Bugatti Atlantic Concept

Bugatti Atlantic at a glance: what kind of car it was

Under Volkswagen ownership, from 1998, Bugatti built only two series models in two decades: the Veyron and the Chiron. Both are mid-engined hypercars with a quad-turbo W16. The Atlantic was a different idea: a front-engined grand tourer with a smaller engine, aimed at buyers who wanted a Bugatti they could use more often. The company's wider story is told in the history of Bugatti.

The public learned about the car in February 2020. Bugatti design chief Achim Anscheidt described it in interviews and the company released images of the Atlantic together with two other unseen projects.

Engine, drivetrain and planned performance

Bugatti has not published official figures for the Atlantic. What is known comes from the 2020 interviews and press reports:

The transaxle puts the gearbox at the back, which spreads the weight more evenly between the axles; the same layout is used by many front-engined GT cars. Several outlets reported that a twin-turbo V8 was planned and that an electrified version drew on work from the Porsche Mission E project, which later became the Taycan. Bugatti did not confirm either detail, so treat them as reports rather than specifications.

In our ranking of the most powerful supercars the Chiron is ranked #3, behind two electric hypercars and as the most powerful car with a combustion engine on the list. The Atlantic was not meant to compete there; it was planned as the "everyday" model below it.

Design: the Type 57SC theme in a modern body

The design took the 1930s Atlantic as its model: a long bonnet, a short tail, strongly curved wings over the rear wheels and the horseshoe grille. The doors are power-operated and swing upwards, on a hinge similar to the one used on the Volkswagen XL1. According to the old 1cars text, the bodywork also had a large rear panel that lifts together with parts of the wings and roof to reach the luggage area, LED lights and large air intakes either side of the grille.

The concept avoided copying the original's best-known feature, the riveted seam running down the roof and tail. Instead, a raised line traced the same path along the body.

Interior and luggage space

Because the engine sits in front, the Atlantic had room for real luggage behind the seats. The old 1cars text mentions a set of four bespoke suitcases. The cabin used leather, carbon fibre and anodised aluminium; reports after the 2020 reveal described thick leather upholstery. The same old text describes heated electric bucket seats, a touch screen curving from the dashboard to the centre tunnel and a 16-speaker sound system. Bugatti did not confirm these interior details for a production car, as none was made.

Why the Atlantic was cancelled

Timing killed it. The Atlantic's Pebble Beach launch was postponed, and less than a month after the August 2015 event the Dieselgate emissions scandal broke at Volkswagen. Bugatti was the smallest and financially most fragile brand in the group. Its president at the time, Wolfgang Dürheimer, aimed to keep the company at break-even, and the business played safe for about two years.

The Chiron was too far advanced to stop and was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2016. A second project, a larger front-engined W16 coupé, stayed at the sketch stage. Later, under Stephan Winkelmann, its spirit returned in the one-off La Voiture Noire of 2019, built on the Chiron, while limited editions such as the Divo and Centodieci were fast-tracked.

The original: Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic

The name comes from one of the most famous Bugattis. The Type 57 range was designed by Jean Bugatti, son of the founder, and built from 1934 to 1940; about 710 cars were made, all with a 3.3-litre (3,257 cc) twin-cam straight-eight. The Atlantic coupé used the short Type 57S chassis with a 2,979 mm wheelbase. With a supercharger (SC), the engine produced about 149 kW (200 hp) and the car reached around 217 km/h.

Its forerunner, the 1935 Aérolithe show car, had a body of Elektron magnesium alloy. Elektron burns when welded, so the panels were riveted together, which produced the distinctive dorsal seam. The four production Atlantics of 1936–1938 had aluminium bodies but kept the riveted seam as a styling feature. The car was named after the pilot Jean Mermoz, a friend of the Bugatti family, who died when his flying boat was lost over the South Atlantic in December 1936.

Three of the four Atlantics survive. One belongs to the fashion designer Ralph Lauren and won Best of Show at Pebble Beach in 1990; another, chassis 57374, won the same award in 2003 and was sold in 2010 to a Californian collection for a reported sum in the tens of millions. The fourth, known as La Voiture Noire, vanished before the Second World War and is still missing.