Among the most enigmatic and original marques in the history of the automobile is Bugatti – a name that is synonymous with excellence.

In the 20-year period between the two world wars, the eccentric Ettore Bugatti, working together with his brilliant son Jean, elevated automotive production from the utilitarian work of engineers to a genuine artistic pursuit. Each jewel-like Bugatti bears the unmistakable imprimatur of its maker and possesses the qualities that one hopes to find in any automobile: inspired styling, superior engineering, quality craftsmanship, and thoroughbred performance.

The pinnacle of Bugatti production was the Type 57S, a model that emerged in 1936 as a more sporting complement to the standard Type 57. With its “S” designation standing for surbaissé, or lowered, this radical new Bugatti was inspired by the Type 59 Grand Prix and developed as an uncompromising high-performance machine – lighter, faster, and more technically advanced than the already superb Type 57.

At the foundation of the Type 57S was a specialized chassis, with distinctive gondola-shaped frame rails. Not only did this design allow the engine to be mounted closer to the ground – thereby lowering the car’s center of gravity – it was also significantly lighter than the standard Type 57 frame. The rear section featured an ingenious oblong opening in each side rail, allowing the rear axle to pass through the frame, thus lowering the car even further.

The front suspension of the Type 57S was also quite clever, utilizing a semiindependent configuration of a two-piece hollow axle with precisely machined, tapered ends held within a central knurled collar. This unconventional front axle worked in unison with highly complex de Ram shock absorbers, which, through a combination of hydraulic pressure and metallic multi-plate discs, provided immediate and extremely effective dampening. When this technology first appeared in the 1930s, a single de Ram shock absorber, comprised of approximately 300 individual parts, cost about the same as an ordinary, entry-level automobile.

For this new chassis, Bugatti thoroughly revised its 3.3-liter twin-cam straighteight engine utilizing many techniques of the Grand Prix car. A sophisticated dry sump lubrication system with remote tank allowed the engine to be mounted lower in the chassis and ensured steady oil supply during hard cornering. High compression pistons and careful tuning resulted in a gain of 20–25 hp over the Type 57, while a high-performance Scintilla Vertex magneto replaced the more conventional distributor of the standard model. A lightweight exhaust system was designed to better suit the car’s sporting character, terminating in a row of five small-diameter tailpipes. In normally aspirated form, the Type 57S offered exceptional performance. The supercharged “C” variant, producing about 200 hp, was among the fastest production cars built before WWII.

The extreme proportions of the Type 57S chassis afforded Jean Bugatti and other coachbuilders new possibilities. With its surbaissé chassis and efficient mechanical packaging, the body of a Type 57S sat several inches lower than a comparably styled Type 57. Furthermore, the car’s low hood line allowed the fenders to peak above the pointed, oval-shaped radiator grille, while the coachwork completely enveloped the chassis. The result was a car that appeared impossibly low and dramatic from the outside, with a sublime view from the driver’s seat.

The Bugatti Type 57S was one of the ultimate high-performance automobiles of its era, and its competition variant, the Type 57G Tank, was further proof of concept, with two wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and several international speed records to its credit. The 57S’s outstanding performance attracted an elite clientele – a veritable who’s who of 1930s motoring royalty.

In total, Bugatti built just 42 examples of the Type 57S between fall 1936 and spring 1938. Like the standard Type 57, the surbaissé model could be purchased as a bare chassis and supplied to outside coachbuilders like Vanvooren, Gangloff, and Corsica. The most famous examples, however, were outfitted with bodies penned by Jean Bugatti and built in Molsheim. In this category are the incomparable Atalante and Atlantic, widely regarded as two of the most attractive, influential, and recognizable automotive designs of all time. In all, just 17 Type 57S chassis were completed with Atalante coachwork, a mesmerizing design named for the heroine of Arcadian mythology.

The Type 57S Atalante offered here, chassis 57573, was among the last examples built. According to factory records, it was completed in September 1937, equipped with engine no. 37S and Atalante body no. 16. Originally finished in blue over Havana leather and equipped with chrome wire wheels, the Atalante was delivered new to Col. Sorel, the official Bugatti concessionaire in London.

