French automaker Bugatti built roughly 800 Type 57s from 1934 to 1940, making the model its most popular. Ironically, one variant -- the Type 57 Atlantic Coupe -- is among the rarest and most valuable automobiles in the world. Just four were ever constructed, and three are accounted for today, making chassis 57453 a potential "barn find" that Bugatti estimates could be worth as much as $114 million.
Jean Bugatti was the eldest son of company founder Ettore Bugatti, and by the early 1930s was penning most of the company's body designs. To modernize the boutique automaker, Jean created the Type 57, which would be built in standard and lowered chassis, and would serve as the basis for everything from luxury touring cars to racing cars and show cars, like the stunning 1935 Bugatti Aerolithe concept.
The four Type 57 Aero/Atlantic Coupes, as they looked at delivery.
The Aerolithe Coupe debuted at the 1935 Paris Auto Salon, and featured a body crafted from a magnesium alloy known as Elektron. Typically used in the construction of aircraft, Elektron consisted of 90-percent magnesium and 10-percent aluminum, which made it both light and strong. It also made the material extremely difficult to work with, since it couldn’t be welded. To join panels, Jean specified an external vertical seam, which would be riveted to join left and right body halves. This spine ran the length of the car, and the design was mirrored on front and rear fenders as well.
When the Aerolithe Coupe concept was translated into the limited-production Aero Coupe, the Elektron skin was replaced by aluminum. Despite this, the riveted dorsal spine construction method carried over, becoming one of the car’s most distinctive traits. Two were completed by the fall of 1936, but in December of 1936 Jean received tragic news -- close friend and pioneering aviator Jean Mermoz, the first to fly across the South Atlantic, had perished in a plane crash at sea. From this point forward, the cars were renamed from Aero Coupe to Atlantic Coupe, in honor of Mermoz’s memory and record-setting achievement.
The first Aero (later Atlantic) Coupe built, chassis 57374 was completed in September 1936 and delivered to Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild. As with the other three coupes, the car was constructed on the Type 57S (for “surbaissé,” or lowered) chassis, equipped with cable-activated drum brakes, a semi-independent front suspension, and a live rear axle. Power came from Bugatti’s double overhead-camshaft 3.3-liter inline-eight, which produced 175 horsepower in naturally aspirated form.
Chassis 57374, the "Rothschild Atlantic," in an undated photo.
Rothschild drove the car in this tune until 1939, when it was returned to Molsheim for the addition of a supercharger, raising output to 200 horsepower and top speed to 200 km/h (123 mph). Two years later, Rothschild blew the engine, abandoning the car in a field before selling it to a London mechanic, who rebuilt the engine without the potentially problematic supercharger. After passing through a series of owners (most notably an America doctor, Robert Oliver, who purchased the car in 1945 and exported it to the U.S. in 1946), the car sold at auction in 1971 for a jaw-dropping $59,000, making it (at the time) the most expensive automobile in the world. Today, it’s owned by Peter Mullin and Rob Walton, and is frequently displayed at the Mullin Museum in Oxnard, California.
The first car built as an Atlantic Coupe was chassis 57473, known as the “Holzschuh Atlantic” after the car’s first owner, Jacques Holzschuh. Under his care, the car took the “Grand Prix d’Honneur” at the 1937 Juan-Les-Pins Concours d’Elegance, and was later restyled under the guidance of Guiseppe Figoni. Tragically, both Holzschuh and his wife died during World War II, and in the postwar years the Bugatti Atlantic Coupe had several owners before landing with Bugatti collector René Chatard in 1952.
On August 22, 1955, Chatard and a female companion, Janine Vacheron, were driving the Bugatti on the outskirts of Gien, France, when the car was struck by a train at a grade crossing. Both occupants were killed and the Bugatti destroyed in the accident. In the aftermath, the wreckage was sold to a local scrap dealer. In 1963, a French collector purchased the remains of the car, then spent the next 14 years recreating it, fabricating parts when the originals were damaged beyond repair. The car sold to its current owner in 2006, who commissioned a restoration that returned the car to its appearance during Chatard’s ownership. Displayed at Pebble Beach in 2010, the car resides today in a private Spanish collection.
