Bugatti Aerolithe

Did Pur Sang do the work in Argentina? As a recreation...what did they use for the engine?

 

HEAVENS! Go stand in the corner with your dunce hat on!!!!

All work done in Canada by Guild Classic Cars. Engine and chassis are original T57.
Go back to post #1 and start there! And don't show your face around here until!! ;-)

 

Just out for a cruise...
http://i39.tinypic.com/f1i0r6.jpg

 

car won the show award, which it deserves, but I also read that the owner RL had some issue with denied entry from last or prior year?

 

here a fictional image I came across, pretty cool looking - no harm done to any real cars in this digital rendering (not mine)
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Awesome. Now that is a Hotrod!
Pete

 

I'm confused. So RL owns a real one and yet this replica was built ... why if there is indeed a real one?
Pete

 

it's a replica? I can understand him doing it if the real one is just too valuable to take out anywhere ....is that why they refused him before to attend, due to being a replica of his real one?

 

No no, you have miss understood me.

I assume RL's is real, but then why was the car in this thread built. I thought it was because all original ones had been lost.
Pete

 

Ah, okay

RLs is an Atlantic, and the above recreation an Aerolithe

 

Pete,
The RL Atlantic is real as are, the ex-Peter Williamson car in the Mullin Museum in CA, and reputedly a third in France (or) Spain(?)

The Aerolithe was a one-off. Many similarities to the Atlantics, but it's own car. The Guild of Automotive Restorers undertook its recreation at the behest of a customer interested in recreating a lost icon, as I understand it.
Best,
Dave

 

Heck I cannot tell the difference between an Atlantic and an Aerolithe ... must be real subtle .
Pete

 

true, but they do differ in many ways, body styling is as you say very similar at first glance
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/141261039-post22.html

 

In effect the Aerolithe was a prototype. Much of the design was carried over.

 

correct, the Atlantic can be considered the production model of the Aerolithe show concept car

 

cool period pic!

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Nice dog.

Any idea what the wrinkling on the door top is?

 

louvers i think.....all sorts of surface changes were made to these cars over the years...if you are really good you can name the car and the approx date photographed.

 

Three sets of three. Louvers likely.

 

I like period photos, the context with the architecture there is great!

 

Forgotten Bugatti on Vimeo

 

As far as I am aware they made 14 Atlantics ... I guess 2 makes a production model

Pete

 

RL car is real (#57591) but it is very different from the car delivered in 1938 as he had the car restored from the ground up. It is believed that the 2nd Atlantic might be hidden in France, who knows...

 

Hey guys,

I thought i might be able to answer some questions from above. There was one Aerolithe, crafted in 1935 and displayed for the first time at the Paris Salon in early October of the same year.
There were four Atlantics that were ever made according to factory records. The first was 57374 which was heavily modified mid-way through its life having the rear windows expanded and the interior gutted and replaced. It underwent a restoration done by High Mountain Classics and now resides in the Mullin Automotive Museum. The second was 57453 which was last seen in 1939 on a shipping manifest from Molsheim to Bordeaux. It has been missing ever since.
The third Atlantic pictured above is 57473 which had it's coachwork changed early in its life and was struck by a train in the early 50's. It sat for nearly 30 years as evidence until it was release and partially restored with what remained of it. It has since gone through a major restoration done by Paul Russel and although it has undergone scrutiny for whether it actually qualifies as an original after having so much replaced, it is still a beautiful car.

The 4th and final Atlantic is Ralph Laurens chassis 57591. It was restored by Paul Russel in the early 90's and won best of show after its restoration was completed. It has since toured and won many awards. Ralph Laurens is considered the most original of the survivors however it did not go without suffering over the years prior to its restoration. It too had its upholstery recovered and it was painted in a different shade of blue than originally.

The original design of the Atlantics called for there to be no louvers in the vehicle. It was found out quite quickly by the customers that they get very, very hot. Additional air flow was requested by each of the four customers.
They originally did not come with a supercharger either, but it was not uncommon for the Bugatti factory to have the cars come back and have these installed after the fact.

Hope this helps explain a bit more of the background to the Aerolithe and Antlantics.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTI5seuGi20&feature=c4-overview&list=UUQMELFlXQL38KPm8kM-4Adg]1935 Bugatti Aerolithe Coupe - Jay Leno's Garage - YouTube[/ame]