Paul Russell and Company

Chassis No. 57591
Engine No. 57591

To build the forty-two Type 57S sports cars, Bugatti created a shorter and lower Type 57 chassis and fitted it with De Ram shock absorbers, split front axle, dry sump lubrication, higher compression pistons, distinctive 'V' radiator, and other modifications. The later addition by the factory of superchargers led to the Type 57SC designation.

For the Atlantic Coupe, Jean Bugatti's goal was to design the ultimate high-speed grand touring car. The concept was for the body to be built from Elektron, an aluminum-magnesium alloy that was difficult to work with in the usual manner. Of the three Atlantic Coupes built originally, we have seen the remaining two and they both are made from aluminum. Apparently, though no longer desired as a construction method, Jean Bugatti did not give up on the riveted flange design, hence the spines along the center of the body and fenders.

The challenge when restoring truly rare classics such as this Bugatti is to show restraint. The easiest method would be to replace everything, from the structural woodwork to the aluminum skin. The real skill and experience shows when the restorers are capable of disassembling, repairing, and rebuilding the car using the original components. Only in selected areas and only as absolutely necessary were new replacement parts created.

Keeping the long-term preservation of the car in mind, we removed all of the fifty-year-old rivets because their flange faces were beginning to corrode. The aluminum skin was treated to arrest the corrosion, and the newly reproduced aluminum rivets were installed individually, by hand, with a custom-made bucking tool.

This Atlantic had been serviced and repainted by previous owners but had never been fully restored, thus we were able to discover many of the construction details produced by the original builders. For instance, the camshaft boxes on Bugatti engines were finished with a decorative scraping in several distinctive patterns. The Atlantic's engine had suffered 'restoration damage' years before when all of its aluminum parts were highly polished, disguising the original pattern. We lightly block sanded the surfaces, which revealed enough of the scraping grid for us to duplicate.

This attention to detail led to Best of Show honors at the 1990 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, at the 1994 Concours d'Elegance of the Eastern United States, and at the 1999 Louis Vuitton Classic at Rockefeller Center. In 1997, Classic & Sports Car Magazine named this Atlantic 'The World's Most Beautiful Car'.

Click any thumbnail below for a larger image

“The steering is positive, and amazingly low effort, partially because of a very large steering wheel. The brakes are smooth and progressive. Handling and roadholding are about what you'd expect from a 1938 car with skinny tires and positively cambered front wheels.”

David E. Davis, Jr.
“Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe”
Automobile Magazine