The final Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic Coupe, chassis 57591, was built for British barrister and tennis star Richard Pope and delivered in May 1938. Though no two models were identical, this example is recognizable by its unique front-end styling and absence of rear fender covers. A year after taking delivery, Pope returned the car to the factory for the fitment of a supercharger, and retained possession until 1967, when the Atlantic Coupe sold to marque expert Barrie Price. The Bugatti passed through a few more collections before landing with Ralph Lauren in 1988, and under his stewardship the coupe was restored to its factory-delivered appearance (the sole exception being black paint, substituted for the original blue). The quality of the work was demonstrated at Pebble Beach in 1990, when the Atlantic Coupe took Best in Show, and again at Villa d’Este in 2013, where the Bugatti again earned top honors.
Which leaves one Atlantic Coupe -- perhaps the most valuable barn find in history -- unaccounted for. Chassis 57453 was the second car completed (officially making it an Aero Coupe), and was delivered to Jean Bugatti in October 1936. Known as “La voiture noire,” or “the black car,” this was the sole coupe built with a supercharged engine at the factory. Used as a model for the company’s brochures and displayed at the 1937 Nice and Lyon Motor Shows, the Aero/Atlantic Coupe was driven personally by Jean Bugatti, but may have been gifted to Robert Benoist, who delivered Bugatti a win at the 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans.
From here, a hazy history gets even more obscure. Officially, Bugatti states that no trace of the car exists after 1938, yet some believe the car was given by Benoist to fellow Bugatti racer William Grover-Williams, who returned the car to Molsheim when he departed France for England in 1939. Some believe the car was shipped from Molsheim to Bordeaux along with several other Bugatti models, possibly under a different chassis number, for safe keeping as war loomed on the horizon.
Two factors make this car difficult to trace. As a factory demonstrator, chassis 57453 never had a registered owner, making its history impossible to track through existing motor vehicle records. The August 1939 death of Jean Bugatti in a testing crash (behind the wheel of a Bugatti Type 57C “Tank”) had a massive impact on the automaker, left nearly rudderless at a time when the company's future hinged on every decision. In light of this, it's easy to understand why factory records of the period are less than precise.
There are only two outcomes: Either chassis 57453 was scrapped or destroyed in the war, or it wasn’t. If the latter is true, it may well reside in a dusty barn somewhere in Europe, awaiting the day when a lucky -- or meticulous -- collector unearths what may be the most valuable automobile in the world.
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Images from Pat Foster's collection
Courtesy of Pat Foster
One of the first products of the Mitchell Motor Car Company was the small runabout seen here. Although the photo is identified as a 1903 model it appears to be of later vintage, possibly 1904/1905.
The Mitchell saga began in 1838 when Scottish immigrant Henry Mitchell moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin, and established the Mitchell Wagon Company, a manufacturer that became known as "The first wagon maker of the Northwest." Successful almost from the start, in 1854 Mitchell moved his business to larger quarters in nearby Racine. It continued to expand and in time son-in-law William Lewis joined the company. Lewis eventually headed the firm and changed its name to Mitchell & Lewis Wagon Company. During the Gay Nineties, Mitchell & Lewis established another business, the Wisconsin Wheel Works, to produce bicycles, and for a while was manufacturing light motorcycles too. Thus,established in the transportation field, the idea of producing automobiles was the next logical step.
In a major change of company direction, Wisconsin Wheel Works sold its bicycle business and was succeeded by the Mitchell Motor Car Company, a subsidiary of the Mitchell-Lewis Wagon Company. The former’s first models were two small runabouts: one powered by a 7-hp, single-cylinder two-stroke engine, the other by a 4-hp, four-stroke single. Reportedly, sales were modest, despite prices that began at a mere $600 for the 4-hp model. It seems the company initially had difficulty reaching high-volume production due to problems acquiring sufficient parts and components, but when resolved sales quickly improved.
For 1904 a new 7-hp two-cylinder runabout on a 72-inch wheelbase chassis, and a 16-hp four-cylinder touring model on a 90-inch wheelbase, replaced the previous one-lungers. The two-passenger runabout was priced at $750, while the five-passenger touring car started at $1,500.
Courtesy of Pat Foster
Mitchell’s 1910 cars were priced from $1,100 to $2,000. The company said of its car, “It is rakish, smart, refined, solid, comfortable and luxurious. It is silent in running – absolutely silent – and it will last and serve you faithfully for years to come.”
