Bugatti

Blipping possible blippers at Dream Cars Show at High Museum. This Bugatti was one of the most popular cars show. The Desciption follows.



Bugatti Type 57S Compétition Coupé Aerolithe, 1935 (2007 re-creation)
Jean Bugatti (French, born Italy, 1909-1939), designer
Joseph Walter, designer
The Guild of Automotive Restorers, Canadian, founded 1990, fabricator
Courtesy of Christopher Ohrstrom, The Plains, Virginia

The Bugatti Type 57S Compétition Coupé Aerolithe (French for "meteor") was unveiled at the 1935 Paris Salon de l'Automobile under its original name, Type 57 Coupé Spécial. It shocked visitors to both the London and Paris automobile shows that year with its sleekly styled body – a sharp contrast to the boxy cars of its era. The Aerolithe's sensuous body was fabricated in Elektron magnesium alloy, a material that was very difficult to weld. The rivets along its spine and front fenders were structurally necessary but also added a visually striking design feature. Its low-slung body and teardrop-shaped fenders made the car appear to be moving at great speeds.

Like many concept cars, the Type 57S Compétition Coupé Aerolithe no longer exists. However, the car was so engulfed in legend that it recently was faithfully re-created based only on a few historic photographs, known specifications, factory records, and an oil painting (illustrated here) by a Bugatti designer. The original Aerolithe was considered the precursor to the better-known Bugatti Atlantic. Conjecture is that it was stripped for parts, which were then used in the four production Atlantics.