante

The Type 57 version of Ettore Bugatti's classic racing car truly reflects the maturation of Bugatti's son, Jean. As it was initially considered a radical departure from established Bugatti practice, Ettore chose to instruct his son to abandon the extreme prototype as soon as he became aware of it. Introduced in 1934 and with production continuing to the outbreak of war in 1939, in all its forms, 710 examples were sold. It was a design and engineering masterpiece with the chassis fitted most often with bodies designed entirely by Jean Bugatti. The Type 57 was the first Bugatti that didn't share its chassis design with race cars, as had earlier models. It rivaled competitors Delahaye and Dealge by offering a car capable of high performance without sacrificing comfort, luxury, or convenience.

Raised among a family of creative artists, the machines produced by Ettore and Jean were the result of truly artistic craftsmanship.

The Type 57 provided the basis upon which Jean could display his talent as a designer of coachwork which would later become known for its fluidity, elegance, and balance along with the creative use of color.

Though the Type 57 became available with a variety of coachbuilt bodies, the Atalante Coupe remains as one of the rarest and most coveted. The Atalante body style features coachwork by Gangloff of Berne, Switzerland, and a total of 34 were produced. This car was originally sold directly from the factory to a Dr. Kocher in Paris. Powering the Type 57 is a 3257cc, 140 horsepower inline eight-cylinder engine with dual overhead camshafts. The engine is of monobloc design, whereby the block and head are cast in one unit.

When questioned about his car's braking system, Ettore Bugatti said 'I build my cars to go, not to stop.' This truly epitomizes the Bugatti family's endeavor to produce the ultimate in sports touring automobiles.