This Bugatti strips away everything that makes a track monster—and it's stunning

Credit: Bugatti Published Aug 7, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT Based in the Motor City, Carl Anthony is the Automotive Lead at How-to-Geek and the host of AutoVision News Radio, a podcast that focuses on future vehicle technology, including next-generation ADAS innovations, electrification, and software-defined cars. A broadcaster by nature, he has appeared on popular podcasts and radio shows, including Wrench Nation, Cars Yeah, The Car Doctor, and Digital PR Explained. Carl’s frequent appearances on MotorMouth Radio (WHPC 90.3 FM) over the last decade have made him a trusted resource for car enthusiasts, while his hosting of the AutoSens Insights series continues to spotlight the latest automotive technologies. Prior roles include serving as a new vehicle launch and dealer trainer for Ford, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo. Carl was a senior product specialist on Chevy's National Truck Team, an experiential marketing program that travels the United States, and a respected member of the FCA (now Stellantis) national auto show team, where he served as the resident expert for consumers on the Dodge Charger and Challenger. Before the automotive industry, Carl was a disc jockey, producer, and programmer at several popular Midwest radio stations, including KIWR, KEZO, KJAN, and KELO-FM. He is a graduate of Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, where he dual-majored in the Electronic Media studies program, earning an Associate of Applied Sciences degree in both radio and television broadcasting. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Nearly a century ago, Bugatti built a chassis that lived two separate lives. The Type 57 underpinned the Type 57G and Type 57C, cars nicknamed "Tank" for their enclosed, slab-sided bodywork that looked more like an armored vehicle than anything else on a 1930s starting grid. The shape helped them win Le Mans outright in 1937 and 1939, at a time when most competitors were still betting on raw power instead of aerodynamics. The same chassis also gave rise to the Type 57SC Atlantic, a car many collectors and enthusiasts hold in the absolute highest regard. Its signature riveted seam traces back to an earlier prototype, the Aérolithe, whose magnesium alloy body was too flammable to weld. Jean Bugatti riveted the panels together instead, then kept that seam as a design feature once the Atlantic reached production. The ultimate Bugatti car Most legendary one of the group is still unaccounted for Credit: Bugatti Bugatti built just four Atlantics, and only three are accounted for today. The fourth, Jean Bugatti's personal car, nicknamed La Voiture Noire, or “The Black Car,” disappeared during World War II (although a modern-day one-of-one La Voiture Noire, owned by a private citizen, has been displayed at the Autoworld Museum in Brussels, Belgium in the past). Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your KnowledgeBugatti Type 57SC AtlanticTrivia Challenge How much do you know about one of the rarest cars ever built? HistoryDesignEngineeringRarityOwnership Begin In what decade was the Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic originally produced? A1920sB1930sC1940sD1950s Correct! The Type 57SC Atlantic was built between 1936 and 1938, making it a product of the 1930s. It was part of the broader Type 57 series that Ettore Bugatti's son Jean helped design and develop. Not quite — the Atlantic was built in the 1930s, specifically between 1936 and 1938. This golden era of coachbuilding produced some of the most stunning automotive designs in history, and the Atlantic stands as its crown jewel. Continue How many Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantics are known to have been built? A2B6C4D10 Correct! Only four Type 57SC Atlantics were ever built. Of those four, only three survive today, making each remaining example one of the most valuable and sought-after cars in existence. The answer is four — only four Type 57SC Atlantics were ever constructed. Tragically, one was destroyed in a wartime accident, leaving just three survivors that continue to captivate collectors and historians alike. Continue Which distinctive design feature runs along the roofline and body centerline of the Atlantic? AA chrome trim stripBA riveted dorsal spine or finCA painted racing stripeDA flush glass panel Correct! The Atlantic's most iconic feature is its riveted dorsal fin, or spine, running along the centerline of the car from nose to tail. This dramatic seam was necessitated by the difficulty of welding the car's electron alloy body panels. The standout feature is the riveted dorsal spine running down the car's centerline. Far from purely decorative, this distinctive ridge was a practical solution — the Atlantic's exotic electron alloy body material was too difficult to weld, so rivets were used instead. Continue What material was the body of the Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic primarily made from? AAluminum alloyBFiberglassCSteelDElectron alloy (magnesium alloy) Correct! The Atlantic's body was crafted from electron alloy, a lightweight magnesium-based alloy. This exotic material was incredibly difficult to weld, which is why the famous riveted dorsal seam became the car's most recognizable design signature. The correct answer is electron alloy, a magnesium-based material chosen for its remarkable lightness. Its resistance to conventional welding forced craftsmen to rivet the body panels together, inadvertently creating the car's most celebrated aesthetic feature. Continue What was the approximate horsepower output of the supercharged engine in the Type 57SC Atlantic? AAround 45 hpBAround 200 hpCAround 135 hpDAround 300 hp Correct! The supercharged 3.3-liter straight-eight engine produced approximately 200 hp in some configurations, but the SC (Surbaissé Compresseur) variant in the Atlantic is generally quoted at around 135 hp — exceptional for a road car of the 1930s. The Type 57SC's supercharged straight-eight produced approximately 