Photo: Cong (doinnext_cong) via Instagram
These days, Bugatti is best known for its power outputs and radical engine layouts rather than elegance and a particularly striking design choice. Back in the '30s, though, things were a lot different.
The Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic is one of the most easily recognizable shapes in the automotive industry and, from the moment you lay your eyes on it for the first time, it immediately becomes apparent why. The design of the classic model was so ahead of its time that it must have split opinions back when it was first introduced. The sleek body with its completely covered wheels came out in a time when manufacturers were just getting to grips with the whole concept of aerodynamics. Look at what the planes looked like only a few years before that.
It may sound harsh, but you can't help feel the Bugatti design was on a downward spiral from then on. None of the models that followed were ever capable of capturing the uniqueness of the Atlantic or put a different spin on it. This little rendering from an Instagram user going by the name of Cong would bring back the Volkswagen-owned brand the visual grandeur of its glory years.
We're not even going to pretend we understand everything that's going on with the Bugatti NEXT-57 Concept - particularly with those front wheels that appear to make do without the classic rubber around them. Apart from that, though, there's very little you can fault with the artist's vision.
They seem to have gone for a very retro-inspired look, keeping the overall shape of the vehicles from that period while installing some modern features such as the LED lights. The concept's powertrain is also a mystery - the radiator grille suggests there might be an internal combustion engine in there somewhere while the narrowness of the front end would have us think otherwise. Whatever it is, it's a far cry from the W16 monsters that current Bugatti models use.
And so is the layout of the car. The cabin, which is covered by a shell-like roof, hides a central driving position with the driver sat in what looks like a veritable armchair. It's not clear whether there's a semi-circular bench at the rear or that central seat is the only one you'll find inside, but it is obviously the only one that matters. The large uninterrupted glass surface around that seat would make driving this thing even more enjoyable.
The concept gets rendered with either a black top (in true La Voiture Noire spirit) or a transparent one, with both converging into a strange wing that runs longitudinally to the front of the car. The rear end is rather featureless but that somehow manages to make it more intriguing than boring.
Obviously, concepts like this one will ever only be made by nostalgic fans of the brand or designers who simply appreciate one of the most emblematic designs in the entire automotive history. So, while we would all like to see Bugatti's modern interpretation of its iconic classic, it would be better to simply enjoy its latest crop of hypercars and leave the dreaming for the virtual world.
It may sound harsh, but you can't help feel the Bugatti design was on a downward spiral from then on. None of the models that followed were ever capable of capturing the uniqueness of the Atlantic or put a different spin on it. This little rendering from an Instagram user going by the name of Cong would bring back the Volkswagen-owned brand the visual grandeur of its glory years.
We're not even going to pretend we understand everything that's going on with the Bugatti NEXT-57 Concept - particularly with those front wheels that appear to make do without the classic rubber around them. Apart from that, though, there's very little you can fault with the artist's vision.
They seem to have gone for a very retro-inspired look, keeping the overall shape of the vehicles from that period while installing some modern features such as the LED lights. The concept's powertrain is also a mystery - the radiator grille suggests there might be an internal combustion engine in there somewhere while the narrowness of the front end would have us think otherwise. Whatever it is, it's a far cry from the W16 monsters that current Bugatti models use.
And so is the layout of the car. The cabin, which is covered by a shell-like roof, hides a central driving position with the driver sat in what looks like a veritable armchair. It's not clear whether there's a semi-circular bench at the rear or that central seat is the only one you'll find inside, but it is obviously the only one that matters. The large uninterrupted glass surface around that seat would make driving this thing even more enjoyable.
The concept gets rendered with either a black top (in true La Voiture Noire spirit) or a transparent one, with both converging into a strange wing that runs longitudinally to the front of the car. The rear end is rather featureless but that somehow manages to make it more intriguing than boring.
Obviously, concepts like this one will ever only be made by nostalgic fans of the brand or designers who simply appreciate one of the most emblematic designs in the entire automotive history. So, while we would all like to see Bugatti's modern interpretation of its iconic classic, it would be better to simply enjoy its latest crop of hypercars and leave the dreaming for the virtual world.
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