The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is one of the world’s most prestigious car events, where machines like pristine Ferraris and immaculately restored Duesenbergs go under the microscope in the pursuit of trophies. As a result, most blue-chip cars arrive in enclosed trailers, free of bugs and road grime and chances of stone chips. Most, but not all. Certainly not Fritz Burkard’s Bugatti Type 57 Atalante.
That’s because Burkard drove his Bugatti from Newport, R.I. all the way to Pebble Beach, Calif., from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The sort of journey that’s heroic in something from the 1960s, let alone a multi-million dollar machine from the mid-1930s. We’re talking about an 11-day journey across the Midwest plains, over the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming, through the desert heat of Nevada, and on to the coast of California. Absolutely heroic stuff.
The decision to drive such an esteemed, historic car more than 3,000 miles to America’s premier classic car event may seem daring, but it starts to make sense when you really start thinking about it. Bugatti built its name not just on the exquisiteness of its automobiles but also on its racing success, including multiple wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Unlike today, when purpose-built Le Mans Hypercars bear little resemblance to road cars, the Bugatti Type 57G Tank that won Le Mans in 1937 was based on the actual road car, so why not draw from the spirit of Jean-Pierre Wimille and Robert Benoist?
More importantly, Burkard has a particular view on car ownership that I think many of us share. Speaking with Pebble Beach Concours chairman Sandra Button, he said, “You have to drive your cars, otherwise they die. . . . A static car museum is like a cemetery to me.” When you think about it, paint protection film can guard against stone chips, and little bits of cosmetic wear-and-tear can be fixed. You know what often can’t be fixed until it’s too late? Regret over not taking that road trip you wanted to take.
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Granted, Burkard did have a bit more support than most of us would have when making a cross-continent journey. His mechanic, his restorer, and a crew member from the Audrain Automobile Museum supported the journey and documented it on Instagram, with little fixes like using a bottle cap to hold louvers open because a spring failed helping the Bugatti make the trip, along with going to war against an oil leak. Still, the Type 57 Atalante is nearly 90 years old. Those are merely minor hiccups for a machine that rolled out of the factory before Velcro was invented.
Even better, Burkard isn’t done driving yet. He’ll be taking his Type 57 Atalante down the coast and back on the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance before entering it in the Concours on Sunday, competing for trophies against some of the most pampered collector cars in the world. That should still leave plenty of time to clean the spattered bugs off the beautiful front fenders, but even if Burkard’s Bugatti doesn’t take home hardware, it’s going home with arguably something greater: The story of a lifetime.
Top graphic image: Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
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This is what the tastefully cool kids do when they have “F-you money”
I really don’t get why people don’t just use old cars. A while ago we took our Type 44 from the east of England down to Mulhouse and drove the whole way in convoy with 2 other Bugattis. The French & Germans who were at the rally we went to called us crazy for driving the cars all that way.
We also did the International Rally in Ireland a few years ago. Again, drove from the east of England to the west of Ireland, had a week touring around with dozens of other Bugs, and then drove home again. They need to be used.
And as for oil leaks – the only place a Bugatti doesn’t leak oil is the valve caps! Probably because Ettore didn’t believe in gaskets so the only ‘proper’ gasket in most of these engines is exhaust gasket.
Wow!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a car of that age and/or value with bugs spattered on the fenders. Oddly, it’s a good look – the owner used this car for its intended purpose. I wouldn’t have thought I would have a thing in common with someone who can afford a small support team for a cross-country journey, but we both agree that cars are meant to be driven and enjoyed, regardless of their age. Neat!
Yep! I love all of it.
I once daily drove an Austin Healey Sprite from March though November because why not? Old cars run much better when they are used as cars not static displays. I can hop in that Sprite at anytime and just turn the key and know it will get me where I need. I know someone with an NA Miata that is afraid to drive it because it doesn’t get used much and they end up with reliability issues. There is no better way to make an old car reliable than to use it and fix the little issues as you notice them.
This guy is my hero and this comment says it all: “You know what often can’t be fixed until it’s too late? Regret over not taking that road trip you wanted to take.“
I’m this guy, except it’s in a Mountain Air Metallic 2015 Honda Crosstour EX-L with an Indiana vanity plate. But the sentiment remains, drive your cars and have fun with them. Wave if you see me on the road.
Look everyone i own a veyron and a couple of Rolls-Royce’s i worked for years not seeing my wife to get to where I am today it’s because I am hungry for success so for everyone saying it’s nice to own a Bugatti or anything like that takes a lot of work and you can get what I have at 57
Fucking legend…I can’t even imagine how exhilarating that would be…it would be so awesome…I would do it if I could
I saw a dude in Evergreen, Colorado arrive at a crappy bar on his Vincent Black Shadow. I sat outside waiting for him to leave just so I could hear it. That was awesome.
This is awesomer.
The Little Bear with the big deck and awesome fries?
Nope. It was my first visit to Evergreen. We started at the Little Bear and then my buddy that lived there said we mostly hang out at Cactus Jack’s. It is fine during the day (and has motorcycle parking!) but gets quite methy at night.
I was so pleased at seeing a Vincent I went back inside and started looking at real estate. We moved to Evergreen a few months later. My initials are carved in the railing upstairs at the Little Bear.
I used to roll my passenger-side window down (by reaching across and doing so) when I would encounter an Air-cooled VW at a stoplight, just to listen.
Ahhhhh must be nice to be so casually rich. ” We just drove our multi-million-dollar car across the country! Tee-hee!”
-Meanwhile millions in the US are going hungry.
Look at Buzzkil McNojoy over here, acting like deleting a single old car would solve any of the world’s problems.
I really have to wonder why you’re even on this website if the sight of a masterpiece of automotive history actually being used bothers you so much. If this man weren’t driving it, another old rich crook would instead have it locked away in an air conditioned bunker, and in either case, your material conditions would be completely unchanged.
Millions in the US are going hungry, and it is not because this guy has a Bugatti any more than it is because you live a comfortable existence.
Millions are going hungry because they lost there drive and gave up never give up just keep on going you fail you learn from that it’s laziness is the reason Millions are going hungry
That is also not the reason millions are going hungry.
Hey, someone has to preserve these treasures.
If we humans wanted there to be no hunger in this world, we could do it. But we put more emphasis on power and money than we do in solving the world’s problems. We have to punish people who aren’t like us. Don’t want to work? Starve to death. Don’t like our worldview? We’ll bomb you until you do. We profess to be followers of our religions, but we would rather hate people of other religions than to love them as we are commanded. Driving an old car across the country is the least of our problems.
We (readers) have no idea of this guy’s charitable bent. He could volunteer and make considerable gifts to his local food bank, for all we know. In my career I’ve worked with many high-net-worth folks whose generosity was amazing, and they wanted their efforts to remain unheralded.
Lighten up Francis.
Excellent
This guy is a hero, but the type 59 ( that was originally a type 57 that won the Belgian Grand Prix in 1934 driven by René Dreyfus ) Bugatti that the factory converted from a Grand Prix won last year was unrestored and unchanged since the king of Belgium had it painted and later continued to win races .
Oh wait, it’s the same guy !
Anybody with money can have a car restored, but preserving an original car — that’s really something. Frankly last year’s effort impressed me more, but wow, just wow.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/unrestored-1934-bugatti-type-59-sports-wins-best-of-show-at-2024-pebble-beach-concours-delegance/
Real cars are driven!