BUGATTI TYPE 57SC Competition Roadster 1936

Competition Roadster 1936
BUGATTI TYPE 57SC
2
HISTORIC PROFILE
A Genteel Competitor
A high-efficiency car suitable for
competing in sports car racing
events for the 1937 racing season.—The
Bugatti factory
When the Bugatti Type 57SC Competition
Roadster was first created, automobile
racing was considered a gentlemanly
sporting outing.
While factory teams showcased their
prototype racing models in professional
contests, many a daring individual was
able to purchase a ready-made racecar
like this roadster in order to participate in
friendly sporting events. The Type 57SC
represented a significant achievement in
automotive engineering and design.
Beyond its avant-garde styling, it was one
of the fastest road cars in the world—with
its supercharged engine, it could exceed
135 miles per hour.
An evolutionary step forward from the
prototype Aérolithe that Jean Bugatti
unveiled at the 1935 Paris Auto Salon, the
1936 Type 57SC was a sporty version of the
standard Type 57 constructed on a
short-wheelbase surbaissé, or low, chassis.
3
HISTORIC PROFILE
Its low center of gravity and profile were
established by threading the rear axle
through the frame rails—a strategy that
was sophisticated and elegant. Between
forty and fifty Type 57SCs were produced,
making it one of the most exclusive and
highly sought-after models ever built.
Motor Sport magazine extolled the
qualities of the Type 57SC inspired by
Bugatti’s rich racing heritage, stating in its
December 1936 issue, “There is no
production car which better makes use of
experience gleaned from racing-car
construction than the 3.3 litre Bugatti.”
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OWNER HISTORY
Peter Mullin acquired the Type 57SC
Competition Roadster from Bugatti
authority Uwe Hucke more than three
decades ago.
Mullin and Jim Hull directed Crosthwaite
and Gardiner, a British coachbuilding firm,
to produce its bodywork, which is a
replica of the celebrated Paris–to–Nice
Type 57SC Competition Roadster on a
contemporary frame. The car is mostly
built with factory Bugatti parts.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
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PROFILE
Coachbuilder
Chassis number
Body type
Number made
Acceleration
Top Speed
Crosthwaite and Gardiner
57492
Grand Prix
40-50
0
225
6
BODY | CHASSIS
Front brakes type
Hydraulic
Rear brakes type
Hydraulic
Front suspension type
Solid axle with semielliptical leaf
springs and telescopic shocks
Rear suspension type
Live axle with reversed
quarter-elliptical leaf springs and
telescopic shock absorbers
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Length
14'
Height (Ground line to highest roof)
4' 3"
Width
5' 6"
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ENGINE
Engine number
Type
Number of cylinders
Bore x stroke
Displacement
Distribution
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
BHP at 5000 RPM
Gearbox
9S
Inline
8
72 mm x 100 mm
3257
Supercharged; double-overhead
camshafts
170
manual
Number of gears
4
Overdrive
0
8
© Mullin Automotive Museum
All photographs courtesy of Michael Furman