The car will be on display at the Bugatti Trust as part of its summer exhibition 'Jean Bugatti and Jean-Pierre Wimille – Prescott 80 years ago', which will run until September this year. The exhibition is one of a number of festivities marking 90 years since the founding of the Bugatti Owners' Club, the oldest Bugatti club in the world. The club also owns and operates Prescott, as well as being based there.

This year also marks the 80th anniversary of a remarkable part of Prescott's history. On Sunday July 30, 1939, it held its first ever international meeting, a Bugatti Owners' Club event, and this very returning Works monoposto Type 59 fitted with an 8-cylinder supercharged 4.7-litre type 50B engine Works 59/50B Bugatti not only took part, legendary grand prix driver Jean-Pierre Wimille was behind the wheel.

Jean Bugatti accepted an invitation to attend the 1939 Prescott hillclimb meeting and he brought with him his famous works driver Wimille, who was fresh from winning the Le Mans 24 Hours for the second time.

The 59/50B had without doubt the most powerful engine built by the factory and was fitted with twin rear wheels specially for the Gloucestershire hill climb's challenges.

Motor Sport's report from the event at the time called it "a truly beautiful car".
"So wide was it, twin shod at the rear, that it could not use the return road,” the report continued. "Wimille wore a beret and drove with great care and polish, clocking 46.69sec on his second run, after an initial ascent in 47.50sec, excellent times on this course for such a powerful car.

"Afterwards, Wimille watched other climbs in company with Earl Howe and Jean Bugatti."

Despite the unsuitability of his car Wimille still got the event's second fastest time, shy only of Raymond Mays' ERA which stopped the clock at 46.14sec.

Afterwards Jean Bugatti wrote to apologise for using such an incompatible car for the course and promised to return the following year with one of his new 1-litre machines.

The onset of the Second World War just five weeks later ensured this was not to be; further the 59/50B was only driven one more time, in 1945 again by Wimille at the Coupe des Prisonniers in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris.

It was retained by the factory until it was acquired by the Schlumpf brothers for their Cité de l'Automobile museum in Mulhouse, France. It has now been loaned by that collection to Prescott.

This year's anniversary events also include the Bugatti Trust joining the festivities of Prescott's popular annual French and Italian themed 'La Vie en Bleu' weekend, taking place on May 25-26. It is anticipated that over 90 Bugattis will be present at that.

"We are delighted that the Works 59/50B Wimille Bugatti will make an historic return to Prescott," said general manager of the Bugatti Owners' Club, Chris Rogers. "The Bugatti Owner's Club and Prescott Hill Climb have played a significant role in the history of the car and its famous French driver Jean-Pierre Wimille."

Photographs: Jean-Pierre Wimille at the 1939 Prescott hill climb in his Works 59/50B Bugatti
Published in: motorsportmagazine.com
Images courtesy of The Bugatti Trust

Bugatti is looking to introduce a second, more affordable model of car to its current multimillion-dollar lineup, Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann revealed in an interview.

Winkelmann characterized it not as a mere halo car but as a best-in-segment daily driver with a top-line price to match—and it would be at least partially electric.

“There I would see us doing a battery electric vehicle,” he said of the proposed new car. “There, the balance between performance and comfort is much more important, and it’s about daily usability. This is what I see.”

Face-melting speed in this second car “will be far less important,” he said.

Of course, these terms are all highly relative, considering the US$3-million Chiron comes with 1,500 horsepower and a top speed of 420 km/h. Any new Bugatti will still cost a lot: It stands to reason that even a far “lesser” creation could cost half a million dollars and pack an 800-hp punch.

Winkelmann declined to give more specifics about the cost, chassis, and performance of the potential car but said the company has already begun analyzing the prospect. “Let’s see what we can do,” he said. “I’m hoping for the best.”

There is room to expand, even with the beaucoup business million-dollar cars like the Bugatti Chiron and Divo already provide. The average Bugatti customer has 42 cars at home, according to a Bugatti spokeswoman, and often two of them are Bugattis. More than half of the 250 Chirons made were purchased sight-unseen—an astounding figure considering the astronomical price tag.

