1935 Bugatti Aerolithe
The Aerolithe was shown at the 1935 Paris Auto Salon and a few subsequent events… and then disappeared. No one knows whether it was dismantled, sold quietly, or destroyed. Its absence is part of its mystique, and it has become a kind of automotive Atlantis. It was essentially a rolling concept car — a testbed for ideas that would later crystallize in the Type 57 Atlantic. Its proportions, teardrop tail, and split spine construction were all experiments in aerodynamic form.
The Aerolithe’s body was crafted from Elektron, a magnesium aluminum alloy that was incredibly lightweight — and famously flammable. Because it couldn’t be welded, Bugatti’s craftsmen used riveted flanges along the spine and fenders. Those raised seams became the car’s signature aesthetic, later echoed in the Type 57 Atlantic.
“Aérolithe” (meaning meteorite) evokes something celestial — a stone fallen from the sky. Ettore Bugatti and his son Jean were both fascinated by aviation, and the car’s name and form reflect that obsession. Period accounts describe the Aerolithe in a light metallic green — a color that made it look even more otherworldly under the salon lights.
Only reconstructions of the Aerolithe exist today, requiring feats of historical detective work. Because the original vanished, modern recreations rely on period photos, Bugatti factory drawings, contemporary accounts, and study of the Bugatti Type 57 Atlantics.
Jean Bugatti’s work on the Aerolithe is often cited as the point where car design crossed into the realm of art deco sculpture — a fusion of engineering and pure aesthetic daring.
[Source: Bing Copilot]
1935 Bugatti Aerolithe
The Aerolithe was shown at the 1935 Paris Auto Salon and a few subsequent events… and then disappeared. No one knows whether it was dismantled, sold quietly, or destroyed. Its absence is part of its mystique, and it has become a kind of automotive Atlantis. It was essentially a rolling concept car — a testbed for ideas that would later crystallize in the Type 57 Atlantic. Its proportions, teardrop tail, and split spine construction were all experiments in aerodynamic form.
The Aerolithe’s body was crafted from Elektron, a magnesium aluminum alloy that was incredibly lightweight — and famously flammable. Because it couldn’t be welded, Bugatti’s craftsmen used riveted flanges along the spine and fenders. Those raised seams became the car’s signature aesthetic, later echoed in the Type 57 Atlantic.
“Aérolithe” (meaning meteorite) evokes something celestial — a stone fallen from the sky. Ettore Bugatti and his son Jean were both fascinated by aviation, and the car’s name and form reflect that obsession. Period accounts describe the Aerolithe in a light metallic green — a color that made it look even more otherworldly under the salon lights.
Only reconstructions of the Aerolithe exist today, requiring feats of historical detective work. Because the original vanished, modern recreations rely on period photos, Bugatti factory drawings, contemporary accounts, and study of the Bugatti Type 57 Atlantics.
Jean Bugatti’s work on the Aerolithe is often cited as the point where car design crossed into the realm of art deco sculpture — a fusion of engineering and pure aesthetic daring.
[Source: Bing Copilot]