1937 | Bugatti Type 57 C

1937 Bugatti Type 57c by Vanvooren/Figoni & Falaschi
Chassis number: 57529
Registration Number: 648RDT75 French
A simply stunning restoration with over 1 million US dollars invesed in this car.
The car was purchased in 1999 by noted USA collector Mr Malcolm Pray who then set about the most extensive, detailed & fastidious restoration I have yet seen. The bills are simply eye watering. We have photographed just a selection of the invoices on file as they comprise three thick folders with hundereds of invoices & restoration pictures.
When purchased it came with a dilapidated but original very stylish open two seat body attributed on the purchase invoice to Figoni & Falaschi of Paris. Detailed analysis however by assorted experts thing it more likely to be a Vanvooren body possibly moved off a Delahaye of the same period. Indeed a not dissimilar car was with many similar styling clues was crafted by Vanvooren for the then Shah of Iran. Seen side by side they have many similarities.
The car has won numeruous awards & first prizes at assorted USA concours d'elegance in the USA a lits of which comes with the paperwork. The car is currently with Marque Speciaist Ivan Dutton having an Overdrive fitted to make the car relaxed at mdern day speeds. At the same time he is doing a full service & set up on the car & checking over everything mechanically etc.
The body on the car is about as stylish as they come & is redolent of the most flambuoyant styling from Parisienne coach builders of the 1930's. There is no question of its period authenticity or of its French origin. It appears on the Bill of Sale when the car was exported from France, dated 20 October, 1999, as a "dismantled Figoni Body."
In the mid-nineties the 57617 was known to be in the South of France in the hands of the expatriate British concessionaire, Toby Ross. Along with an associate, Peter Rae, in the UK, he made the car available. Per invoice dated 20 October, 1999, from Peter Rae, the car was sold to a Mr. Roy Bamford, of Hyannis, Massachusetts, USA. Mr. Bamford was an associate of Mr. Bruce Amster, who made the car available to the previous owner, Mr. Malcolm Pray. The invoice indicates the car, chassis and body, was still in France and was inspected and purchased there. It is described as
"Bugatti Type 57C with a dismantled Figoni body
Incomplete and needing restoration."
The car was shipped to USA and restoration begun by Mr. Amster. After some time with little progress and other issues, the package was shipped to the well known West Coast Bugatti expert, the Alan Taylor Company of Escondido California.
The multi-year restoration by Alan Taylor included the total renovation of the chassis, the replacement of the entire wooden body framework and much metal repair in the front wings. The running gear from engine to rear axle was reconditioned to new condition. Appropriate instruments were acquired. The maroon colour enhances the lines considerably. Finally the trim was completed to the standard of the Salon de I' Automobile where the late Monsieur Gapiand had first been smitten .
The result presented today is a masterpiece of the restorer's art and the genius of the original coachbuilder. Behind the drivers seat is a flip up cowl concealing the hood mechanism & also able to stow a large amount of luggage in. The rear boot also is capacious containing the fuel filler cap, a brand new spare wheel & affording ample additional space for luggage. A coach key is used to access it.
The current coachwork is not original to this chassis. Exactly when it came to the car is currently under research but it was a part of the car while still in France. The Invoice for the car dated 20 October, 1999, references the dismantled body and attributes it to Figoni. A Figoni body plate came with the car but has not yet been authenticated. Body and chassis were together.
Figoni did not do any T-57 Bugatti bodies late in the thirties though they did a number of delightful creations for Delage and Delahaye. Van Vooren and a number of the coachbuilders did, however, create beautiful bodies, often with Figoni-like characteristics, for Bugatti as well as the other Marques. The most notable being the famous Shah of Iran T-57 that was for many years attributed to Figoni until subsequent research proved it to be a Figoni-inspired creation of Van Vooren. While it is possible that this car's coachwork originated on a T-57 Bugatti it is as likely to have come from another of the famous Grand Tourers. A comparison table suggests that, while a Delage might be possible, a T-135 Delahaye, known to have been a favorite of the Carrossiers could most easily have matched the specifications of the Bugatti.
The coachwork is currently being attributed to Van Vooren for a number of reasons, primarily due to the rear deck treatment. It is not exactly Figoni, though the rear wings would lead one in that direction. In fact it bears an interesting resemblance to the Shah of Iran T-57. A Figoni rear deck of the period would have been more rounded than this one, which has a more uniplanar sense to it as it sweeps down from the rear of the cockpit to the tail. Additionally the door handles are similar, as is the arrangement for the disappearing convertible top. The front wings are thought to be a later incorporation. It is a well known fact that most of the coachbuilders of the period would reuse designs or pieces of successful designs on other commissions. This coachwork is obviously related to that masterpiece of Van Vooren's art.
In an eMail to Mr. Leith, dated 27 February, the Dutch Bugatti historian, Ploeg, reports. "I am comfortable with 57617 in its present form, provided its custodian does not pretend it to be attributed to Figoni."
The eminent French Bugattiste, Patrick Faucompre, provided his personal recollection of having seen the remains in the warehouse of Mr. Ross near Montpelier in the mid nineties.
The car will be completed & ready by Ivan dutton in the new year.