| Automobiles of London Wednesday, October 29, 2008 |
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| 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante | ||||||||
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160bhp, 3.3-litre dual overhead cam supercharged inline eight-cylinder engine, four-speed manual transmission, solid axle front axle with twin transverse leaf springs, solid rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, four-wheel hydraulic brakes. Wheelbase: 130" (3,300mm) Ettore Bugatti was a mildly eccentric, somewhat egotistical Italian engineer, who lived most of his life on a baronial estate in Alsace-Lorraine, in Eastern France. His father, Carlo, created elegant, museum-quality furniture in Art Deco style. His younger brother Rembrandt was an accomplished sculptor of animals. Trained as an apprentice engineer, Ettore possessed the dreamy soul of an artist. From 1911 to 1939, Bugatti built uncompromising automobiles of great beauty and sporting ability. Often technically, some would say perversely, complex, Bugatti’s cars were expensive, temperamental, and in the case of the Type 57SC Atlantic, its Grand Touring companion, the Type 57 Atalante, and selected others, were hauntingly beautiful. The Bugatti marque competed successfully in Grand Prix and sports car racing, until the start of World War II. Ettore experimented with aerodynamics and the use of lightweight metals like magnesium. Better known as “Le Patron,” (the Boss), Bugatti favored expensive, self-adjusting de Ram shock absorbers. But he could be conservative at times. Bugatti refused to adopt supercharging at first, and he insisted on using cable-operated brakes, long after hydraulics proved superior. Although the Great Depression of 1929 was slow to impact France, by the early 1930s, due to that country’s high tariffs and restricted trade, the luxury automobile market had dwindled. Ettore, and his brilliant son Jean, knew that a very special model was imperative to help their company survive. The Type 57 was that car. Its attractive styling was contemporary, and custom coachwork was available for those with means. Earlier, Bugatti had purchased two front-drive Miller 91 racing cars from Leon Duray, who had briefly campaigned them unsuccessfully (they did not have the multi-speed gearboxes needed on European circuits) on the Continent. Bugatti unabashedly copied Harry Miller’s dual overhead camshaft setup, first for his Type 50, followed by a similar design for the 3.3-litre straight eight that powered the new Type 57. Ettore stubbornly refused to adopt independent front suspension for his new model, and initially, despite the Type 57’s sophisticated and powerful engine, (eventually over 220 to 230 brake horsepower in supercharged form) he rejected hydraulic brakes. Perhaps that did not matter when the world got its first glimpse of what was to come. The concept for the Atlantic was first shown in 1935, at both the Paris and London Motor Shows. Called the Competition Coupe Aerolithe, (the French word for meteor) it rode on a prototype Type 57 Bugatti Type S (for surbaisse – “lowered”) chassis, with gondola-shaped frame-rails that tapered rearward for an aerodynamic appearance. It was powered by a normally-aspirated, 3.3-litre, DOHC straight eight. Historians are certain two Aerolithes were built as prototypes, but they did not exist simultaneously. (Neither survives, although parts of both cars were re-used in subsequent Atlantics). Although other makes experimented with aerodynamics, including Mercedes-Benz with the Autobahn Kurier, and Talbot-Lago with its voluptuous Teardrop coupes, nothing was, or still is, as outrageous. Bugatti’s curvaceous Aerolithe was a design sensation. Although orders did not pour in for copies, the point was made – Bugatti was still very much a contender. The production car, called simply, the Aero, was to be fabricated from Electron, a magnesium and aluminium alloy. When that metal proved difficult to weld, Jean Bugatti, assisted by Joseph Walter, united the sections using rivets, which explains the spine-like centre rib dividing the svelte body, a theme repeated in its teardrop-shaped fenders. Close-coupled, cramped, poorly ventilated, and quite impractical, the sexy lightweight was an enthusiast’s delight, and one of only a handful of sports cars that could top 209 kilometres per hour in its era. Production Atlantic bodies were hand-fabricated in aluminium. The rivets were no longer needed, but they looked exotic, so the illusion of a riveted spine was retained. The first car sold, built in February, 1936, was purchased by Lord Phillipe de Rothschild, then one of the world’s richest men, and an enthusiastic amateur racer. The second car, and the first to be named Atlantic, was purchased eight months later by a Monsieur and Madame Holzschuch, who