1938 | Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux

1938 Type 57 Gangloff Berline.
Chassis number: 57673
Registration Number: BC-10-30 Portugal
Four owners from new with a fully known history. The first owner was Mr Orcoyen, an engineer and technical director at Bugatti -- therefore the car has a few special features regarding development such as a slightly inclined radiator. He sold it after the war to Mr Docime, who then sold it 1957 to America, to Mr Forster, a Volkswagen Dealer in Pontiac, Michigan. When Forster guy died in 1988 a Mr Zoli bought it for restoration, from whom the current owner bought it in 1996 & has kept it 'til this day. The odometer reads a mere 34715 Km & given the total lack of wear to the pedals & the very very sparing use under the last ownerships one has to wonder if this may be original. The car has been part of a Portugese collection for nigh on 3 decades where the yearly milaeage of the car has been measured in hundreds rather then thousands of miles .
The car has just had a full engine rebuild & the engine is being gentley run in. Needless to say it runs in Swiss watch fashion as one would expect from such an illustrious power plant. The engine bay is beautifully detailed and fankly like a piece of mobile art work. The orginal chassis plate is found on the machine turned bulkhead. The cam covers exhibit the hand scraped pattern as applied at Molshiem when new.
Coachwork is a spacious 4 door Berline by Gangloff. The seats are covered in grey cloth front & rear with leather piping to the edges. The dash is a large slab of what looks like mahogany & has the usual Bugatti minimalist appeal as an object lesson in functional simplicity.
The paintwork is in excellent order in a pleasing two tone colour scheme of mid blue over dark blue. Wire wheels are fitted all round with a spare wheel mounted under a bespoke cover to the rear.
This is a car with serious all day performance & exemplifies the tradition of the Grand Routier. To slide behind the wheel is to enter a world of polished refinement which only V12 Lagondas tend to approach but not better.
Regrettably the day we chose to photograph was beyond inclement with a snow storm in full swing so we will be back to properly valet the car & photograph it again as conditions improve.
To sum up this is a low onwership car of known provenance with a freshly rebuilt engine ready for immediate continental touring. It reeks of style & has a charm & sense of occasion one rarely finds in lesser cars.