Hamilton’s Classics Museum has unveiled a massive new addition to their fleet, a DOHC straight-eight–engined performance monster from the 1930s — it’s an incredibly engineered Kiwi recreation of the long-missing 1936 Bugatti Type 57S Atlantic Coupe; one of the four original Type 57S Atlantic Coupes, chassis No. 57453, nicknamed ‘La Voiture Noire’, which vanished during World War II, sparking decades of intrigue among automotive historians.
Only three genuine examples are believed to survive today, and if chassis No. 57453 were ever found, it is said to be worth more than $100 million.
This Atlantic Coupe replica marks possibly the world’s first-ever accurate reconstruction of this particular car, and it is based on a perfectly remanufactured Bugatti Type 57 chassis.
Classics Museum truly went as far as possible to build this car authentically, even searching all over the world for an accurate Type 57 Bugatti engine. Amazingly, they actually found an example of this 1930s engine in a barn near Christchurch, in decent condition.
This straight-eight engine is a mono-block engine, meaning that the head and block are cast as one single component — unfortunately, the original was beyond repair, so a new engine block was cast and machined here in NZ using original Bugatti blueprints.
The crank was also beyond repair, so Auto Restorations in Christchurch took on the task of machining a new one, along with painstakingly restoring the rest of this exceedingly rare engine.
We could write pages about the lengths Classics Museum went to re-create this historic car — from the hand-crafted wooden frame to its hand-formed aluminium body panels. But it’s probably better if you see it in person and read about it from the Museum’s perspective.
It’s a seriously skillfully crafted car, and it has a fascinating story behind it from beginning to end. If you’d like to see it in the flesh, it’s currently displayed in Hamilton, as one of Classics Museum’s main displays.
Entry to the museum is $20 for adults, $8 for kids, free for under-fives, and this exhibit is open daily in Hamilton. It’s a must-see for any fans of pre‑war Art Deco design, and there are over 100 other cars to look at too, so there’s something for everyone!