In the years that followed Mitchell cars grew bigger and more powerful. In 1906 a 24/30-hp five-passenger, 100-inch wheelbase Model D-4 Touring car joined the expanded line-up priced at $1,800. The company reportedly sold 663 cars that year. For 1907 Mitchell offered three distinct series: the Model E, a 20-hp two-passenger Runabout on a 90-inch wheelbase; the Model D 24/30-hp five-passenger 100-inch wheelbase Touring; and the Model F seven-passenger Touring on a 108-inch wheelbase. Prices ranged from $1,000 to $2,000 and total sales more than doubled.
By 1910, Mitchell was offering five models: two- and three-passenger runabouts and a Runabout Surrey in the Model R series, each powered by a 30-hp four-cylinder engine and priced at $1,100; and two touring cars, a 30-hp four-cylinder Model T for $1,350, and a 50-hp six-cylinder Model S priced at a lofty $2,000. That year’s sales totaled 5,733 units. (There was even a jaunty little song titled "Give Me a Spin in Your Mitchell, Bill,” a recording of which can still be found on the internet.) The same year, Lewis retired, and Mitchell Motor Car Company and Mitchell & Lewis merged to form the Mitchell-Lewis Motor Company with Lewis’s son,William Mitchell Lewis, named president.
In 1912 a stylish $2,500 four-cylinder Limousine joined a line-up that included a budget-priced 25-hp Runabout for $950 and an $1,150 Touring car, both of which used a four-cylinder engine and a 100-inch wheelbase chassis. Also available was a $1,350 four-cylinder Touring, while a Model 5-6 34-hp Baby Six Touring and Roadster were available on a 125-inch wheelbase, each costing $1.750. Finally, there was a big seven-passenger Model 7-6 six-cylinder Touring on a regal 135-inch wheelbase for $2,250. Sales for the year were 5,145 cars.
Courtesy of Pat Foster
The Mitchell line of six-cylinder cars for 1917 saw lower prices, with the Mitchell seven-passenger priced at $1,460 and the Mitchell Junior priced at $1,150.
Unfortunately, sales were just 3,087 cars in 1913 and William M Lewis left the firm to start a new company building the so-called Lewis car. Banker Joseph Winterbottom took over as president and the firm was reorganized as the Mitchell Motors Company. Only 3,500 Mitchells were sold in 1914, perhaps a result of the company’s emphasis on higher-priced models. For 1915 new lower-priced Light Four and Light Six models seemed just the thing to spark a revival, and some 6,174 Mitchells were sold that year.
Mitchell sales manager Otis Friend then took over as president. Believing that offering more cylinders was the way to go, for 1916 the company dropped its four-cylinder models in favor of value-priced six- and eight-cylinder cars. It was the right move; sales climbed to 9,589 units, its highest total yet.
The company continued to flourish, selling 10,069 cars in 1917, but in ‘18 Otis Friend left to start his own car company in Pontiac, Michigan. Replacing him was formerGeneral Electric executive D.C. Durland. Things initially went well, and by 1919, Mitchell prices ranged from $1,275 to $2,850; some 10,100 cars were sold. While the company was profitable, it seems management might have been feeling over-confident because for ‘20 it was decided new Mitchells would feature unique styling touches to help them stand out.
Sedans boasted unusual vee'd windshields, with a prominent forward-placed center post supporting angled side panes, and cowls featured a forward sweep on each side, very much in the style of expensive custom-built cars. The angle of the sweep didn’t match the angle of the windshield post, which gave the closed cars a slightly odd appearance. The biggest styling feature, one that was impossible to ignore, was a radiator that tilted back at a noticeable angle. Print advertisements bragged that "Future styling trends…" were "Forecasted by the new Mitchell design." Ads claimed, "These new Mitchell Sixes bring to motoring America its first accurate example of the coming style [and].... viewed from any angle–from inside or out - the effect is impressive."
Courtesy of Pat Foster
The 1920 Mitchell Touring car, to my eyes, looks a bit sporty with its sweptback radiator shell, but many buyers didn’t like it.
