Yahoo Autos Pebble Beach-Winning 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante Up for Auction
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For car enthusiasts and collectors, the opportunity to own a Pebble Beach–winning automobile is a dream come true. This August, during Monterey Car Week, Gooding & Company will offer a truly exceptional piece of automotive history: a 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante, fresh off its class victory at last year's Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Bugatti produced only 42 Type 57S models between 1936 and 1938, and just 17 of those received the Atalante coachwork designed by Jean Bugatti and built in Molsheim. The Atalante's name draws inspiration from Atalanta, a huntress from Arcadian Greek mythology. This particular Atalante, chassis number 57573, stands out as one of the last built, completed in September 1937. It debuted at the Salon de l’Automobile in Paris and the Earls Court Motor Show in London before being sold to prominent Bugatti collector C. Ian Craig.
Craig, an heir to a wealthy Irish family, repainted the Atalante in his signature black-and-white color scheme, a livery he also used on his other race cars, including the Type 51, Type 54, and Type 59. Alongside his wife, Marcelle Moody, Craig frequently drove the Atalante between the UK and St. Moritz, Switzerland, even entering it in the 1939 Lewes Speed Trials.
The car then changed hands to David L. Griffith-Hughes, who upgraded it to 57SC specification by installing a Roots supercharger, originally from Lord Rothschild’s Bugatti Atlantic, boosting the inline-8's output to an impressive 200 horsepower.
After several more owners, the Atalante was acquired by Charles Glore of Chicago, who sent it back to Bugatti for a full restoration. In 1963, it was purchased by Vojta Mashek and subsequently sold to Dr. Peter Williamson, president of the American Bugatti Club, who restored the car again in the late 1990s. A UK-based collector then acquired it in 2006 and returned it to its original black-and-white color scheme.
In 2013, the Atalante entered a private California collection, undergoing a no-expense-spared restoration by Sargent Metal Works in Vermont. This meticulous restoration aimed to return the car to its original 1937 show car specifications while retaining the upgraded supercharger.
The restored Atalante made a triumphant debut at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours, securing First in Class among its peers. With its numbers-matching chassis, coachwork, and engine, this Atalante is not just a showstopper but a testament to Bugatti's engineering and design prowess.
Finished in a striking dark blue with chrome accents and a luxurious brown interior, this Type 57SC Atalante is one of the finest examples of its kind. Its distinctive "surbaissé" chassis, with the rear axle passing through the frame for a lower stance, gives it dramatic proportions and a sleek, aggressive profile.
As it heads to auction, this Pebble Beach-winning Bugatti offers a rare opportunity for collectors to own a piece of automotive history, a car that epitomizes elegance, performance, and unparalleled craftsmanship.