In North America and Europe, billionaire populations are are growing by 17 percent and 18 percent respectively, according to Knight Frank’s 2019 Wealth Report. In Asia, there will be 1,003 billionaires by 2023, a 27-percent increase from 2018 and more than a third of the world’s 2,696 total billionaire population. Since 2009, sales of automobiles costing more than $180,000 has quadrupled, according to IHS Markit.

“At the end of the day, the difference of the price in a car is the brand,” Winkelmann said of how the new model may be positioned within the Volkswagen Group. “And this I think will stay the same, fortunately for us. I’m convinced about this.”

Bugatti would hardly be the first classic brand to attempt evolution and relevance via electric and/or halfway practical vehicles. Ferrari and Lamborghini had long eschewed deigning to make less-expensive sportscars and – gasp! – SUVs in volume plays that would bolster their tiny global outputs (formerly sub-5,000 units).

But in the past few years Lamborghini incorporated the Urus SUV into its lineup, and Ferrari executives said last week in Geneva they are working on a hybrid supercar of their own. (Recall, Ferrari introduced the hybrid LaFerrari six years ago.) These moves effected no discernible impact in terms of “damaging” a storied brand.

The real challenge will be to develop an electric vehicle with either significantly improved range or more exotic technology than the much-hyped Porsche Taycan, another sibling in the VW Group family and one that will be on the road before the end of 2019.

Any new vehicle from Bugatti would likely borrow extensively from VW Group hardware such as the Premium Platform Electric architecture to be used by Porsche, Bentley and Audi—but with a badge like Bugatti’s, it better provide an amplified experience.

In the meantime, a lot can happen. Even if Winkelmann gets the green light from Volkswagen AG, the prospect of an underling Bugatti remains far from reality.

He doesn’t yet have approval from the Volkswagen board, which can be difficult to procure. It took years of lobbying from Bentley and Lamborghini to get the go-ahead to make an SUV. (For the record, Bentley “won” that battle: It got the okay to make its Bentayga before Lamborghini produced the Urus.)

If and when Winkelmann gets a yes, it will take another four years of development before a second Bugatti family line hits the road.

Might as well start saving money now.

500 limited-edition junior Bugatti cars built to celebrate the brand’s 110th anniversary

What Ettore and Jean had intended as a one-off car, became an official Bugatti vehicle. The feedback from customers visiting Molsheim had been so positive that it went into production and was sold between 1927 and 1936. The Bugatti ‘Baby’ was born. Cherished by Bugatti enthusiasts worldwide, today no collection is complete without a Baby. However, with only around 500 ever made, they have been the preserve of the lucky few. Until now.

To celebrate Bugatti’s 110th anniversary, we are introducing the smallest member of the Bugatti family: the Baby II. A contemporary tribute to Ettore’s masterpiece, the Baby II will be a strictly limited run: only 500 cars will be built. Unlike the original, which was only suitable for the youngest drivers, the Baby II is a three-quarters-size replica of the Bugatti Type 35 so it can be driven by both adults and children. The Baby II will allow automobile enthusiasts from across generations to share the love of driving and of the classic marque of Bugatti.

Launching almost a century after its predecessor, the Baby II has been created using the latest technology, but with the utmost respect for Bugatti’s automotive heritage. Hand-built, the car was designed with the aid of a precise digital scan of an original Type 35, built for the 1924 French Grand Prix in Lyon.

Just like the original Baby, the Baby II has a rear-wheel-drive battery-powered electric powertrain. Unlike its predecessor, the Baby II features removable lithium-ion battery packs, a limited slip differential and even regenerative braking. The junior car will come with two selectable power modes for drivers of different statures: a 1kW ‘child mode’ with the top speed limited to 20 km/h, and a 4kW ‘adult mode’ with the top speed limited to 45 km/h. In addition, for those enthusiasts who crave even more pace, an optional ‘Speed Key’ upgrade is available (just like the Speed Key for its big brother, the Chiron!), which allows power of up to 10kW and disengages the speed limiter.