Looking at the 1920 Mitchells today it’s difficult to see any big styling problem. In fact, on Touring models the sweptback radiator adds to the sporty appeal, at least in my opinion. But on closed cars the different lines and angles of the split vee-d windshield post, cowl sweeps, and radiator shell offer too much visual conflict. Apparently, they must have seemed even more at odds with convention then because the ’20 models soon earned the nickname “The Drunken Mitchells.”
Pundits love to poke fun, so "The Drunken Mitchell” sobriquet stuck. It’s easy to guess what happened next. Sales fell 36 percent, with the slump worsening in 1921 when a mere 2,162 cars were sold, this even after a hasty restyle. The ’22 model year was about the same. Then in 1923 Mitchell sales collapsed entirely and only about 100 cars were sold. The company had come to the end of the line. Despite a history going back more than 80 years, Mitchell was gone by the end of 1923.
One company benefitted from Mitchell’s demise. In January 1924, the Nash Motors Company of Kenosha, needing more production capacity, acquired the Mitchell plant for $405,000.
Photography by Scotty Lachenauer
Photo by Scotty Lachenauer
Tim, a resident of West Deptford, New Jersey, is well versed in Buick’s Riviera legacy, thanks largely tohis dad, Gene Guarnere, who has had a penchant for the personal luxury car since he was a teen. “My dad has been into first generation Rivieras since he came home from Vietnam in 1967. That’s when he got his first ’64 to drive back and forth from South Philadelphia to Fort Dix, to finish his draft requirement,” Tim says.
Since then, Tim estimates his dad has owned too many Rivieras to count, through a combination of having driven, collected, parted out, and rebuilt many for resale. Though the Riviera nameplate lasted for eight generations of production, and thirty-six years as a standalone model, the 1963-’65 editions will always be Gene’s favorite. “There’s something about those Rivieras. There was really nothing like them on the market at the time,” Gene says.
The Riviera name had a long history with Buick. It first appeared in conjunction with the revolutionary true hardtop design unveiled within the 1949 Roadmaster lineup, the missing B-pillar ushering in “Riviera styling.” That design moniker evolved slightly through the mid-Fifties, provoking thoughts of elegant open road motoring for a modest price, and it even survived Buick’s model name revamp of ’59, when it became a trim level within the Electra 225 series though ’62.
Right about the time the dust was settling from the Buick renaming buzz, GM Advanced Styling guru Ned Nickles had already created a sketch of a new car that–according to later interviews with Nickles and GM Styling boss Bill Mitchell–was based on Mitchell’s foggy visit to London, where he spotted a custom-bodied Rolls-Royce in front of the Savoy hotel. Mitchell is famously quoted as saying, “make it a Ferrari-Rolls-Royce.”
Photo by Scotty Lachenauer
What makes this 1964 Buick Riviera desirable among collectors is the optional dual-quad 425-cu.in. V-8, which boasted 360 hp. It would become the foundation of Gran Sport option a year later.
Coincidentally, Cadillac was considering the introduction of a junior line to bolster sales, helping prompt the development of the XP-715 project (Mitchell is also quoted as saying GM didn’t take kindly to Ford attending the Motorama events to study concept cars, which lead to the four-seat Thunderbird, prompting development of the XP-715). Unofficially, it was dubbed La Salle II, but by the time a full-size clay mockup had been created, Cadillac had reversed its sales slump and was having trouble filling orders. It didn’t need a new car complicating matters.
The XP-715 might have been forgotten had Buick’s general manager Ed Rollert not learned of its unclaimed status. He made a pitch for the project but would have to fight for rights to it with Oldsmobile’s and Pontiac’s management. The latter was lukewarm on the idea of adding another series, while Olds wanted to modify the existing design, something Mitchell was deadset against. By April 1961, the XP-715 / La Salle II concept mockup was photographed wearing Buick emblems.
In the fall of 1962, Buick rolled out the Riviera on a new E-body platform. The car was a departure for Buick, with “knife edge” body lines, minimal trim, a Ferrari-like egg-crate style grille flanked by running lamps/signal indicators behind 1938-’39 inspired La Salle grilles, and kickups over the rear wheels designed to hint at the car’s power (helping conjure the “Coke bottle” design nomenclature). It was an amalgam of styles, fitting in somewhere between a sports car and luxury car, all rolled up in one breathtaking package.
