"1935 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic : The World’s Most Expensive Car"

Black 1935 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Right View

With 710 cars built between 1934-40, Type 57 was the most successful pre-war Bugatti but also the last one – WWII robbed Ettore Bugatti of his freedom and factory and he never covered until his death in 1947.

1935 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Engine

Type 57 was designed by his son Jean Bugatti. While most of the cars built were the standard version, Bugatti also built 40 units of 57S, which had shorter wheelbase and lowered chassis for better handling. To enable the latter, its 3.3-litre twin-cam straight-8 engine adopted dry-sump lubrication while its rear axle passed through the chassis rails rather than under the chassis.

1935 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Interior

Most customers took their 57S back to the factory for conversion to supercharged, which produced 210 horsepower, thus the car was renamed to 57SC, where C stands for “Compressor”. However, the most valuable of these 57SC was the “Atlantic” version, whose aluminum bodywork looked futuristic and elegant. Only three 57SC Atlantic were ever made, making it one of the most valuable classic cars. Like other Bugattis, this car represented the best quality materials and craftsmanship of the time.

1935 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Blueprint

More formally a 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, this rare example of rolling French art deco styling was sold at a private auction, sometime last week, by the California-based auction house, Gooding & Company.  Details of the transaction aren’t being released but insiders hint the price tag was somewhere between $30 million and $40 million, which would handily exceed the previous record price paid for a car classic. While we may never know the exact price paid for what is known as the Williamson Bugatti, the rumored price tag of nearly $40 million will handily make it the most expensive automobile in the world.

Blue 1935 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Left View

Specifications :

Model	Type 57SC Atlantic
Year of production	1935-37
No. produced	3 units
Layout, Gearbox	Front-engined, Rwd, 4M
Engine	Inline-8, dohc, 2v/cyl, supercharger
Capacity	3257 cc
Power	210 hp
Torque	N/A
Weight	950kg
Top speed	120 mph (est)
0-60 mph	N/A