The 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic from the Mullin Automotive Museum collection was named “J.B. & Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car” at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which was held at Pebble Beach Golf Links during Monterey Car Week, the museum announced.
The museum’s 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic and 1935 Voisin Type C25 Aerodyne were included in a special exhibition of former “Best of Show” winners to celebrate the event’s 70th anniversary.
“We are honored to receive the ‘J.B. & Dorothy Nethercutt Most Elegant Closed Car’ award from the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance,” said Mullin Automotive Museum Founder Peter Mullin. “The Pebble Beach Concours is a flagship event for the entire automotive community. Sharing this exquisite vehicle with enthusiasts and collectors from around the world on such a rich and historic platform is a great opportunity.”
The first of only four produced and one of three survivors, this Jean Bugatti-designed Atlantic is considered by many to be the most elegant automobile ever crafted and is often nicknamed the “Mona Lisa” of cars, the museum said. This example is the only surviving “Aéro Coupé,” a designation given to the first two cars which were mechanically very similar to the aérolithe.
Delivered new in 1936 to Britain’s Nathaniel Mayer Victor Rothschild, third Baron Rothschild, the Atlantic has had only a handful of owners in its 80-year history. The vehicle is co-owned by Peter and Merle Mullin and Rob and Melani Walton but resides under the care of the Mullin Automotive Museum.
