Bugatti Gangloff - Mythical Beast

One of the greatest missed opportunities in automotive history.

4y ago
325.2K

They say the only real regrets a person has are for the things they didn’t do. If you were to look back, and compile a list of all the things you wished you’d done but didn't, how long would the list be? Missed opportunities are as haunting as they are tormenting, yet they surround us. Not just in our own lives, but in every topic of involvement the world over.

You wouldn't associate Bugatti with a car company that's had many missed opportunities. After all, their history is one that’s peppered with examples of engineering perfection. But I think there is a discrepancy amongst their range (of 1 car), and it comes in the shape of the Gangloff.

As you can see, a completely different type of car to the hyperdrive Veyrons and Chirons the brand is synonymous with. But the Gangloff is no less special for being different. In fact, this car inspires a slight change in my blogging style. Instead of now orating on autopilot about its various etherial facets, and romancing about its exquisite proportions, I’m going to shut up, and allow you to ogle at a few photographs of this divine mythical beast...

...special, aye? Designed to echo the 1938 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante - which was created by French Coach Builder, Gangloff - each and every part of it clearly harks back to a bygone era, yet it’s all as crisp and modern as Apple’s Cupertino headquarters. Even though I don’t particularly think it looks anything like the car that inspired it, I couldn’t care less. To my eyes, this is the most beautiful car I’ve ever seen. And in typical Bugatti tradition, the interior invites you in with its unmatchable allure.

The attention to detail is quite simply phenomenal! Everything looks as though it’s melting around everything else, like multi-coloured lava colliding in a volcanic spillage. Absolutely everything - from the way the three arms of the steering wheel are dished down level upon level, to the air vents which stretch and drape themselves elegantly over every orifice they touch - is like nothing you’d see in any other car. What a crying shame it’s only a virtual concept!

That said however, because it’s make believe, it does at least give people some room to dream. If I was the supreme Bugatti dictator, this car would be powered by half of the signature 8 Litre W16. To the disgust of the green people however, I’d bin the turbos in favour of normal aspiration, and instruct my engineering army to squeeze something north of 500bhp out of the 4L unit. Front engine, rear drive, and - controversially - I’d have to have a manual gearbox option. I know the pictures clearly show a DSG and power around the 1000bhp mark, but I don’t see this as a thousand-horsepower car. To me, it would sit much happier as a flamboyant, and fittingly grandiose alternative to the current crop of entry level supercars.

Since the Gangloff is simply a virtual concept, and therefore has no mechanical DNA, it has no purpose other than itself. I can sit here and try to think of God knows how many tortured metaphors to summarise just what this car looks like through my eyes, but that would be pointless. Partly because it's subjective, but mostly because the sight of this car alone encapsulates itself and makes all descriptive efforts fall into insignificance. What we have here is something to bewitch our dreams, and also, the greatest definition of “art” a car could ever hold.

New blogs EVERYDAY!!

Written by: Angelo Uccello

Twitter: @AngeloUccello

Tribe: Speed Machines

Facebook: Speed Machines - DriveTribe

Join In

Comments (46)

  • This article was very well written and fun to read! And I agree completely, it is magnificent.

      4 years ago
  • I'm at loss for words. Can't think of any adjective to pin on this machine. Bugatti better build it. Its body has an elegance that is lacking in both the Veyron and Chiron.

    Thanks Mr. Ucello.

      4 years ago
  • That does look quite pretty. Alright, very pretty.

      4 years ago
  • Great article, although I personally feel this concept doesn't capture the elegance of the 57 Atalante. All a matter of taste, like you said :-). By the way, the Atalante was designed by Jean Bugatti and the drawings were finalized by Joseph Walter, Bugatti's house designer. 5 or 6 slightly modified specials, with more headroom, were built by Gangloff in 1939.

      4 years ago
    • Yes, I totally understand that. I guess in some ways the fussiness of modern machinery can dilute their elegance somewhat. I didn't know that about Gangloff. Thanks for the compliment, commenting, and for the info :)

        4 years ago
    • To be honest, you don't want it to look too much like the original. I can't stand it when famous marques plunder their heritage because they can't be bothered making an icon for a new generation. Although it wasn't Aston Martin per sae, look at...

      Read more
        4 years ago
  • great looks. Maybe the engine is also powerful....

      3 years ago
46