1938 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante Coupé by Gangloff (chassis no 57633) - In the Type 57 you have an example of where car design transcends into art to create a true masterpiece. The Type 57 is the best known and most desirable of Bugatti vintage cars and was in production between 1934 and 1940. Conceived solely as a road car, though a version designated the 57G was designed for racing in the 1937 24 Heures du Mans and a Supercharged version raced in 1939. Both cars were victorious giving Bugatti their only two Le Mans winners. The Type 57 could be ordered with bespoke bodies, but the most popular coachwork for the Atalante was Jean Bugatti's in-house version executed by coachbuilder, Gangloff of Colmar, just a few miles from the Bugatti Molsheim works. The name Atalante derives from Greek mythology, being a swift-footed huntress who would only marry a man that could outrun her. The cars are powered by a 3.3 litre DOHC straight-eight engine, giving a power output of some 140bhp, notably in excess of the typical 115bhp of contemporary Bentleys of the day. As a result it attracted buyers seeking elegance and speed, among them the famous speed record holder Sir Malcolm Campbell. Chassis '57633' is one of the later versions, therefore benefitting from later technical evolutions in the design. Whilst it was bodied by Gangloff with the “standard” body version, the original buyer of the car Fernand Crouzet specified it with some special features in the extended rear bodywork, boot-lid mounted spare wheel, special bumpers and wheel discs, making it unique. The original colour of the car was two-tone black over blue. The car was hidden away during WW2 to avoid it being taken and survived to go into service as one of the French Embassy's official cars in London after the war. In 1948 the car was sold to a private owner in Scotland and passed through a couple more owners being used regularly before being ‘found’ in poor condition in 1987 in a shed, the last owner having died ten years previously. The car was bought at auction and taken to the US by collector Peter Ministrelli where it was completely renovated to original condition and specification, except for the colour. The quality of the restoration allowed the car to become a prominent and successful entrant at a number of prestigious concours, before it was sold and returned to the UK around 2007, since which it has remained there. All of the Atalante cars are highly desirable and rarely come up for sale, consequently when they do, they sell for considerable million dollar sums. A supercar of its time, whose artistic design and elegance is not matched by the supercars of today.
