1938 Bugatti 57C Atalante

The 1938 Bugatti 57C Atalante is one of those cars that’s so iconic it almost deserves it’s own entry in the dictionary, the 57C Atalante is widely considered one of the fastest and most beautiful cars ever produced by the Bugatti family. And that’s really saying something.

Only 17 Atalante models were made and it isn’t known how many have survived to the modern day, of the known examples still in drivable condition this car is easily one of the best. It’s in showroom condition throughout and it genuinely seems as though it just rolled off the factory floor in Molsheim.

The Bugatti 57C was fitted with an advanced 160bhp, 3.3-litre dual overhead cam, supercharged inline eight-cylinder engine, a four-speed manual transmission, a solid axle front axle with twin transverse leaf springs, a solid rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and four-wheel hydraulic brakes.

Both supercharging and hydraulics were mildly offensive to Ettore but the influence of his sons saw the newer technologies being used on the 57C and led to it being one of the fastest (and fastest stopping) Bugattis ever made.

If you have $1,400,000 to $1,800,000 USD handy and you fancy taking her our for a spin you can head over here to register for the Scottsdale Auction due to be held in Arizona by Gooding & Co. on the 18th and 19th of January 2013.

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Photographs courtesy of Gooding & Co.