Across The Sea

We typed the words “Moscow Models” into our favorite search engine to garner some background color for this piece, and we were fairly, um, intrigued by what we found.

As entertaining as they were, none of the results had much to do with the model pictured here, other than the fact that the mastermind behind this outrageously beautiful 1:24 Bugatti Type 57 SC “Atlantic” is Mikhail Bashmashnikov. Mikhail commissioned the car for his B&G Models USA through old friend Igor Bortzov; Igor and Mikhail used to work shoulder to shoulder back in the day, as partners in a firm they called Moscow Models. No, don’t Google it.

These days, Igor passes time carving masters for some of the most wonderful model cars to emerge from the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The build for this Bugatti was undertaken by EMC at their shops in The Ukraine, under the direction of Vladimir Pivtorak, who owns and runs the company. And the result, as you can see, is stunning.

Bashmashnikov’s love affair with the Atlantic started when he saw one - in fact, the very one that this model is patterned after, owned by designer Ralph Lauren - at a New York City Concours, shortly after emigrating to the United States. Bash was so moved by the sight that he vowed to one day make the definitive model of the classic machine. 

We’d say he’s done just that, combining his talent for detail with the proficiency and finesse of one of the finest hand building houses in the world. The model is one of those rare replicas that calls out accuracy in every aspect and in every nuance of its shape; the characteristic rib that runs longitudinally over the Bugatti is so well cast that the individual rivets are discernible, even under the paint. Real steel screening is in the hood vents - a nice touch that allows the viewer to see the engine detailing lurking in the shadows. More readily enjoyed is the interior, a full-on affair behind thin glazing that replicates all of the wood, leather, and steel of the Atlantic’s cuddy to a level almost unimaginable for a sealed body creation such as this.

The finesse in every bit of detailing, from the external hinges at the doors to the immaculate placement of the hood bolts, is what sells the realism here; given the right circumstances, this model could pass easily for the real car, right down to the different sizes called out on the dead-on correct, laboriously treaded and mounted tires at all four corners. Those tires, by the way, are held in place over a wooden base that’s been finished to replicate the grain and color of the wood used on the real Bugatti’s dashboard, then decorated with plaques celebrating the 50th anniversary of the American Bugatti Club, the 1:1 car’s 1990 “Best In Show” win at Pebble Beach, and even a replica of the Lauren Atlantic’s build plate. 

Inspiration like that isn’t a surprise; in an interview with Mikhail Bashmashnikov, we got a first hand account of what this car, and the art of modeling, means to the man and to those who work alongside him, even if the collaboration takes place over thousands of miles.

This first run of Atlantics will see only 100 made; the introductory price is $575.00, with an additional offering of ten models, personally built by Bashmashnikov himself, to be offered soon for substantially more.

Google that, why don’t you?  - CRM

1938 Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic, $575.00. Offered by B&G Models USA; contact Mikhail Bashmashnikov at msbash@gmail.com / 203-968-8550.

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