Minichamps “Mullin” 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante

Minichamps “Mullin” 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante

Some cars are so beautiful that they can cause folks to drop on one knee and bow. There are a few such machines parked within the Peter Mullin collection in Oxnard, California, and we’d wager that there are knee marks a-plenty surrounding this particular piece — a 1939 Bugatti Type 57C “Atalante” chassis number 57801, a Gangloff-bodied wonder that was actually the last Type 57 made, cobbled together from leftover parts in the years following World War II. Like so many of the Mullin cars, its history is complex, and even includes a chapter where the car was left to rot in a Pennsylvania barn. The model is an exacting replication of the Mullin car as it looks today, restored to concours condition and finished in a hard-to-miss China Red and black scheme. The resin body is sharp, and the build nigh-on perfect; small bits like the door handles and photo-etched fasteners set the model off well. The big show is the set of amazing wire wheels, with delicate, scale-correct spokes and authentic looking rubber tires, and inside, the buff-colored cabin has all the right stuff in all the right places, including a long, thin shifter and classic, wood-rimmed steering wheel. Straight up: this is a wonderful collection, and a breakout series for this maker, and this piece only adds to what has become a top-shelf collection. Prepare to take a bow. – Joe Kelly, Jr.

1:43 | $95

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Updated: June 3, 2014 — 12:11 PM
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