There willl be some more 21st century updates: so what was the fuel pressure pump once upon a time is going to be the forward and reverse switch, the charge cable goes in where the petrol used to, and battery packs now reside where the Type 35 engine once did. But the handbrake on the outside stays, which should work nicely in conjunction with the most powerful drive mode. There are nods to more modern Bugattis as well, with a solid silver badge like a Chiron (albeit weighing just 50g, not 140g as in that car). And while not complete just yet, the interior will feature dials by Swiss Instruments and a removable steering wheel.

The cockpit of the Baby II features Bugatti’s signature turned aluminium dashboard, a leather seat, a scale recreation of the Type 35’s distinctive four-spoke steering wheel and custom Bugatti instruments. The exterior of the car is painted in traditional French Racing Blue, although buyers will be able to order in a range of alternative colours. The signature eightspoke aluminium alloy wheels are scale replicas of Ettore Bugatti’s ground-breaking 1924 design, and house modern brakes on each wheel. Finally, powerful headlights (not shown on Geneva Motor Show images) light the way ahead for drivers young and old, whether you’re exploring new landscapes or lapping the local karting track.

Despite being the smallest member of the Bugatti family, the Baby II has a lot in common with its bigger brothers. Proudly displayed on the nose of the car is Bugatti’s famous ‘Macaron’ badge, made of 50g of solid silver, just like the Chiron. Each car comes with a limited-edition numbered plaque and cars ordered in 2019 will also incorporate a badge to commemorate Bugatti’s "110th" anniversary.

Prices start at 30,000 euros (plus taxes and delivery) and production starts in autumn / fall 2019. Join the exclusive club of Baby owners and help write the next chapter in the prestigious history of Bugatti.

Reservations for build slots open at 9am today, 11th March 2019 via: contact@bugattibaby.com

Bugatti: with our history at heart and our eyes on the future

Bugatti celebrates its 110th anniversary with two world premieres at Geneva Motor Show

Meanwhile, Bugatti has been presenting overviews of each T57SC Atlantic built (Chassis 57374, 57453, 57473 and 57 591) , and presented various drawings like the one below. They even showed some footage and stills of the movie "Overdrive" in which as we know a replica Atlantic was used in some hot car-action scenes, something you would not do with an original. Any of the two remaining fully original Bugatti Atlantics will be worth upward of 30 million euro, so you may even call this modern version a steal at just 16....

So, if you add this all up, I can predict that Bugatti will present a new model, with design inspirations coming from the original Bugatti T57SC Atlantic, and probably called Atlantic as well.
However, as we have seen with the DIVO, it may also be a just slightly changed chassis of the Chiron, with some new body-panels....

110 years. Scarcely any other luxury car brand can look back on as long a tradition as Bugatti. The French hyper sports car manufacturer is celebrating this fantastic anniversary with a special edition of the Chiron Sport limited to 20 cars. This new edition is not only extremely exclusive but also pays tribute to France.

“With the limited Chiron Sport ‘110 ans Bugatti’, Bugatti is ushering in the 110th anniversary of its foundation. At the same time, we are underlining our origin and our French roots in Molsheim,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. “Molsheim in the Alsace region of France is an essential element in Bugatti’s brand history and this is also where we are planning our future.” Tricolour decorates the “110 ans Bugatti” in tribute to France

The new Chiron Sport “110 ans Bugatti” bears one of the most famous symbols of a proud nation. The French tricolour “Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge”, with its colours of blue, white and red, decorates the body and interiors at several points and harmonizes perfectly with the extraordinary Chiron Sport. The flag originally symbolized the union between monarch and people in the phase of the constitutional monarchy. Since the end of the monarchy, it has represented the French Revolution with its famous ideals of liberty (blue), equality (white) and fraternity (red).

2019 marks the centenary for the final completion of the Bugatti Diatto AVIO which has lain dormant since 1919.

In 1914 Bugatti told select clients that he was ready to create a luxury vehicle to surpass any known automobile. This coincided with Bugatti’s design of the AVIO 8C aero engine - his first experiment with a straight 8 engine.

