Bugatti Type 57C Atalante

It is also rare to get up close to one of the most significant models - the beautiful Type 57C Atalante of 1938.

If you like to be spoilt, at the same time you can also view the 1926 Type 37 racing car, designed by Ettore Bugatti, founder of the famous Bugatti car company.

These two exquisite Bugatti cars are part of an exhibition titled 'Bugatti: Carlo Rembrandt Ettore Jean', which is being hosted by the National Gallery of Victoria saluting the achievements of the Bugatti family. The Bugatti family were artists, that happen to extend their artistic capabilities into motor cars.

This extraordinary family will be remembered for much more than their stunning motor vehicles, with the National Gallery recognising three generations of Italian craftsmen, artists and designers.

The exhibition features furniture crafted by Carlo Bugatti, sculpture by Rembrandt Bugatti as well as cars by Ettore Bugatti and his son Jean.

Ettore Bugatti showed an affinity to cars at a young, designing and building a four-cylinder car in 1901. This was to form the basis of the cars he manufactured in the 1900s.

Bugatti and his partner Ernest Friderich built five cars in 1910 and 75 the following year.

A number of Bugatti's began to appear in racing and enjoyed great success. Bugatti built a five-litre car in 1913, which had three valves per cylinder. Only seven were made, but paved the way for the Type 30 and Type 37 engines which were to come in the 1930s.

Ettore's son Jean was responsible for one of the greatest Bugatti's of all, the Type 57, which was introduced in 1934 was the last serious production Bugatti - powered by a 3.3-litre doublehead overhead camshaft straight eight. By 1939, a total of 683 had been made. An updated Type 57 went into production in1951, but only about 20 left the factory.