Bugatti Chiron one-off nods to legendary Type 57 Atlantic

The Bugatti 57 One of One has been unveiled as an ultra-exclusive, 273mph tribute to the 1934 Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic.

Based on the Chiron Super Sport, this latest special edition will be one of the last to be produced, with the Chiron sold out and its hybrid successor due to be revealed in the coming months. 

Commissioned by an American customer who has never owned a Bugatti before, it was conceived to eventually be considered as "iconic" as the Atlantic - widely considered to be one of the most beautiful cars in the world.

The new Chiron variant gets a series of standout design features, including a new upright horseshoe front grille with 14 polished vertical slats, reminiscent of the Atlantic.

The “completely authentic” blue paint on the bodywork and wheels is also a reference to the 1934 car and the underside of the rear spoiler features a hand-drawn silhouette of the Atlantic and the slogan '57 One of One'.

Elsewhere outside, it takes after the 'standard' Chiron Super Sport in featuring stacked quad exhausts, a C-shaped side profile, a bluff rear end with a bumper-width light bar, prominent beltlines and a W16 engine bay mostly covered for aerodynamics.

Jascha Straub, the lead designer of Bugatti’s Sur Mesure personalisation programme, said: "For years I've been idly dreaming of reinterpreting this icon, so I already had my own ideas of what I would do to honour the most elegant car ever designed. That meant that right away we could sit down and begin evolving the design to realise (the customer's) vision together."

Even with its bespoke design elements, Bugatti has ensured its bodywork and air ducts still meet the specification necessary for a 273mph top speed.

Inside, brown Gaucho leather upholstery is decorated with hand-stitched silhouettes of the Atlantic on the door panels, as well as an inlay on the centre console bearing the name of the car.

Depicted on the back of the headrests is Bugatti's 'Dancing Elephant' graphic, which the firm has used on its most exclusive cars since the 1926 Type 41 Royale.

The purchase price of the one-off is unknown, but it will be a significant premium over the £3.5 million tag put on the Chiron Super Sport.

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