One of the most distinctive vintage automobiles is the Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic. Its riveted dorsal spine, dramatic front fenders, and high-mounted coach doors make it instantly recognizable almost 90 years after it was created. Bugatti only produced four of them between 1936 and 1938, but a black one, aka “La Voiture Noire,” made for company founder Ettore Bugatti’s son Jean, is arguably the most famous of them all. It went missing in 1938 and became an automotive cold case. You can now consider that case closed because La Voiture Noire was recently recovered.
According to a 2019 Bugatti press release, the company used chassis number 57 453 “with a front bumper and lower doors as a model for photos in brochures and a demonstration car for international motor shows such as those in Lyon and Nice. In contrast to the other models, there is no trace of this car after 1938. It is not quite clear whether Jean Bugatti sold the car to a racing driver among his friends or whether it was moved to a safer region of France when the German army invaded Alsace, which is more probable.”
A clue emerged last year, when a man by the name of Pierre Menteur discovered a seemingly mundane set of documents. While sorting through a collection of belongings from his great-grandfather, Arnaud, Menteur came across a clipping of a newspaper story reporting the derailment of a French freight train. Also in the collection was a list of the inventory in each train car compiled after the accident, which Arnaud himself might have typed out. At first glance, Menteur thought nothing of a car that was simply described in a note to the side as “noir.” Having lived in France his whole life, Menteur was aware of the mystery surrounding the disappearance of “La Voiture Noire.” He started to wonder if he had stumbled across a clue that could crack the case of the missing Bugatti.
Weeks passed until Menteur got another lead. Over dinner one evening, he mentioned what he found to his friend Ignace Mathieu Posteur, who hosts a podcast about unsolved crimes of the 20th century, Mystère Eternel. During the research process for one of his episodes, Posteur pulled up an archived newspaper article about the robbery of a lot that housed the contents of a derailed train. One of the things stolen from it? An unnamed black car.
Luckily, one of the thieves involved in the caper, Amélie Fausse, confessed her part in it to her great-granddaughter, Michele LeTruc, and Michele’s boyfriend, Henri Bergeaud, a French police officer. According to Fausse, she and her crew knew exactly what was in the lot and went straight for it. Although France was in utter chaos in the late 1930s, there were still people intent on getting the Bugatti – and most of them were not police or government officials. More than one head of an organized crime syndicate wanted the Atlantic as a sort of trophy. Ultimately, LeTruc and her fellow thieves sold it for a pittance to get the rising heat off their backs.
Bugatti worked tirelessly to authenticate the story Bergeaud relayed to them. As part of their investigation, Bugatti’s in-house historians learned that decades after La Voiture Noire was stolen, it was converted into the world’s most exclusive bed. The details are a bit murky, but in the late 2010s, a Bulgarian farmer somehow received the remnants of the Bugatti as part of a trade for some equipment. The engine and radiator had been removed well before the transaction, although the doors were still (barely) attached. This farmer had recently become the primary caregiver for his four-year-old grandson, but didn’t have a bed for him. Rather than buying one, the farmer decided to fashion one out of the Bugatti, completely unaware of its significance. He constructed a base and installed it where the straight-8 used to go, then topped that with a mattress. The interior was largely gutted, so the farmer filled the space with outward-facing shelves and children’s books that could be accessed by opening the Atlantic’s doors.
That’s the good news. Here’s the bad news: you might be wondering why there are no pictures of this automotive find of the century. They do exist, but people outside of Bugatti will probably never see them. A company spokesperson said, “We are aware of the passionate interest in the discovery of this legendary piece of Bugatti history. ‘La Voiture Noire’ has captivated Bugatti owners and those outside of the automotive realm for nearly a century. Since 1938, it has been more significant as a phantom of the past than a tangible automobile. Given its longstanding identity and the derelict state in which it was found, Bugatti has decided to destroy La Voiture Noire to preserve it as what it was always known to be: an elusive mystery.”
This news may be a real downer to you, but don’t be sad as you should be celebrating. After all, it’s April Fools’ Day. Check this space next April 1st to see more shocking automotive discoveries.
