Original vehicle

In June 1937, the life-size original of our model – chassis number 57 542 – was delivered to a certain Mr Vidal, a good friend of Ettore Bugatti in Paris, one of just 17 cars ever made with an Atalante chassis.

Jean Bugatti, Ettore Bugatti's son, created the Type 57 S in 1936, managing to combine timeless elegance with modern high-performance sport. The S stands for "Surbaissé"; which is French for "lowered". The car was actually lowered by no longer positioning the rear axle underneath the chassis, but passing it directly through the frame. The 57 S also differed from the standard 57 model due to its dual-overhead camshafts, dry sump lubrication and magneto ignition. Just two 57 S rolled off the production line fitted with a compressor. The 57 542 was one of these two cars. A total of 42 chassis were produced; and you could have purchased a comfortable villa at that time for the price of one of the chassis.

In order to do justice to this very sporty chassis, Jean Bugatti personally designed a very impressive, sporty yet elegant coupé, which is still considered to be one of the most beautiful Type 57 S bodies ever produced. It was named "Atalante". A unique feature of the Bugatti Type 57 S was its V-shaped radiator grille which looked more aggressive than the flat one usually used by Bugatti. Many of the Atalante models had a two-tone paint scheme, which made them even more eye catching. Jean Bugatti's design is a masterpiece that has a rightful place in the annals of automotive design.