Speaking of power, the Riviera was equipped with Buick’s four-barrel equipped 401-cu.in. V-8 that boasted 325 hp and 445 lb-ft. of torque, though in early December, the division started to offer the 340-hp, four-barrel 425-cu.in. engine as optional Riviera equipment. Just 2,601 examples of the latter were produced. Backing either engine Buick’s Twin Turbine Dynaflow automatic in its final year of production.
Photo by Scotty Lachenauer
Although the cabin is in dire need of detailing, it looks otherwise complete.
A year later, Buick management elevated the 340-hp, single four-barrel 425 engine to standard power team status, paired with a new Super Turbine 400 automatic transmission. Peppy as the engine was, a dual four-barrel version of the 425 became available, known as the “Super Wildcat.” Aside from its eye-opening 360 hp and 465 lb-ft. of torque, it looked the part of a performertoo, due to finned aluminum rocker covers and a twin-snorkel chrome air cleaner assembly. Despite its low production, only 2,122 of the 37,658 Rivieras built for ’64 came equipped as such, this engine became the cornerstone of Riviera’s Gran Sport package for ’65, cementing Buick’s legacy as a luxurious personal muscle car.
Although any first-gen Riviera is a great score to Tim and Gene, some examples are better than others, whether it was due to overall condition or the car’s born-with options. So, when this 1964 Riviera popped up on Gene’s radar 30-plus years ago, he quickly made a deal. “The history between my dad and this car is a long one. He first bought this car in northeast Philadelphia for $1,450 in the early Nineties,” Tim says.
The reason Gene wanted it more than any other that previously crossed his path was that not only was it in reasonably good shape, but the Buick also turned out to be one of the relatively rare dual-quad 425 examples. But like many of the Rivieras that came Gene’s way over the years, the Buick didn’t stick around too long. “The car was sold and/or traded multiple times for the first fifteen years my dad knew about it,” Tim says.
Photo by Scotty Lachenauer
However, like all good things, they somehow find their way home and this car is no exception. “For some reason, the Riviera always ended up with us some way or another. I finally ended up buying the car from the last owner in 2009. He had it stored in my dad’s barn during his ownership, so we knew it was in a safe place for a long time. I now have it tucked away in one of my garages waiting for the next phase in its lifeline.”
What Tim has in possession is an interesting example beyond the power team. “This Riviera is typical of the examples built in ’64. It’s just chock full of options that cater to the upscale buyers that would have had the funds to purchase one of these high-end rides from the dealership.”
Present within are many of the accoutrements that catered to the posh consumers in the luxury sports car market. Options here include the Deluxe vinyl and cloth interior, tilt column, and power seats. Power windows and power vent windows add to the lavishness of the Buick’s aesthetic, while its front seat belts, rear armrests, wood ornamentation, and rear defroster only add to the upscale feel.
Though it's seen better days, the condition of the interior is remarkable, knowing of its lengthy journey since it was taken off the road circa 1980. The upholstery is dirty and moldy but with a good washing it will probably clean up nicely. The dash is also in great shape, though since the V-8 has not been started in years, there’s no way to determine what gauges and switches are functional. Underneath the carpet, the floors are solid as well, owing to its life mostly indoors.
Photo by Scotty Lachenauer
The 1938-'39 La Salle grille is said to have inspired the Riviera's vertically stacked running lamp grilles.
Under the hood it looks as if the engine has barely been touched. It’s “KX” code stamped on the block is still visible, the original Carter carburetors are present, and the wiring and plumbing still appear usable. The air conditioning looks to be intact as well. Finally, power brakes and power steering round out the luxury amenities.
Outside, the body is in excellent shape for a car of this vintage. The last 30-plus years of indoor storage has helped keep the metal intact, though minor body work will be needed on the quarter panels to get it up to snuff. The original Claret Mist paint has turned to a satin finish under all the dirt, but a good cleaning and buff could bring it back to life. Most of the trim is also in great shape, and the car appears to be relatively complete, save for a few pieces of rear window trim.
As for the mechanical functionality beyond instrumentations, no one is really sure of its condition “My first order of business would be to send the engine to “Nailhead” Matt Martin in California, who is an artist that works in the nailhead medium; he’s the ultimate authority in these V-8s. I believe the rest of the car deserves a nut and bolt restoration, too. That time will come soon,” Tim says.
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