It was a life-changing experience. In September 2005, at the classic car racing weekend at Road America
in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the featured brand was Bugatti. As we walked up the hill to the paddock, we were surprised by a car that looked like a Jules Verne spaceship.
It was none other than a 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic that had won the Best of Show award at Pebble Beach. Driver/owner Dr. Peter D. Williamson was friendly and courteous and patiently told the story of the
Atlantic and be Atlantic, including its restoration.
Upon closer inspection, my brain simply exploded and the Atlantic became my new favorite car of all time.
Since only four were built, it was clear that if I wanted one, I had to build it
myself. What followed were months of dreaming, researching details of the Type 57SC Atlantic, gathering images from the internet, identifying material and component sources, creating a preliminary Gantt chart of the tasks and drawing a 1/10 scale drawing of a detailed concept layout.
The key question was which chassis to use. Coincidentally, a Chevy S10 with a long bed is a very close
matching the Bugatti’s wheelbase and track, and can be lowered using readily available components. I accepted from the start that there would be variations, including left-hand drive. The body would be fiberglass. I built a full-size body based on my 1/10th layout and pulled molds from it. The interior components were to be in the spirit of the original, but not necessarily an authentic replica. For example, I made the four-spoke wooden steering wheel myself because the aftermarket one I originally had didn’t look right. I also decided that this didn’t need to be a hot rod – the S10’s four-cylinder and five-speed manual would be perfectly adequate, although I would have to move the radiator, engine, and transmission mount rearward.
Twelve years later, the project was declared complete (although we all know that a construction like this never really
finished). It’s a great car for shopping and day trips; it’s fun to drive, light and stable, although a little bumpy on bad railroad crossings. We allow an extra 15 minutes on each trip to accommodate curious crowds. At first I was annoyed when observers asked, “Where did you buy the kit?” But I’ve since realized that’s a compliment. Personally, I think it’s best to call it a “representation,” but you can call it whatever you want. What matters is that I get to share my passion for 1930s French Art Deco industrial design and the genius of Jean Bugatti.
Detailed data, construction details, drawings and pictures as well as reference links for the Bugatti Atlantic can be found on my website: http://trumpetb.net/57SC/.
