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MRS. MULLIN’S CHOICE

A general purpose car in a line known as a producer of motor cars built for speed—the Bugatti Type 46 was developed as a touring car in response to the 1929 stock market crash.

By 1930 the Depression had spread to Europe, and Bugatti saw the opportunity for a new “realistic” grand touring model that was essentially a scaled-down version of the expensive Type 41 Royale from 1927. The Type 46 bridged the gap between the Royale and the three-liter Type 44 from 1929.

The Type 46 is one of the few Bugatti examples in the Mullin collection that was not bodied by the Bugatti factory. The body was designed by French coachbuilder De Villars Courbevoie, who styled the Type 46 as a convertible coupé with a rumble seat. Upon acquiring the car, the Mullins restored it in traditional coachbuilding fashion, carefully choosing colors and fabrics that suited their tastes. Merle Mullin chose the orange, yellow, and black color scheme, and outfitted the interior with a woven deerskin fabric that matched the pattern of a favorite Bottega Veneta handbag. When the car made its debut at the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Mrs. Mullin accompanied it cloaked in matching orange and carrying the Bottega Veneta bag.

The Type 46 was produced from 1929 through 1933 and was available as a cabriolet, sedan, limousine, or coupé. World War II took its toll on this model: many were converted to trucks during the war, and a number of them were scrapped after the war because they required too much gas. Also, because many European countries heavily taxed luxury cars during the postwar period, they were even more expensive to own. Only sixty of nearly five hundred Type 46s are known to have survived.

THE TEARDROP

The Talbot-Lago Type 150-C-S‘s triumph at the 1937 French Grand Prix brought international fame to the marque. The public sensation aroused by these cars convinced coachbuilder Joseph Figoni to work with the Talbot-Lago company to produce a touring version that would dominate concours d’e?le?gance. These works of art marked the peak of the Streamline Moderne movement of the 1930s, elegantly merging the organic form of a teardrop with the extraordinary power of Lago’s uncanny machine.

In 1937 Figoni’s goutte d’eau, or teardrop, had never been seen. The look of the Talbot-Lago Teardrop epitomized speed, aerodynamic efficiency and elegance. Its form was perfect for an object in motion, resembling raindrops as they fall to earth. Of the fourteen Type 150-C-Ss Figoni produced, thirteen still exist—a testimony to the love and care lavished upon them by their owners. Many survived World War II because they were bought by Hollywood glitterati and transported to the United States. Proud owners include French racecar driver Marcel Balsa, Australian Olympic bobsledder Freddie McEvoy, American car collector Tommy Stewart Lee, and the Maharani Stella de Khapurthala, who enjoyed changing her car’s color scheme to match her outfits.

The Teardrops were produced in two series. The Jeancart series was the first, named after the original patron of the style; these were coupés with a slight notchback design. The second series, dubbed New York, made its debut at the 1937 National Automotive Show in New York City and featured an uninterrupted fastback profile. Figoni did not give all cars in this series the New York designation, but they are similar in appearance. Although the Teardrops are very much alike, each was handmade and had a variety of subtle differences. The Mullin Teardrop, Chassis 90106, has an aluminum alloy body, a foldout windscreen, a sunroof, and competition-style exhaust headers, among other unique features.

JEAN BUGATTI’S MASTERPIECE

The Atlantic is the masterwork of Jean Bugatti, an artist who understood the era’s Art Deco aesthetics and an engineer who learned his mechanical craft at the heel of his father, Ettore.

The Atlantic is quintessentially Art Deco, a stylistic blend of aesthetic and social philosophies that influenced all aspects of the decorative arts, including items generally mass produced. Ordinary household items such as tea sets, clocks, radios, and toasters were transformed into art objects that were formed using exploratory mediums and futuristic lines. The style is sleek and minimal. One of the rarest and finest cars in the world, the Atlantic brings all of these influences to bear.

Jean Bugatti designed the Atlantic using the same philosophies and aesthetic principles permeating society during the Deco period. The fully enveloped wheels and scooped radiator shell are executed with a scientific precision that is evocative of the era’s fascination with the machine. The riveted seam that seems to connect the coachwork at the center pays homage to aviation technology and highlights the use of raw metal to hold the sculpture together, a scintillating touch that merges art and technology in functional sculpture. The detail is an antecedent of Jean’s original prototype of the Type 57, the Aérolithe Coupe that was unveiled at the 1935 Paris Auto Salon. Evidence suggests that the car was made of Duralumin or Elektron. Both experimental alloys are very difficult to work with and to weld. It is possible that these construction challenges resulted in the riveted fastening on the fenders and roofline—a structural detail that remained as an aesthetic addition on the finished coupe.

The Mullin Atlantic is one of two surviving Atlantics built between 1936-1938. It was originally produced as a Type 57S (surbaissé) but was returned to the factory in 1939 to be converted to a Type 57SC (surbaissé, compressor), or supercharged model.