1939 Bugatti Type 57 C Atalante (Gangloff coachwork, coupé decouvrable)
- Engine
- Supercharged inline-eight with Roots-type blower, over 160 bhp
- Colour
- Black with red highlights
Chassis 57828 is a factory-supercharged Bugatti Type 57 C completed in May 1939 and bodied by Gangloff of Colmar to a revised Atalante design with a retractable fabric roof — one of only five or six such special-order Gangloff Atalante variants. Originally commissioned by Louis Dupont, a racing driver and Hotchkiss dealer from Oran, Algeria, the car passed through notable French and Dutch ownership before entering the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, where it has been on regular public display. It retains its original engine number, chassis plate, gearbox, front axle, and instrumentation.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$2,370,000
- 1939-08-05 →Factory deliveryLouis Dupontfull documentation
Prominent Hotchkiss dealer from Oran, Algeria, and racing driver who custom-ordered the car with competition intentions. The vehicle is believed to have remained in Algeria throughout the war period, and was re-registered in Oran in 1952.
- 1954 → 1955Acquisition unknownFrancis Mortarinipartial documentation
Well-known Parisian Bugatti specialist who held the car briefly before passing it on.
- 1955 → 1977Private saleGeorges Combefull documentation
Longtime Bugatti enthusiast based in Paris, where the car was registered as 5065 DJ 75. He used it regularly for over two decades, including occasional rally and hillclimb participation. Shortly after acquisition, coachwork repairs were carried out at the Figoni works in 1955.
- 1977 → 1996AuctionHervé Charbonneauxfull documentation
Son of the noted French designer and museum founder Philippe Charbonneaux; acquired the car from the Combe estate. During this period the bodywork was refinished to the original black-with-red-highlights scheme and a replacement cylinder block was sourced and fitted.
- 1996 → 1999Private saleTon Meijerpartial documentation
Dutch owner who held the car for approximately three years before selling it on.
- 1999 → 2006Private saleEric Albada Jelgersmapartial documentation
- 2006 →Private salePetersen Automotive Museumpartial documentation
Los Angeles-based automotive museum where the car has been on regular public display for approximately 14 years alongside other significant French coachwork examples.
Competition
- —Occasional rallies and hillclimbsDriver: Georges Combe
During Combe's roughly 22-year ownership the car participated periodically in rally and hillclimb events; no specific event names, dates, or results are recorded.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1955BodyworkFigoni
Work carried out on the windshield and doors at the Figoni coachworks.
Period photographs confirm the car's present appearance, including chromed beltline trim and tail fin details, dates from at least this time.
- 1980Restoration
Full refinishing from a blue-and-black colour scheme back to the original black with red highlights, carried out over 1980–1981.
Undertaken during the car's time in the Charbonneaux museum collection.
- 1980Mechanical
A replacement cylinder block casting was sourced and fitted to the engine.
Replacement block acquired from Bart Loyens; the engine sump retains its original stampings.
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