Historians see this WW1 aero-engine more as an automobile engine than solely for aviation. Indeed, they deduce that this massive 14.5 litre AVIO 8C engine may be regarded as the prototype for Ettore Bugatti’s Royale engine.

In 1915-1925 Ettore Bugatti was actively working together with Diatto’s capable technical team and using Diatto’s factory as test facility for his new ideas. In 1919, following the First World War, attention turned to car production and development of the AVIO aero-engine ceased – but obviously was not forgotten.

Later this 8-cylinder aero-engine, along with a big Diatto chassis, were discovered in a museum in Turin, Italy. The project had never been finished, and how it found its way to the museum was a mystery. It is this project that after a century has finally been completed – to be revealed at Retromobile 2019.

HISTORY – the amazing chronology of Bugatti’s first 8-cylinder prototype:

1900: Ettore Bugatti established direct affiliations with Pietro Diatto.
1907: Pietro Diatto became involved with Bugatti’s Type 8 prototype – later Deutz. It is important to understand that close links existed between talented automotive engineers of the pioneering years.
1913: Roland Garros told his friend, Ettore Bugatti, that he planned to attempt flying across the Atlantic. Bugatti replied: "Why not!" So, they began tackling the problem.
At the same time Bugatti wrote select clients, that he was ready to create a luxury vehicle that would surpass any known automobile. His design was essentially two enlarged Garros Bugatti 5-litre engines in line totalling 14.5 litres.
1914: Bugatti was commissioned by the French government to design an aeroengine, and based on his preliminary design for an 8-cylinder luxury vehicle engine he designed a 250HP aero-engine in his Paris workshop.
This was Bugatti’s first 8-cylinder engine ever, and historians such as Hugh Conway states that the AVIO 8C can be regarded as the prototype for Bugatti’s remarkable Royale engine.
1915: Diatto was granted license for production of the Bugatti aero-engine in Italy, then known as the AVIO 8C.
1919: Diatto began license production of Bugatti Brescias. Diatto took 1st prize in the first Italian post-war race, with “a Type 30 Bugatti in the name of Diatto”.
1920: The famous hollow front axle was developed in Italy by Bugatti in collaboration with Coda and Casarata, Coda was Guiseppe Coda, the Technical Director at Diatto. This hollow front axle was successfully tested on Diatto racing cars of the period.
1921: Diatto began experimenting with superchargers on Diatto racing engines, including the 16-valve Brescia engine. Clearly Bugatti and Coda were testing ideas and technology together.
Period references tell that Bugatti worked closely with Technical Director, Guiseppe Coda, and used the Diatto facilities to test his new ideas until 1925.
1924: Bugatti began development of the Royale car, launched in 1926.

It is therefore with great pride that finally after 100 years we are able to present The Lost Bugatti:

BUGATTI DIATTO AVIO 8C 1919

The unique and historically important prototype 8-cylinder Bugatti
- an early test bed of the Bugatti Royale

Jean Prick, son of the famous Bugattiste (No 1) Guillaume Prick, co-founder of the Dutch Bugatti club, and organizer of the first international Bugatti rally in 1958 from Neercanne (close to Maastricht) to the Le Mans 24 hours, had always had a tremendous passion for Bugatti. His house (he had moved from Maastricht to Belgium) was filled with all kinds of Bugatti parts, memorabilia, books and of course the T57 Ventoux which he had inherited from his father. Many of these items he would take to the Mecc each January (where he would try to sell some also), together with usually 3 to 5 Bugattis, alongside his own, there would be usually a few from friends in Belgium or the Netherlands. Centerpiece would be a table, where coffee (and sandwiches) would be presented to anybody who showed a real interest in Bugatti. A long way from "VIP-lounges" where one is welcome only after special invitation, and waving a cheque-book.

He had been a professional photographer all his life, with his own shop in the center of Maastricht, thus everybody from Maastricht knew him, not just the Bugattistes! Of course, often Bugattis were the subject of his craft also!

