1935 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante Faux Cabriolet
- Colour
- Black and red
A Bugatti Type 57 Faux Cabriolet, chassis 57263, believed to be the second of only seven Atalante examples produced, built in June 1935 with a distinctive fabric roof extending to the car's tail. Its history spans pre-war French ownership, wartime survival near Toulon, and post-war conversion to a drophead configuration. Later owned by Bugatti collector Michel Seydoux, it received a cosmetic refinish in black and red and a mechanical overhaul, before entering the current collection in the late 1990s.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$500,000
- 1935-06-08 → 1936Factory deliveryLucien Blancfull documentation
Registered the car in Agen shortly after it was built; a prior Bugatti customer who had previously owned a Type 35. The car was photographed at Spanish Customs during his tenure.
- 1936-08-07 → 1938-09-01Private saleUnidentified Paris ownerpartial documentation
Registered the vehicle in Paris under a new plate; identity not established. Held the car for approximately two years before selling it on.
- 1938-09-01 →Private saleGeorges Pilon de Loynespartial documentation
Based in Nantes; received the car still in its original colors and configuration, then passed it to Pierre Douarre.
- → 1944Private salePierre Douarrepartial documentation
An aviation trainee at the Versailles air school who likely left the car near his hometown of Toulon when he departed for the Eastern Front in 1944; the car survived the war there.
- 1946-08-26 → 1946-09-01Acquisition unknownJean Filippifull documentation
Registered the car in Bouches du Rhone using the identity of a scrapped Type 49; at this stage the body had been converted to a drophead coupe with various modifications and potentially a replacement frame.
- 1946-09-01 →Private saleMarcel Mailletpartial documentation
First of a succession of short-term owners based in the Marseilles area; the car passed through several hands before leaving for Paris in mid-1949.
- → 1949-08-01Acquisition unknownUnidentified Marseilles-area ownersnone documentation
A series of brief owners in the Marseilles region prior to the car returning to Paris in August 1949; individuals not named.
- 1956 →AuctionChristian d'Epenouxpartial documentation
Later a prominent journalist for L'Express; acquired the car at a Les Domaines auction in Paris but was forced to sell due to limited student funds.
- 1974 → 1983Acquisition unknownClaude Jeangirardpartial documentation
A Bugatti enthusiast from the Loire Valley who had the car serviced for nine years by respected Bugatti specialist Henri Novo.
- 1983 →Private saleMichel Seydouxpartial documentation
A prominent and wide-ranging Bugatti collector; had the car refinished in black and red by Carrosserie Lecoq and mechanically overhauled by Gaston Garino of Puteaux.
- Date unknownPrivate saleAlexandre Babeanupartial documentation
A chemical engineer who purchased the car from d'Epenoux for 3,000 Francs.
- Date unknownPrivate saleCurrent collectionpartial documentation
Acquired from Seydoux during the latter part of the 1990s; the car has been kept largely away from public display since acquisition.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1946RestorationMarseilles-area mechanic
Car recommissioned and returned to road use by a Marseilles-area mechanic; body modified from Faux Cabriolet to drophead coupe with roof removal, new bumpers, chrome rear fender trim, folding windscreen, and a rear luggage rack added. Possibly refitted with a second-series Type 57 frame at this time.
Identity of the mechanic is not recorded. Frame identity question addressed in the Laugier historical report.
- —ServiceHenri Novo
Ongoing maintenance over a nine-year period by Bugatti specialist Henri Novo while the car was in the Jeangirard collection.
Work carried out between 1974 and 1983.
- —BodyworkCarrosserie Lecoq
Full cosmetic refinish in black and red carried out to a high standard by coachwork specialist Carrosserie Lecoq during the Seydoux ownership.
The quality of this finish was still considered excellent at the time of cataloguing.
- —MechanicalGaston Garino
Overhaul of mechanical components undertaken by Gaston Garino of Puteaux during the Seydoux ownership.
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