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Chiron-based Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic Recreation All But Confirmed

Bugatti has been posting pictures, riddles, and videos of the Type 57 on social media for the past handful of days, and the latest post all but confirms what’s in the pipeline for the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. “Jean Bugatti’s 57 SC Atlantic cannot be re-created, but what do you think?”
Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic 33 photos
Photo: Bugatti
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Bugatti asks another question, wondering if their designers “can translate its design language into the 21st century?” That’s right; the Type 57 SC Atlantic is getting a one-off recreation based on the Chiron!

This one-of-one hypercar would serve as the second special series after the Divo, which is also based on the Chiron. The Chiron Sport doesn’t count, but it still is special considering the weight-saving solutions and superior handling thanks to the stiffer suspension and torque vectoring.

There are rumors according to which Ferdinand Piech - former head honcho of the Volkswagen Group and the man who steamrolled the Veyron into production – paid $18 million for the car. Regardless of who the owner is, there’s no denying the original from the 1930s is more expensive.

Back in 2010, one-of-three surviving examples brought more than $30 million at auction. Gooding & Company brokered the sale, and the car used to belong to Dr. Peter D. Williamson of New Hampshire. Another 57 SC Atlantic of the four ever made belongs to fashion designer Ralph Lauren.

It will be interesting to see how Bugatti will morph 1930s styling into the 21st century, more so if you consider that the engineers and designers had to translate these motifs from a front-engined grand tourer to a mid-engine hypercar. A mammoth effort for sure, but not impossible.

The flowing lines of the Type 57 SC Atlantic take inspiration from the 1935 Aérolithe concept car. The production model used aluminum for the body panels instead of Elektron composite. Chassis 57453 from 1936 – known as “La Voiture Noire” – was sent to Bordeaux in 1941 and somehow lost. Or hidden from prying eyes, who knows?

Looking at the bigger picture, the exclusivity of the one-off will ensure the car’s status as a blue-chip investment. And better still, the 2019 Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic recreation serves as an indirect stand-in for the lost car.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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