In the Netherlands, he will remain forever famous because of an interview with him in the TV-show "Showroom" from 1980, where people with special hobbies were presented. Even now, almost 40 years later, whenever talking about your Bugatti - interest to anybody, he (or she) would recall that TV show! The crucial scene in that show was when he started crying, because his father had forbidden him to ever drive any of his Bugattis again (for the slight mistake of running a red light in the center of Hamburg at 160 km/h).

Personally, I have known him for quite a few years, always friendly, always interested in anything Bugatti. The last time I saw him was in 2018, where he was in his Bugatti stand, as usual. I know of quite a few people who went to the show just for him, and the Bugattis on his stand! Jean had become a member of the Bugatti Aicraft Association soon after it was founded. In 2008 we held a meeting with 8 members at his house, where the Bugatti airplane was one subject, and Bugatti powered boats another. On the occasion, he was presented with an original print of the Type 67 V16 Aero engine.

Jean, you will be much missed!

The top photo alongside his Ventoux I took on his stand at Interclassics in the MECC, Maastricht, January 2018, the other two were taken during the BAA meeting in 2008.

• 1933 Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix, Chassis No. 51153, Estimate: $1,250,000 - $1,600,000
• 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Tourer by Corsica, Chassis No. 57512, Estimate: $6,000,000 - $7,500,000
• 2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 'Sang Noir', Chassis No. VF9SC2C27AM795238, Estimate: $1,350,000 - $1,600,000

Chassis No. 51153, Engine No. 20, Frame No. 256
Estimate: $1,250,000 - $1,600,000

One of four cars used by the 1933 factory team of Varzi, Dreyfus, and Williams
Former 17-year ownership by Bugatti collector extraordinaire Peter Mullin
Documented with FIVA passport and full report by Bugatti historian David Sewell
Well-known example prepared for vintage racing and event use
Striking example of Bugatti’s dual-overhead cam classic

Introduced in 1931, the Bugatti Type 51 was the latest iteration of the company’s time-honored two-seat race car design that originated with the Type 35. Utilizing the engine architecture Ettore Bugatti licensed from Harry Miller’s successful Indianapolis race cars, the Type 51 featured a dual-overhead cam version of the supercharged straight-eight, now enlarged to 2.3 liters. Though the Type 51 struggled in competition against newer and more technologically advanced state-sponsored machines from Italy and Germany, the model was a long-term success with marque enthusiasts and vintage racers. Approximately 40 examples were ultimately built through 1934, and they are considered the apogee of Bugatti’s most celebrated race car design.

Claiming important competition history and documented with a comprehensive report by independent Bugatti historian and author David Sewell, this Type 51 is a well-sorted example ideal for event use and historic racing. Chassis no. 51153 is recorded in factory records of April 1933 as the first of a batch of five Type 51s slated for build. The car was prepared for use as a Works entry for the 1933 season, amply clarified by numerous repair notes regarding engine teardowns and rear axle ratio changes. On 4 July 1933, the Type 51 was registered to Automobiles Ettore Bugatti of Molsheim and served as a factory race and test car for the following nine months. As racing entries were not generally tracked by chassis number at the time, it is difficult to unequivocally distinguish one factory car from another, but it is believed that 51153 likely participated in several important races while driven by the famed René Dreyfus.

At the Belgian Grand Prix on 9 July 1933, Bugatti entered three Type 51 examples, driven by Achille Varzi, Dreyfus, and William Grover-Williams, who finished 2nd, 3rd, and 6th, respectively. At the Dieppe Grand Prix six days later, Dreyfus placed 2nd while Williams’ car retired early. As drivers often retained the same car throughout the season, it is reasonable to assume that Dreyfus drove 51153 to his 2nd-place finish at the Nice Grand Prix on 6 August and at the Coppa Acerbo in Pescara the following week. The car may also have been driven by Dreyfus at the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix on 17 September, where the Frenchman finished 4th.

Following the 1933 season the Bugatti was mechanically overhauled by the factory, including the fitting of an extremely rare rear-axle ratio, 11 × 55, the only recorded use of such a ratio in Bugatti racing history. As conjectured by Mr. Sewell, this high-torque low-speed ratio may have been intended for the Monaco Grand Prix on 2 April 1934, where Pierre Veyron finished 9th in a Type 51.

