Bugatti
Type 57SC Atlantic

Why it matters

Developed from the Aérolithe prototype, the Atlantic is one of the most famous designs of the 1930s. Of the four cars, two survive in original condition, one was rebuilt after a 1955 accident, and Jean Bugatti’s own car – “La Voiture Noire” – has been missing since 1938.

How rare is it?

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

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

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 Atlantic grew out of the Aérolithe prototype (also called Coupé Spécial or Coupé Aero), whose body was made of Elektron, an alloy of 90 % magnesium and 10 % aluminium. Because Elektron could not be welded, its panels were riveted along a dorsal seam. The production Atlantics were bodied in aluminium but kept the riveted dorsal seam as a design feature. The cars were built on the shorter and lower Type 57S chassis; factory-fitted superchargers led to the Type 57SC designation.

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.

Chassis register

Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.

Auction & sale history

Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.

Identification guide

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

Only four Atlantics exist in the factory record: 57374 (the Rothschild car, originally delivered without a supercharger), 57473 (the Holzschuh car, destroyed in a 1955 level-crossing accident and later rebuilt without its original engine), 57453 (Jean Bugatti’s own “La Voiture Noire”, missing since 1938) and 57591 (the Pope car, completed May 1938). The Aérolithe prototype, 57104, had an Elektron body and is not counted among the four. Genuine cars have an aluminium body divided by a raised riveted seam running from the split bonnet hinge to the tail, doors cut into the roof, and six thin tailpipes. The first two cars have headlamps faired into the wings; the last two have separate headlamp housings. Mechanically they sit on the short, low Type 57S chassis with a split front axle, De Ram dampers and dry-sump lubrication.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   The Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic – a style icon Level A Bugatti (newsroom)

   • “Only four of these cars were created between 1936 and 1938.”
   • “Bugatti sold only three of the hand-crafted Atlantic cars to customers.”
   • “3.3-litre straight-eight with up to 200 PS”
   • “3.3-litre straight-eight”
   • “up to 200 PS”
   • “Bugatti used aluminium but retained the rivets on the dorsal seam”
   • “in excess of 200 km/h”
   • “the first model for British banker Victor Rothschild”
   • First Atlantic, for Victor Rothschild
   • “Jean Bugatti had the second Atlantic made for himself.”
   • Second Atlantic, Jean Bugatti’s own
   • Delivered to Jacques Holzschuh, October 1936
   • Second owner died on a level crossing
   • Third Atlantic built
   • R.B. Pope, completed May 1938
   • “Ralph Lauren is the owner of the last Atlantic produced, with chassis number 57 591”

   Accessed 2026-11-11
2. 2
   1990 Best of Show winner – 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Level B Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

   • “four Atlantic Coupés followed”
   • “British tennis player Richard B. Pope”
   • Lauren bought it in 1986
   • Repainted from blue to black
   • 1990 Best of Show

   Accessed 2026-11-11
3. 3
   1936 Bugatti T57S Atlantic Coupe (57473) Level B Paul Russell and Company (restorer)

   • “the third of four Atlantic coupes built”
   • Jacques and Yvonne Holtzschuch
   • “struck and killed by a train on August 22, 1955”
   • Recovered 1965, rebuilt; later restorations
   • Current owner bought it in 2006
   • Chassis 57473

   Accessed 2026-11-11
4. 4
   Bugatti La Voiture Noire – a one-off car for the anniversary Level A Bugatti (newsroom)

   • Three of the four still exist
   • Four made, three exist
   • “a top speed in excess of 220 km/h”
   • “probably disappeared before the German invasion of Alsace”
   • La Voiture Noire

   Accessed 2026-11-11
5. 5
   $30 million Bugatti car on display in California Level C Associated Press (via 6abc) · 2010-08-04

   • “one of only three ever made”
   • “paid between $30 million and $40 million”

   Accessed 2026-11-11
6. 6
   1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Level C THE SHOP magazine · 2018-01-08

   • “the first of only three models ever produced”
   • Nathaniel Mayer Victor Rothschild, third Baron Rothschild
   • On loan to the Petersen from October 2016

   Accessed 2026-11-11
7. 7
   Gooding and Company sells 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Level C Sports Car Digest · 2010-05-06

   • Bugatti built three Atlantics
   • “Buyer and terms were not disclosed.”

