2026 Rétromobile Paris Auction | 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante

Car Highlights

Exceptional Example of the Ultimate-Specification Type 57

One of Only Three Known Supercharged Examples with Aluminum Atalante Coachwork

Outstanding Provenance Dating Back to Its Original Owner, Noted Bugatti Customer Dr. Jacques Kocher

Retains Matching-Numbers Engine, Gearbox, and Differential per Factory Records

Splendid Example of Art Deco Automotive Design

Technical Specs

3,245 CC DOHC Inline 8-Cylinder Engine

Single Twin-Choke Stromberg UUR2 Carburetor

Roots-Type Supercharger

160 BHP at 5,000 RPM

4-Speed Manual Gearbox

4-Wheel Bugatti-Lockheed Hydraulic Drum Brakes

Front Solid-Axle Suspension with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs

Rear Live Axle with Reversed Quarter-Elliptical Leaf Springs

For complete information, including the full lot description, applicable VAT (rules and rates), and any saleroom notices or addenda, please refer to the official lot description on christies.com.

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Introduced in 1934, the Type 57 represented the pinnacle of Jean Bugatti’s creative and engineering vision. Powered by a jewel-like 3.3-liter twin-cam straight-eight and built with the marque’s customary delicacy, the Type 57 embodied everything that defined Molsheim’s artistry: superb mechanical refinement, extraordinary aesthetics, and an unmistakable sense of exclusivity.

As the model evolved throughout its production, Bugatti steadily improved the chassis with strengthened rear-axle components, a cross-braced frame, rubber engine mounts, and upgraded brakes. To complement these refinements, Bugatti unveiled the supercharged Type 57C in 1937. Equipped with a Roots-type blower, four-wheel hydraulic brakes, and additional instrumentation, the 160 hp Type 57C delivered performance far beyond that of most contemporaries, achieving speeds comfortably over 100 mph with excellent braking and on-road composure. Of the approximately 710 Type 57s built, just 96 were factory-supercharged 57Cs.

Alongside the bare chassis offered to outside coachbuilders, Bugatti produced several in-house body styles, each styled under the direction of Jean Bugatti and Joseph Walter. Among these, the Atalante – named for the heroine of Greek mythology, famed for her swiftness – stood as the most dramatic. Just 33 Atalante bodies were built for the Type 57 chassis, and approximately 10 of these were formed in lightweight aluminum alloy, the remainder in heavier steel.

Chassis 57718, fitted when new with engine 45C and Atalante body no. 30, is among the most desirable Type 57s ever constructed. It is one of only five Atalantes built on the supercharged 57C chassis, and crucially one of only three known to combine this mechanical specification with lightweight alloy construction. Within the canon of Bugatti production, this places 57718 at the pinnacle of road-going Type 57 desirability. In a broader context, few prewar sports cars combine such grace, rarity, and engineering sophistication.

Factory records show that 57718 was completed on July 15, 1938, finished in Beige over Havana leather, and outfitted with attractive rear spats, and dispatched to Bugatti’s Lyon agent, Monestier. Its first owner, Dr. Jacques Kocher, was a highly accomplished surgeon whose professional achievements earned him the French Legion of Honor. Dr. Kocher was not merely a Bugatti customer – he was one of the marque’s most valued clients, owning 14 examples between 1925 and 1938, including Types 35, 37, 43, 44, 50, 55, and no fewer than five Type 57s, many acquired new through Monestier.

Dr. Kocher’s passion for driving and deep loyalty to Bugatti made him an ideal customer for the most exclusive models. His succession of cars traces the evolution of the marque, culminating in this car, 57718 – his final Bugatti and the ultimate expression of his long association with Molsheim. Delivered to him in July 1938 and kept until 1950, it served as the pinnacle of his two-decade Bugatti ownership journey.

In 1950, Dr. Kocher sold 57718 to Monsieur De Fenoyl, who recalled collecting it from the doctor’s home in Valence. At that time the car wore metallic gray paint with a dark green accent; M. De Fenoyl later refinished it in gray and black. Maintenance was entrusted to Marcel Piottin, who had been the foreman of the Lyon Bugatti agency. In 1951, while M. De Fenoyl was away on his honeymoon, his father unexpectedly sold the car, beginning its transition into collector ownership.

By 1958, chassis 57718 had crossed the Atlantic to the US. Its first recorded American owner was Lennart Erickson of California, followed in 1962 by Dr. Grant White, a respected academic and early member of the American Bugatti Club. A dedicated collector and restorer of prewar thoroughbreds, Dr. White owned 57718 for roughly three decades. Under his fastidious care, the car remained remarkably intact, its originality preserved at a time when many Bugattis were subject to heavy-handed restorations.

In the early 1990s, the car returned to Europe, joining The Oldtimer Garage in Switzerland before entering one of the world’s premier private Bugatti collections – a stable that included the finest examples of the Type 35, 51, 55, 59, and 57S. Rarely shown, 57718 appeared at the celebrated Bugatti Family exhibition at Vence in 1995 and later, in 2019, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed’s Cartier Style et Luxe Concours. After returning to the US in 2023, the car received specialist mechanical attention from Ivan Dutton Ltd., including fresh upholstery in proper Havana leather, installed under the supervision of renowned trimmer Robert Smith.

Today, chassis 57718 presents with uncommon originality and authenticity. A recent inspection by Bugatti specialist Mark Morris confirmed that the body number (30) is stamped or inscribed on numerous original components – including the wood structures, aluminum panels, and trim elements. Traces of original beige paint were also found in hidden areas, and the original Molsheim data tag survives on the beautifully engine-turned firewall.

Mechanically, 57718 retains its matching-numbers engine, gearbox, and differential (all properly numbered 45C or C45), along with correct Type 57C-specific equipment such as the supercharger and hydraulic braking system. The car’s tasteful aubergine and black livery, mellowed with age, complements the handsome brown leather interior while reflecting its long, continuous preservation.

Among the limited production of Type 57 Atalantes, 57718 stands out for its factory supercharged “C” specification, lightweight aluminum body, matching-numbers driveline, and superb provenance, which dates to its original delivery. Representing Jean Bugatti’s most celebrated road-going design in its purest and rarest form, it is an exceptional example of the model long regarded as the ultimate expression of Le Pur-Sang des Automobiles.

For the connoisseur seeking one of the finest specifications imaginable in a Type 57, this rare alloy-bodied Type 57C Atalante offers a singular opportunity to acquire a masterpiece of prewar automotive design – one that has inspired admiration since the day Dr. Kocher collected it in the summer of 1938.

 

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