In early April 1934, the Type 51 was mechanically renewed again by the factory in preparation for sale. On 13 April it was invoiced to Giovanni Alloatti, a resident of Turin. Alloatti entered his new Type 51 at the Targa Florio on 20 May, but unfortunately was out of the race by the second lap following an accident. The Bugatti returned to the factory for further repairs, and this may be the point at which the car’s current frame, no. 256, originally for a Type 35, was installed as presently configured. In December 1936, the Type 51 was imported to England by Jack Lemon Burton. After being domiciled during the early war years, 51153 was sold in 1942 to Allan Arnold, scion of the coachbuilding concern Arnold of Manchester. Upon the war’s conclusion, Arnold began modifying the Bugatti for sprints and hill climbs, replacing the coachwork with a lightweight two-piece body with cycle wings, presumably designed and built at the Arnold coachworks.

The Bugatti was then entered at various events in northern England over the next two years, setting a best time at Shelsley Walsh during two appearances, racing Prescott three times, and Brighton once. In early August 1947 the car set a course record of 14.8 seconds at the Hartlepool quarter-mile sprint. Through 1949 additional modifications were undertaken that included the installation of an ENV pre-selector gearbox, Newton telescopic shock absorbers, externally actuated Lockheed hydraulic brakes, and dual external exhaust pipes. Racing at sprints at Weston-super-Mare and Queensbury, Arnold also experimented with a two-stage supercharger from a Type 50.

In May 1950 Arnold sold the Bugatti to J. Wilkins, who reinstalled the original gearbox, and attended the Nottingham Sports Car Club meet at Gaston in 1951. Chassis 51153 next passed to J.M. Pratt, the owner of a garage near Brampton, before being acquired by Jim Barry of Heywood, Lancashire. Around 1959 chassis 51153 was imported to the U.S. and offered by New York’s Vintage Car Store, now clothed with a bobtail racing body formerly used on chassis 51152.

Hugh Conway’s seminal 1962 Bugatti Register shows that the car was next owned by Lynn Mayfield of La Jolla, California, and in 1963 Mayfield sold the car to the well-known marque enthusiast Raymond Jones, of Michigan. Jones reportedly purchased 50 Bugattis in the aftermath of Conway’s important register, second only to the Schlumpf brothers’ acquisition spree. Chassis 51153 was the fourth Bugatti that Jones acquired during this period, and in 1967 he sold the Type 51 to his friend and fellow Michigan resident Ernest “Jack” Nuttle, who sought to restore the car.

As many mechanical components were no longer in perfect order, Nuttle traded several to Jones for fresher substitutes handpicked from other Bugattis in his stock. For this reason, many of the original elements, including the engine and chassis frame, were eventually installed by Jones onto one of his other projects. (This other chassis was later purchased by Lord Raglan in the late 1970s and eventually built into a well-known race car in Great Britain.) Available on file is the extensive report compiled by Bugatti historian David Sewell that details the history and composition of this Bugatti, known as the “Nuttle” Type 51. This includes correspondence from Sewell to then owner Peter Mullin and well-known Bugatti restorer Jim Stranberg that the car retains its original chassis plate which is affixed to the original bulkhead.

Mounted with faithful recreation coachwork, 51153 completed restoration in 1973, and Nuttle used the car for some 10 years before selling it to Bob Shaw of Antioch, Illinois. Acquired by the esteemed collector Bill Jacobs in 1986, the Bugatti subsequently passed to Peter Giddings and then Joe Masin of California before being sold in 1994 to preeminent marque collector Peter Mullin.

Acquired by the consignor in 2011, this Type 51 possesses the most legitimate claim as the authentic 51153, despite that the “Raglan” Type 51 bears many of this car’s original components and has often been identified with this chassis number. According to Sandy Leith, the registrar of the American Bugatti Club, “The Nuttle T51 [this car] contains the single most important element of chassis 51153; that of continuous history. Whatever parts came and went over the course of its lifetime prior to the ownership of Raymond Jones and after the restoration by Jack Nuttle, the car was and is chassis 51153.”

