Of the 710 Bugatti Type 57’s built between 1934 and 1940 the single fast back Aerolithe, four fast back Atlantics an 17 Atalante Coupés, such as the one seen here, were fitted with the most radical bodies for the period.

Named after a mythological Greek Goddess who was brought up by bears to become a happy but fierce hunter, sworn to virginity, the Atalante differs from the Atlantic having a single screen and none of the riveting seams for which the Atlantic and Aerolithe are best remembered for.

Unlike the Atlantic body which was only fitted on the lower Type 57 S chassis the Atalante Coupé was fitted to both original type 57 chassis with the axles below the chassis rails and the lower 57S chassis.

The Atalante body seen here by Geoffrey Horton at Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance a couple of years ago is fitted to an original Type 57 chassis as can be seen by the fact that the bonnet / hood stands well clear of the height of the front wings / fenders.

This particular Atalante was built in 1937 and is believed by the owners, the Academy of Art University® in San Francisco, to have been retained by the factory and used by Jean Bugatti who was responsible for the styling.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs taken at Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance in 2011.

Thanks for joining me on this “Mythological Hunting Virgin” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !