BUGATTI Type 57G "Tank" - 1937 Le Mans Winner

BUGATTI Type 57G "Tank" - 1937 Le Mans WinnerLimited to just 199 pieces Based on the car as raced to victory by Jean Pierre Wimille and Robert Benoist in the 24 Hours of Le Mans at Circuit de la Sarthe on 19 and 20 June 1937 1: 8 scale model, over 37 cms 14 inches long Each model hand built and assembled by a small team of craftsmen Made using the finest quality materials Complete with opening driver door and engine cover, and a removable spare wheel Over 5000 hours to develop the model Over 500

• Limited to just 199 pieces
• Based on the car as raced to victory by Jean-Pierre Wimille and Robert Benoist in the 24 Hours of Le Mans at Circuit de la Sarthe on 19 and 20 June 1937
• 1:8 scale model, over 37 cms/14 inches long
• Each model hand-built and assembled by a small team of craftsmen
• Made using the finest quality materials
• Complete with opening driver door and engine cover, and a removable spare wheel
• Over 5000 hours to develop the model
• Over 500 hours to build each model
• Thousands of precisely engineered parts: castings, photo-etchings and CNC machined metal components
• Built using extraordinarily precise digital data created from scanning the only remaining car in existence
• Paint codes, material specifications and archive imagery provided by Bugatti
• Officially licensed 24 Hours of Le Mans product

Only three Type 57 Tanks were ever produced, the first of which disappeared shortly after its introduction at the Paris Auto Salon in 1936, never to be seen again. This model is based upon the second, the famous 57S-based 57G Tank, that would go on to win the French Grand Prix later that year, piloted by Jean-Pierre Wimille and Raymond Sommer. They completed the 80 lap, 1000km race in 7:58:52.7, emerging the victors by 50.6 seconds.

More success followed the next year when, driven by Wimille and Robert Benoist, the 57G was victorious in the 24 Hours of Le Mans after completing 243 laps. This was seven more than their closest rivals in second place. Wimille would proceed to win the race again in 1939 in the third Tank, the Type 57C. Sadly, designer Jean Bugatti was involved in a fatal accident in that very car, only a few weeks after it had stormed to Le Mans victory. The Le Mans winning vehicle, chassis number 57335, is the only remaining Tank to exist and is currently on display at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia.

This perfect scale model has been handcrafted and finished in our workshops with the co-operation and assistance of the manufacturer regarding original finishes, materials, archive imagery and drawings.The use of original CAD and supremely accurate digital scanning of the original car has allowed us to perfectly recreate every detail at scale. Furthermore, the prototype model has undergone detailed scrutiny by the manufacturer’s engineering and design teams to ensure complete accuracy of representation.

The Bugatti Type 57G "Tank" is limited to only 199 pieces.

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