1936 Bugatti Type 57S Roadster Prototype

The Bugatti Type 57 and later variants (including the famous Atlantic and Atalante) was an entirely new design created by Jean Bugatti, son of founder Ettore Bugatti.

The Type 57s were built from 1934 through 1940, with a total of 710 examples produced.

Type 57s used a twin-cam 3,257cc engine based on that of the Type 49 but heavily modified by Jean Bugatti, unlike the single cam engines of the Type 49 and earlier models.

The engines of the Type 50, 51 used bevel gears at the front of the engine to transmit power from the crankshaft, whereas the Type 57 used a train of spur gears at the rear of the engine, with fiber gear wheels on the camshafts to achieve more silence in operation.

There were two basic variants of the Type 57 car:
The original Type 57
The lowered Type 57S/SC

This spectacular Roadster is the first approach of a Type 57S “lowered”, designed by Jean and presented at the Paris Salon 1936.

Immediately after the show, he received more traditional front wings and was sold to the painter André Derain. Baptized Roadster “Antibes” by its color “green antibes” or “pale green”.

In 1971, the Belgian collector Jean de Dobbeleer commissioned the specialist Bats to rebuild the Roadster, in the original configuration of the Paris Salon on a chassis No. 57555.

The blue Bugatti Type 57 Roadster Prototype replica is presented at the Museum Autovision in Altussheim Germany.