soon traded it for another, presumably more comfortable and conventional, Type 57. After a chequered history, this car was eventually bought by an amorous lothario, Monsieur Rene Chatard, and fated to be involved in a horrific accident which killed him and his mistress. The third and last customer car went to an English buyer, Mr. R. B. Pope in March, 1938. A tall man who usually wore a hat, he insisted the roof be made one inch higher. Ventilation slots were cut to facilitate driving in warm weather. Curiously, a fourth Type 57 Atlantic, and the first example built, disappeared before World War II. It had been used as a factory demonstrator, and is shown in period Bugatti print ads. Records are vague. For years, experts questioned if it ever existed. The ex-Rothschild Atlantic was fitted with a supercharger, along with a period Cotal electromagnetic four-speed gearbox. After several owners, it was sold in 1971 to Dr. Peter Williamson and has reputedly recently changed hands for a figure in excess of $30 million US. The former Pope Bug, also retrofitted with a supercharger, went through just three owners before its purchase by Ralph Lauren. The factory-owned demo is believed to be forever lost. The ex-Chatard coupe languished for years while legal action raged over responsibility for its demise. Finally released from bondage, it was re-bodied twice, using some original and salvaged parts. It is being restored yet again, by Paul Russell and Co., who did the Pebble Beach–winning Ralph Lauren coupe. Of the four Atlantics built (they are sometimes called Atlantique, using the French language); only three found buyers. But the design spawned a companion model. Using the basic lines of the Aerolithe-inspired Atlantic, Jean Bugatti designed the Atalante, a slightly larger, more comfortable, exquisitely beautiful Grand Tourer on the Type 57 chassis. In Greek mythology, Atalanta was a Goddess who swore she would marry any man who could run fast enough to catch her. Substantially more successful than the Atlantic, Bugatti built about 40 Atalantes on the standard Type 57, and the sporting Type 57S chassis, before the war halted all production. This curvaceous Type 57C (Engine No. C57, Chassis No. 57766) was completed in November 1938 and sent to the coachbuilders Gangloff of Colmar, where it received its Stelvio body at a cost of 28,630 francs. The car had been ordered the previous month by Colonel W. Sorel, manager of the London Bugatti agency, for his client Nicholas Embiricos, a wealthy Greek businessman and amateur racing driver. It was registered for road use in May 1939 upon its arrival in London before it left for the United States. In fact, photographs survive of Embiricos with the car in Palm Beach, Florida, circa 1941. A word on Bugatti Type 57 horsepower ratings - the first, normally-aspirated Type 57s were rated at 135 brake horsepower; the supercharged Type 57C was conservatively rated at 160 brake horsepower with three-to-four pounds boost. Ray Murray, this car’s second owner, had an Atalante (Chassis No. 57733), which had been exhibited in the French Pavilion at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Period photographs of the Atalante on display exist. Desiring the more powerful supercharged engine in his more exclusive Atalante body, Murray had the two cars’ bodies exchanged for one another, a very acceptable practice in that period. East Coast Ferrari distributor Al Garthwaite owned this coupe in the 1950s; then it passed to noted early classic collector and Bugatti enthusiast Dr. Samuel Scher, and from him to H.A. Rudkin and S.J. Rivman in New York City. John W. Straus was the Bugatti’s next owner. John was a grandson of Isidor Straus, who transformed R.H. Macy’s into a retail colossus, and sadly perished along with his wife Ida, when the Titanic sank in 1912. John Straus first saw this Bugatti in the 1950s at Zumbach Motors, on West 54th Street, in New York City, then a mecca for attracting car-loving personalities like Today Show host Dave Garroway and popular band leader, Paul Whiteman. Mr. Straus commuted to and from the train station from his home in Pond Ridge in his Bugatti. From there he took the train into New York City every day to work at Macy’s. Straus last drove the Atalante in 1962. The black and primrose yellow beauty was parked in Straus’ Pound Ridge, New York, garage for 45 years, until it was sold in June 2007, at auction in Greenwich, Connecticut. The sale of this Bugatti attracted the attention of media worldwide. Countless magazine and newspaper articles were published and Internet chat forums were ablaze, quickly nicknaming the car “Sleeping Beauty”. The task of removing the nearly two inch thick layer of dust, dirt and grease for its subsequent showing at Pebble Beach was entrusted to expert Bugatti restorer Scott Sargent of