CLASSIC TORQUE

FROM CLASSIC CHATTER

EXCEPTIONALLY RARE BUGATTI TYPE 57 SC ATLANTICS TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 15 YEARS

Once in a lifetime moment as the last two “Mona Lisa’s” of automobiles part of redesigned Saratoga Wine and Food Festival at Saratoga Performing Arts Center from Sept. 7 to 9, 2018

International Bugatti Tour to present once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience a display of 80 luxury Bugatti automobile

Two 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantics at Pebble Beach in Monterey, Calif. in 2003 (photo credit: Ralph Kesting / Classics.com)

As part of the redesigned Saratoga Wine and Food Festival, both of the ultra-rare, $40-million-plus 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantics will be together on site at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center for the first time in more than 15 years.

The Atlantics will be part of the 2018 International Bugatti Tour taking place in Saratoga Springs, in which there will be more than 80 Bugattis ranging from classic to modern-day models. This is the first time the tour has taken place in the United States in nearly a decade, and the first time ever in New York State.

Considered the “Mona Lisa” of automobiles, the Type 57SC Atlantic is considered among the very best of pre-war Europe. Jean Bugatti, the son of Bugatti founder Ettore Bugatti, created the Aérolithe concept, making its debut in Paris in 1935. It was well before its time, made out of a light but flammable magnesium alloy called Elektron; therefore the body panels were riveted externally.

Beneath the body was a new chassis (T57) and a new double-overhead-cam engine, making the Aérolithe the most advanced car of its time. After the Aérolithe show car, Bugatti only produced four supercharged Atlantic coupes using aluminium instead of magnesium while keeping the rivets. Powered by supercharged 3,257 cc inline-8 engines, these 170-plus horsepower cars could do north of 120 m.p.h.

Today, two cars remain. One belongs to the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxford, Ca. and the other is owned by fashion mogul Ralph Lauren. The last time both vehicles were together was at the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California.

The Atlantics’ appearance was made possible through the American Bugatti Club, Alan Rosenblum, and the Saratoga Automobile Museum.

The Mullin Atlantic: It was delivered to Lord Victor Rothschild in England on Sept. 2, 1936. Three years later, in 1939, Mr Rothschild had the Bugatti factory install a Roots supercharger from a Type 55 engine, upgrading the model to a Type 57SC. Having blown up the engine, he nevertheless kept the car in storage in England until 1941, when he sold it to his countryman Mr T.P. Tunnard Moore. Mr Moore and Robert Arbuthnot, a sometime racer at Brooklands, were partners at High-Speed Motors of London. At some point, Mr. Moore sold the car to Arbuthnot, who in turn sold it to Rodney Clarke of Continental Cars, Ltd., in 1944. A year later, Mr. Clarke sold the Type 57SC to Mr Robert Oliver, a wealthy American doing duty in France as a member of the US Army Medical Corps. In August 1946, Mr. Oliver had 57374 shipped to the United States, where he received it in New York and proceeded to drive it home to Los Angeles. In 1953, Mr. Oliver shipped the car back to the Bugatti factory, where its engine was completely rebuilt and the correct Type 57SC supercharger and hydraulic brakes were installed. Following Mr. Oliver’s passing the Atlantic was sold in 1971 through public auction to Dr. Peter Williamson who paid an unprecedented $59,000. Following refurbishment, the car was shown at Pebble Beach in 2003 and won “Best in Show”. In 2010 the Williamson family sold the Atlantic to a buyer from whom the car is graciously on loan.

The Lauren Atlantic: It was ordered by English barrister Richard B. Pope, who was also an amateur tennis champion. Great Britain was Bugatti’s best export market, and Pope was the company’s most devoted British customer. The Atlantic was his tenth Bugatti, as he ordered a new model whenever they came out. The most distinctive feature of its almost sinister body is the exposed seams with button head rivets running down the spine and around the fenders. This construction technique came about because the magnesium alloy used in an earlier Bugatti models was problematic to weld. Although the Atlantic’s aluminum body presented no such obstacle, designer Jean Bugatti retained the riveted seams for aesthetic reasons. Revered Bugatti historian Hugh Conway found the Atlantic “extraordinary, bizarre and interesting, but not perhaps beautiful in any normal sense.” The car is, in its essence, a fluid natural form to which Jean Bugatti deftly added his own flamboyant touches. Ralph Lauren purchased the vehicle in 1988, in which it underwent a restoration from 1989 to 1991.

“Hosting the only two Atlantic cars in the world — which haven’t been together in 15 years — on our grounds at Saratoga Performing Arts Center is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our community and for lovers of fine cars from around the globe to experience their beauty. These rare and exquisite automobiles represent a significant piece of history that will shine against the backdrop of our park’s opulent reflecting pool, set within the Roosevelt Campus of the Spa State Park,” said Elizabeth Sobol, president & CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center. “We are grateful to the American Bugatti Club, Alan Rosenblum and the Saratoga Automobile Museum for making this exceptional viewing possible.”

“There are occasions in one’s life that can be considered a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Having these two Bugatti Atlantics together for the first time in 15 years is truly an incredible opportunity for not just Saratoga Springs but for all of New York State. My thanks to Alan Rosenblum and the American Bugatti Club for making this fantasy become reality,” said Carly Connors, executive director of the Saratoga Automobile Museum.

“Securing the second Atlantic is huge for us. We’ve revamped the festival on so many levels, and having this addition completes the experience in the best way. We are looking forward to being the first event to host these two iconic Bugattis together for the first time in 15 years. It’s safe to say that guests are in for a thrilling and magical weekend,” said Colin Cowie, founder and CEO of Colin Cowie Lifestyle.

Held in the beautiful Saratoga Spa State Park, the weekend is anchored by four events: an Adirondack Road Tour and Luncheon, Friday’s Fired Up! Grill Competition with Chef David Burke and Red Sox legend David Ortiz, Saturday’s Grand Tasting and — for the first time — brunch with Colin Cowie and Todd English. Presented in partnership with the Saratoga Automobile Museum and Colin Cowie Lifestyle, proceeds from the festival benefit education programming at SPAC and the Museum.

For more information about the Saratoga Automobile Museum, visit saratogaautomuseum.org.