135 hp, which was a formidable figure for a road car in the late 1930s. The 'SC' designation stands for Surbaissé Compresseur, meaning lowered supercharged, reflecting both its lowered chassis and forced induction engine. Continue Which famous fashion designer owned a Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic for decades? ACoco ChanelBRalph LaurenCChristian DiorDHubert de Givenchy Correct! Ralph Lauren is the renowned fashion designer famous for owning a surviving Type 57SC Atlantic. His car, chassis 57591, is considered one of the finest automobiles in his legendary private collection and has been displayed at major automotive exhibitions worldwide. The answer is Ralph Lauren, the iconic American fashion designer whose passion for extraordinary automobiles is as well-known as his clothing. His Atlantic, chassis 57591, has been showcased at prestigious exhibitions including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Continue Who is credited as the primary designer of the Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic's stunning body shape? AEttore BugattiBJean BugattiCLouis BugattiDRoland Bugatti Correct! Jean Bugatti, Ettore's talented son, is widely credited with designing the breathtaking body of the Type 57 Atlantic. Tragically, Jean died in 1939 while testing a Bugatti racing car on a closed road, cutting short a brilliant design career. The designer was Jean Bugatti, Ettore's son, whose artistic vision produced one of the most beautiful automobiles ever conceived. Jean's untimely death in a testing accident in 1939 robbed the automotive world of a truly exceptional talent just as his career was flourishing. Continue Approximately how much did a Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic sell for at a private sale in 2010, making headlines worldwide? A$5 millionB$12 millionC$30 millionD$40 million Correct! In 2010, chassis 57374 — known as the 'Black Atlantic' — was sold privately for an estimated $40 million, making it one of the most expensive cars ever sold at that time. The sale cemented the Atlantic's status as the holy grail of automotive collecting. The staggering figure was approximately $40 million, achieved in a private sale in 2010 for the car known as the 'Black Atlantic' (chassis 57374). This sale electrified the collector car world and confirmed the Type 57SC Atlantic as perhaps the most valuable automobile on earth. See My Score Challenge CompleteYour Score / 8 Thanks for playing! Try Again In essence, a single Type 57 chassis produced both a race-day winner and a rolling work of art, and it could be said Bugatti drew on that same inspiration for the Destrier. The supercar shares its carbon-fiber monocoque with the Bolide, the brand's most extreme track car, but strips away every wing, vent, and aerodynamic addition that gives the Bolide its fighter-jet look. What's left is a one-off built to be admired for its proportions, craftsmanship, and the powertrain underneath. The method behind Destrier One-of-one example shaped by an emotional design Destrier is the third car in Bugatti's Programme Solitaire, a series of one-of-one commissions that followed the Brouillard and the F.K.P. Hommage. While those two cars leaned on historical aspects for their design direction, the Bugatti team instead worked from instinct, treating the Destrier as an “emotional design-first sculptural masterpiece” rather than a tribute to a single moment in the brand's past. However, with a storied brand like Bugatti, a link to its history is always present, and such is the case with Destrier, just in smaller touches. For example, a hand-laser-engraved plate above the windshield depicts both the Type 57G Tank and the Type 57SC Atlantic, tying the new car back to the chassis-sharing tradition that inspired it. Because it rides on the Bolide's platform, Destrier stands just one meter tall, lower than any other production Bugatti. The wheels grew to fill that stretched, low-slung body, sized at 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear, up from 18 inches on the Bolide. Likewise, the horseshoe grille is wider than the one on the Bolide, and the signature Bugatti C-line, normally an unbroken strip of polished trim along each side, pauses just ahead of the front wheel well before continuing on to meet it. Bugatti calls it a "breathing" line, meant to let the bare bodywork show through for a moment before the trim picks back up. Trading the paddock for a tailor's atelier Leather, knit, and copper made for one owner The Bolide's interior was built for lap times, with little beyond what a driver needs on track. Destrier's cabin leaves that minimalism behind, trading the paddock for a tailor's atelier, with every material selected for the one single person who will ever own this car. Three materials define the cabin: leather, nubuck, and a 3D-knitted textile. The leather and nubuck share a color called Ambre Voyageur, a warm brown, while the knit draws on techniques from haute couture and performance sportswear to create a seamless, tactile surface. Copper yarns run through that knit in a circular design Bugatti calls the "halo-line," which wraps around the cabin rather than sitting in one spot. The metal trim carries its own signature, too. A hammered finish first seen in the engine bay returns inside on four touchpoints: the door opener, air vents, steering wheel hub, and the entry plate. The powertrain borrowed from the Bolide Under the sculpted, Sapphire Celeste bodywork sits the Bolide's W16 powertrain, Bugatti's quad-turbocharged eight-liter engine. On pump fuel, it produces 1,600 PS (roughly 1,578 horsepower) and 1,180 lb-ft. of torque. The French automaker's 16-cylinder engine has powered every modern Bugatti since the original Veyron debuted in 2005, from the Chiron and Divo to the Centodieci, Mistral, and now Destrier. Bugatti will unveil the Destrier during Monterey Car Week, with the reveal culminating at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 16th, 2026. The Hennessey Blackbird hypercar and the McMurtry Spéirling PURE are also both set to debut at The Quail on August 14th.