Farlie, Vermont. Notably, Mr. Sargent also managed the collection of Dr. Peter Williamson, which was regarded as the perhaps the most significant privately owned Bugatti collection in the world. “The Bugatti had been neglected to a point bordering abuse”, describes Sargent. “Sensitive to its extreme originality, and preservation, we did only the bare necessities to revive the car from its 45 years of slumber.” The “bare necessities” included repairing the supercharger’s dried out and leaky leather seals, flushing all the fluids and replacing them with new, minor electrical work, and an overhaul of the brakes which had completely seized. The Type 57C had been fitted at some point with a postwar set of Marchal headlamps and taillights. These were replaced with the period correct type. The interior seats were repacked with horsehair and a fresh set of carpets was fabricated and installed. “It was either that or leave the floors bare, because there were only scraps of the original carpeting left”, recounts Sargent. Witness to this careful revival was founding member and American Bugatti Club Vice President, David Mize, who like Sargent, was amazed by the level of originality in the Bugatti. “The entire drivetrain and sub assembly of the car is matching numbers, which is something you almost never see. Just about every other Bugatti David and I had ever seen, had at some point, at least its water pump, blower, and/or intake replaced… Even the clutch pressure plate and flywheel are indexed to this car! Usually when I restore a Bugatti, I am performing the second or third restoration it has seen.” Barely two months after the auction, this Atalante was shown in the FIVA Preservation Class at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it was photographed, studied and viewed by Bugatti experts, all of whom were amazed by its authenticity. In fact Keith and Leigh Keno, from the Antiques Roadshow, spent hours pouring over the car and filming it for television production. This remarkable Bugatti also attracted the attention of the History Channel, which followed the car from the Greenwich auction to Pebble Beach, producing a television show called “Chasing Cars”, which depicts “barn find” automobiles of significance. The half-hour segment recently aired on public television, with repeats scheduled over the course of the next year. Thereafter, the Atalante was shown at the American Bugatti Club’s annual meet at Watkins Glen in New York, where Richard Riddell, long time member and director, drove the car in the event’s road rally and was impressed with its handling and performance. Of course, many members were simply delighted at the sight of the mystery car as some knew of its existence but had never actually seen it during its 45-year slumber in Mr. Straus’s barn. Later, the Type 57C was featured at the Saratoga Automobile museum as part of a “Barn Find” exhibit which ran from January through March 2008. While on display at the Saratoga Museum, it got the attention of Hemmings editor Craig Fitzgerald and became the feature story in a six-page article for Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car magazine, which was published in March 2008 with this beautiful Bugatti gracing the cover in all of its original glory. It is important to note that this remarkable Bugatti has not been restored. There is a great deal of patina present throughout. Yet, despite the passage of time, much of the Atalante’s rich black paint retains a deep lustre; the worn leather has surprising suppleness, and the twin-cam engine’s polished aluminium still gleams faintly. It is a true time warp example. Moreover, this Bugatti’s supercharged straight eight is still a surprisingly powerful engine. The long shift lever has remarkably short travel. Throttle response is immediate, and the gear-driven overhead cams whirr and click with a delightful metallic cacophony. Despite its advanced age, skinny tyres and stiff suspension, this low-slung Type 57C still accelerates briskly and corners smartly. Oversized Jaeger instruments (all original), mounted on its slightly polished wood fascia, feature long slender needles that wave like a conductor’s wand. Simply put, this still-nimble Bugatti feels like a thoroughbred. Much of this can be attributed to the Type 57C Atalante’s totally original drivetrain, which has never been disassembled. With delaminated glass, cracked leather and flawed paint vividly out there for the world to see, this Bugatti has earned accolades from collectors and enthusiasts around the globe, unanimously supporting the consignor’s conviction that this great car should not be restored. If there was ever any doubt, this example proves that the virtues of preservation are spreading quickly throughout the collector car world. Documents: US Title |
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