Bugatti Type 57SC Wins Arizona Concours d’Elegance

To the surprise of few, a 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, won the “Best of Show” honors Sunday at the 4th annual Arizona Concours d’Elegance held at the Arizona Biltmore Resort on Sunday January, 15, 2017.Bugatti Front Fender

Bugatti Wins Best of Show

To win best of show, the car first took the honors for its class – The cars of Ettore and Jean Bugatti.  Then the four top class winners were judged again for the Best of Show Award.

The low slung car, capable of a top speed of 122 MPH with a an inline eight cylinder engine with less than 200 ci is quite unique with the body seams joined at flanges by rivets.  Originally it was thought that this prototype used the rivets as the metal ( a blend of magnesium and aluminum) is difficult to weld.  Perhaps the builder was so taken with the effect that he needed up using the same process on the three Atlantic cars built on this design.  This car was originally owned by Lord Victor Rothschild. It later had a supercharger added and it was imported to the states by 1946.Bugatti Rivets on Roofline

Bugatti Background

The car had recently been seen at Los Angeles’ Petersen Museum, but normally is on display at the Mullin Automotive Museum, which makes sense since Peter and Merle Mullin, Bugatti aficionados, are part owners of the car, along with Rob and Melani Walton (from the Wal-Mart clan).  The car has won at other showings, including best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours in 2003.  The joint owners paid $36 million for the Bugatti.  A different Type 57SC is owned by Ralph Lauren.Bugatti

Arizona Concours d’Elegance

 The entry field consisted of ninety cars, entered in seventeen classes.  The grassy lawn of the palatial Arizona Biltmore was the perfect spot for the show and the proceeds from the show go to Make A Wish of Arizona.  The Arizona Concours d’Elegance kicks off a week of classic car auctions in the Phoenix, AZ region.  In a future article we’ll highlight some of our favorite builds and award winners.  So be sure and sign up so you won’t miss the next article?

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