Soon after its completion but prior to its arrival in England, 57573 was debuted on the Bugatti show stand at the annual Salon de l’Automobile, held at the majestic Grand Palais in Paris. After several days on display in Paris, the Bugatti was transported to London, where it was presented at the Earls Court Motor Show from October 14 to 23, 1937.

Immediately after the Earls Court Motor Show, the Atalante was sold to its first owner, C. Ian Craig. Heir to a wealthy Irish family, Mr. Craig was a passionate Bugattiste who owned several sporting models including a Type 55 Roadster and a string of Grand Prix cars, among them a Type 51, Type 54, and Type 59.

Early in his ownership, Craig registered 57573 as “GBP 2,” reportedly standing for “Grand Prix Bugatti 2,” and refinished the bodywork in the striking black and white livery he preferred for his racing cars. During this period, Craig and his wife Marcelle Moody divided their time between the UK and St. Moritz, Switzerland, and the Atalante made regular trips to the Continent.

After entering 57573 in the Lewes Speed Trials in 1939, Craig sold the Atalante to another English Bugatti enthusiast, David L. Griffith-Hughes. After acquiring the Atalante, Mr. Griffith-Hughes repainted the car in two shades of gray and upgraded the engine to SC specification, fitting the supercharger that had originally been installed in Lord Rothschild’s Atlantic, chassis 57374.

While in Mr. Griffith-Hughes’ ownership, the supercharged Atalante was profiled in the August 1942 issue of Motor Sport. The article titled, “On the Road with a Type 57SC Bugatti,” by Cecil Clutton concludes: “The Type 57SC is a very remarkable motor-car indeed and one with which it is hard to find fault. But its outstanding characteristic is undoubtedly the power, flexibility and smoothness of the engine. To combine these features in the highest possible proportions it seems that a supercharged, inclined valve, straight eight unit has shown itself incomparably superior to all other forms of design, and the Type 57SC engine is surely the best of all.”

Mr. Griffith-Hughes reached a similar conclusion after a few years of ownership. In the October 2, 1942, issue of The Autocar, he is quoted as saying, “I sincerely think that the 57SC is the best long distance car ever made.”

In 1946, just after WWII, the Atalante was offered for sale by Continental Cars, the famous garage run by Rodney Clarke and George Abecassis. From there, the Bugatti was sold to E.B. Tippen, the owner recorded in the 1954 edition of Barry Eaglesfield and C.W.P. Hampton’s The Bugatti Book.

By the late 1950s, 57573 had relocated to the US, where it was owned by Charles Glore of Chicago. During his ownership, Mr. Glore shipped the Atalante to the Bugatti works in Molsheim for a complete restoration. Noted car collector Vojta Mashek then acquired the Atalante in 1963, and for the next two years it resided in his collection, comprised of the finest Alfa Romeos, Bugattis, and European exotics.

In 1965, Dr. Peter Williamson, then serving as president of the American Bugatti Club, purchased the Atalante for his growing collection. For decades, 57573 was kept alongside two other Type 57S Bugattis, the Lord Rothschild Atlantic and another 57SC Atalante, chassis 57511. After being restored by Don Lefferts during the late 1990s, 57573 took part in the 2003 American Bugatti Club East Coast Rally and that year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, where Bugatti was honored as the featured marque. In 2006, Dr. Williamson sold 57573 to respected Jersey-based collector William Ainscough, who had it refinished in black and white to honor its first owner, C. Ian Craig.

Since 2013, the Atalante has resided in the US and benefits from an exceptional, no-expense-spared restoration recently completed by renowned Bugatti specialist Scott Sargent of Sargent Metal Works in Bradford, Vermont. The restoration, which addressed all cosmetic and mechanical aspects of the Bugatti, was commissioned by the previous owner and completed under the consignor’s ownership. Throughout the process, every effort was made to return 57573 to its original Paris and London show car splendor, as it appeared in fall 1937. According to the consignor, Mr. Sargent and American Bugatti Club registrar Sandy Leith confirmed that 57573 retains its original chassis, engine (37S), period-upgraded supercharger, and Atalante coachwork, which is stamped with body no. 16 in various locations.

Upon its debut at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, the Atalante was selected as First in Class over two other outstanding Type 57S Bugattis, a testament to the quality of the restoration, as well as the car’s historical significance and unmatched style. Today, 57573 remains in exquisite, concours-quality condition