Bugatti
Type 57S (coachbuilt: Atalante, Vanvooren, Corsica etc.)

Why it matters

The Type 57S was the sporting, lowered (surbaisse) Type 57 introduced at the 1936 Paris Salon, so different from the standard car that RM Sotheby's calls it in effect a separate model. Its chassis carried factory Atalante coupes as well as coachbuilt bodies from Gangloff, Vanvooren, Corsica and the works.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Bugatti Type 57S (coachbuilt: Atalante, Vanvooren, Corsica etc.) (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Brian Snelson · CC BY 2.0
• Bugatti Type 57S (coachbuilt: Atalante, Vanvooren, Corsica etc.) (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: andreboeni · CC BY 2.0
• Bugatti Type 57S (coachbuilt: Atalante, Vanvooren, Corsica etc.) (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: MrWalkr · CC BY-SA 4.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The 57S and the supercharged 57C were announced at the Paris Auto Salon in October 1936. In its first year the 57S won the French, La Marne and Comminges Grands Prix, and in 1937 further races including Le Mans, where the 57G Tank won. Bugatti discontinued it quietly in May 1938, seeing it as surplus to needs while sales of the standard 57 and 57C flourished.

RM Sotheby's counts 42 built to 57S specification, 17 of them as the Atalante coupe, and says only 16 were delivered with open coachwork. Of those, Corsica of London bodied eight, with perhaps 15 chassis slated for delivery to England in all.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Each 57S has a shorter, lower chassis with the front axle articulated in halves and the rear axle passing through the frame, a low radiator with a V-shaped grille, a dry-sump engine and magneto ignition. The first Atalante on a 57S, chassis 57384, was completed on 27 August 1936. Corsica-bodied cars are the English-built open tourers, while lowered headlamps distinguished some Atalantes such as chassis 57551.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   The Bugatti Trust – Bugatti Type 57S / 57SC Level B

   • 40 Type 57S chassis made per the Bugatti Trust ('Number Made: 40'); other sources quote 42–43, of which 17 were Atalantes

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante (The Monterey Auction 2026, lot 115) Level C RM Sotheby's · 2026-01-01

   • 3.3-liter eight-cylinder engine ... dry sump ... magneto-driven ignition
   • a higher 8.5:1 compression ratio
   • both shorter and lower (hence S, for surbaisse)

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   The $114 million barn find that has yet to be found Level C Hemmings · 2019-02-26

   • double overhead-camshaft 3.3-liter inline-eight
   • in naturally aspirated form
   • raising output to 200 horsepower
   • equipped with cable-activated drum brakes, a semi-independent front suspension, and a live rear axle

   Accessed 2026-11-13
4. 4
   1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Tourer by Corsica (Arizona 2021, lot 64) Level C RM Sotheby's · 2021-01-01

   • The 57S now boasted 175 horsepower versus the standard Type 57 output of 135
   • enabled a top speed of some 120 mph

   Accessed 2026-11-12