   Accessed 2026-11-11
8. 8
   Bugatti celebrates Jean Bugatti’s birthday Level A Bugatti (newsroom)

   • “only two are preserved in their original condition to this day”
   • “untraced since 1938”

   Accessed 2026-11-11
9. 9
   1938 Bugatti T57SC Atlantic Coupe (57591) Level B Paul Russell and Company (restorer)

   • Factory-added superchargers led to the Type 57SC designation
   • “shorter and lower Type 57 chassis”, De Ram shock absorbers, split front axle
   • “two years and 9600 worker-hours”
   • Villa d’Este Best of Show 2013

   Accessed 2026-11-11
10. 10
    Bugatti Type 57S / 57SC Level B The Bugatti Trust

    • “Bore x stroke: 72 x 100mm” (Type 57S/57SC)
    • “Bore x stroke: 72 x 100mm”; capacity 3257cc
    • “Carburettor: Bugatti or Stromberg UUR2”
    • T57SC approx 200 bhp; prudent rpm limit 5500
    • 4-wheel, 1936-38 cable operated; drum diameter 350mm
    • “Track: 53.1in (1.35m)” (Type 57S/57SC)

    Accessed 2026-11-11
11. 11
    1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Tourer by Corsica (chassis 57512) Level C RM Sotheby's

    • Type 57S: “a higher compression ratio of 8.5:1”
    • 57S front axle “articulated in halves”

    Accessed 2026-11-11
12. 12
    1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante (chassis 57573), Pebble Beach Auctions 2024, lot 146 Level C Gooding & Company

    • “Single Twin-Choke Stromberg UUR2 Carburetor”; “Roots-Type Supercharger”
    • “200 BHP at 5,500 RPM” (57SC)
    • “4-Speed Manual Gearbox” (57SC 57573)
    • Front solid axle, semi-elliptical leaf springs, De Ram shock absorbers
    • Rear live axle, quarter-elliptical leaf springs, De Ram shock absorbers
    • “4-Wheel Cable-Operated Mechanical Drum Brakes”

    Accessed 2026-11-11
13. 13
    Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic showcased at Guggenheim Bilbao exhibition Level A Bugatti (newsroom)

    • up to 200 PS
    • in excess of 200 km/h

    Accessed 2026-11-11
14. 14
    Bugatti Type 57S / 57SC Level B The Bugatti Trust · The Bugatti Trust · 2026-11-11

    • Gearbox integral with engine, 4-speed and reverse (Technical data – Gearbox)
    • Wheelbase: 117.3in (2.98m) (Technical data – Dimensions)

    Accessed 2026-11-11
15. 15
    1938 Bugatti T57SC Atlantic Coupe (chassis 57591) Level B Paul Russell and Company

    • De Ram shock absorbers, split front axle

    Accessed 2026-11-11
16. 16
    Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic – a style icon Level A Bugatti Automobiles (newsroom) · 2019-02-22

    • “an overall length of only 3.70 metres”

    Accessed 2026-11-11
17. 17
    Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic Coupe 57374 Level C Ultimatecarpage.com

    • Originally naturally aspirated; upgraded to SC spec in 1939
    • Sold 1971 at Sotheby’s Los Angeles for $59,000
    • Restored 2001–2003
    • Chassis 57374

    Accessed 2026-11-11
18. 18
    Merle Mullin shares memories (Mullin collection) Level C Basem Wasef · Robb Report (via Yahoo) · 2024-04-23

    • Mullin Museum closed in February 2024

    Accessed 2026-11-11
19. 19
    T57S Bugatti Atlantic reappears at Pebble Beach Level C Michael T. Lynch · VeloceToday · 2010-08-04

    • “now owned by a Spanish industrialist”
    • Originality debated

    Accessed 2026-11-11