One of the rarest cars on Earth is missing as a Bugatti worth $100,000,000 has unknown whereabouts
Published on Nov 24, 2025 at 5:23 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Nov 24, 2025 at 9:57 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
One of the rarest cars on earth is a missing Bugatti Type 57, with an incredibly high value, yet nobody knows where it is.
There are plenty of cars around the world that have an air of mystery and intrigue around them, and the Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic is probably the most famous.
Only a handful of these cars were ever built, and each is worth a huge amount of money, but one has remained lost since World War II.
If this car is ever found again, its value could skyrocket, as it’s one of the rarest cars on earth.
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What makes this Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic so special?
The car in question is chassis No.57453, a Type 57SC Atlantic built in the late 1930s.
Originally, it was a Type 57S Coupe Aero, before it was sent to Corsica Coachworks for conversion.
The original bodywork was sent back to Bugatti and mounted on the chassis that made it so famous.
Bugatti finished the car in October 1936, and it was mostly driven by Jean Bugatti.
Finished in black, it gained the name La Voiture Noire.
The car was gifted to race driver Robert Benoist after he won the 1937 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Benoist, William Grover-Williams, and his wife, Yvonne, who were close friends, all shared the car.
But in 1940, after Germany invaded France, they fled to England, and the Bugatti was returned to the factory.
A final mention of it was made on a list of cars sent to Rue Alfred Daney in Bordeaux by train in February 1941.
The Atlantic has been missing since the 1940s
Ever since that day, the famous Bugatti sports car has been missing and has never been found.
Rumors have spread over the years as to what happened to the iconic car.
Some say it’s just been forgotten about and is waiting to be discovered in a barn or garage.
Others say it’s been scrapped, and some say it is still out there, owned by someone in secret.
If found, its value could be $100 million, and potentially as high as $114 million.
The mystery of this particular Bugatti has puzzled enthusiasts and historians ever since 1941.
As time goes on, it becomes increasingly unlikely it will ever be found.
But there is still some hope that one day, someone will stumble upon it.
Whatever happens, it remains one of the rarest cars on Earth.
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Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a leading heritage steam railway in England.
