Wanted: new clues about Bugatti Atlantic 57453

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The mystery of the missing Bugatti Type 57 S Atlantic has fascinated automotive historians and enthusiasts for decades. The legendary car has also appeared on PreWarCar.com several times. We even once reported that it had been found, although that really did turn out to be an April Fool’s joke, while on another occasion the car’s chassis plate was offered for sale on our website. Yet despite all the stories, theories and supposed clues, the fate of chassis number 57453 remains one of the great mysteries of motoring history.

Father and son Ard and Arnoud op de Weegh now hope to shed more light on the matter. They previously published books about the celebrated collections of Fritz Schlumpf and Michel Dovaz. For their latest research project, they are focusing entirely on the missing Atlantic. Their aim is to reconstruct the car’s history as fully as possible, document all the available information and ultimately publish their findings in book form.

A car with an extraordinary history

The car in question is Bugatti Type 57 S Atlantic chassis number 57453, built in 1936. The people who sat behind its wheel alone illustrate just how special this car was. It was driven by Jean Bugatti himself, as well as by the celebrated racing drivers Robert Benoist and William Grover-Williams. Grover-Williams’s wife, Yvonne Grover-Williams-Aupicq, was also photographed with the Atlantic.

During the 1936 Salon de l’Automobile de Paris, chassis 57453 was used as a demonstrator alongside Type 57 Ventoux chassis number 57452. In the Bugatti factory records, the Atlantic was still described as a Coupé Aéro, the name closely associated with the origins of this spectacular design.

The car was fitted with engine 2 SC/2 SG. During its lifetime, it carried several French registration numbers, including 5800 NV 3, 1521 NV 4 and 9219 NV 2. After 1940 or 1941, however, the trail goes cold. Since then, it has never been established with certainty what became of the Atlantic.

It is precisely this lack of certainty that has inspired countless stories over the years. Was the car hidden during the war? Was it destroyed, dismantled or preserved under another identity? Or is it still somewhere out there, waiting to be discovered? So far, no conclusive evidence has emerged to support any of these theories.

Wanted: previously unknown images

Ard and Arnoud op de Weegh have already gathered and examined a considerable amount of information. Nevertheless, they believe that previously unknown material may still exist which could shed new light on the history of chassis 57453.

They are therefore particularly interested in previously unpublished photographs, documents, film footage and other visual material showing the Atlantic – regardless of the period, location or configuration. Even a small detail in an old family photograph, photo album, magazine, archive or film clip could prove highly significant. The car’s various registration numbers may provide important clues.

Do you have any material or information concerning Bugatti Type 57 S Atlantic chassis 57453? If so, please leave a comment beneath this article or contact the PreWarCar.com team. We will ensure that your message reaches Ard and Arnoud op de Weegh.

The photograph shown comes from the cover of the “Sport Canin Agenda 1937”, published by Éditions Sport Canin in Le Vésinet, France. It shows Bugatti Type 57 S Atlantic chassis 57453 together with Yvonne Grover-Williams-Aupicq. Cover photograph: Op de Weegh, 2026.

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