Claiming use by the legendary Works team of Varzi, Dreyfus, and Williams during the 1933 grand prix season, this beautifully prepared Type 51 offers affordable entry to the ranks of Bugatti ownership. The recipient of a FIVA passport is correctly equipped with proper factory mechanical components and is eligible for the finest vintage racing events worldwide. This Type 51 invites marque enthusiasts to consider this piece of Bugatti history for immediate enjoyment and competitive use at historic racing events.

1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Tourer by Corsica

Chassis No., 57512, Engine No., 19S Gearbox No., 19S
Estimate: $6,000,000 - $7,500,000

• One of eight Type 57S examples bodied by Corsica; only two four-seater tourers
• Only 16 Type 57S Bugattis delivered with open coachwork
• Known and fascinating ownership history
• Formerly of the Judge North and General Lyons collections
• Retains its original chassis, engine, gearbox, and body
• Documented in Pierre-Yves Laugier’s and Bernhard Simon and Julius Kruta’s seminal books on the model

THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION: TYPE 57S
The Paris Auto Salon of October 1936 marked a propitious crossroads for Alsatian manufacturer Bugatti. There, the company introduced a second-series iteration of their vaunted Type 57, the sporting road car designed by Ettore Bugatti’s son, Jean, that featured a 3.3-liter dual overhead-cam eight-cylinder engine and competition-inspired chassis. In addition to the second-series Type 57, Bugatti also unveiled two sporting variants of the model, the 57C and the 57S. While the former featured a supercharged engine (the C standing for compressor), the latter was an even more purpose-built sports car. In fact, it can be argued that the Type 57S is an entirely distinct model and might have more suitably had its own unique type designation to put things into clear perspective.

The Type 57S was built upon a completely re-engineered chassis that was both shorter and lower (the S for surbaisse, French for “lowered”). The front axle was articulated in halves, and the rear axle passed through the frame rather than under it for a lower overall stance. A magneto-driven ignition was mated to the specially tuned engine featuring a higher compression ratio of 8.5:1 and positioned low in the frame. A dry sump oiling system was added to accommodate for the engine’s lower center of gravity to achieve proper road clearance. This low-slung chassis was then fitted with an equally low-mounted radiator that wore a handsome V-shaped grille in the classic Bugatti motif for, as might be presumed, its aerodynamic effect at high speed.

This potent combination added up to a significant increase in both horsepower and overall performance over the typical Type 57 engine and chassis. The 57S now boasted 175 hp versus the standard Type 57 output of 135 hp, and when adding the available “C” specification Roots-type supercharger power output was raised to 200 hp. This enabled a top speed of some 120-mph, making Bugatti the fastest French production car of the period.

The attributes of the Type 57S chassis were adapted for competition use, with an advertisement printed a year later in conjunction with the 1937 Paris Salon that demonstrated how successful the Type 57S was in racing in its first 12 months. Claiming three competition victories during 1936 (the French Grand Prix, La Marne Grand Prix, and the Commings Grand Prix), Bugatti’s greatest success on the track was soon to come when a groundbreaking aerodynamic version of the 57S called the 57G “Tank” won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1937. In addition to achieving victories at the Pau Grand Prix, Bone Grand Prix, and La Marne Grand Prix that same year, the 57S set records at some 14 different types of events, including a speed average of 85.07 mph at Le Mans. An overall victory at Le Mans was later repeated by a second incarnation of the Tank in 1939.

These achievements in mechanical design, engineering, and performance that evolved from lowering and shortening the chassis led to an additional benefit – the 57S provided the perfect platform for some of the most stunning automotive shapes ever created. With the ability to lower the hood and roofline proportions on the S chassis, designers were able to dramatically change the entire profile of the coachwork when compared to the taller stance of the Type 57. Each example of the Type 57S built is a study in the art of coachbuilding, and chassis 57512 is no different.