1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux
1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux
1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux

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Ettore Bugatti was born in Italy, and his automobile company was founded in Molsheim, France. The company was known for the advanced engineering in its premium road cars and its success in early Grand Prix motor racing, winning the first ever Monaco Grand Prix, numerous Grand Prix's throughout Europe, and the 24 Hours of LeMans twice. Bugatti's cars were as much works of art as they were mechanical creations, with hand-turned finishes on the engine blocks and safety wire treaded through almost every fastener in intricately laced patterns. He regarded the cars of his arch competitor, Bentley, as 'the world's fastest trucks' for focusing on durability. To Bugatti, weight was the enemy.

The Type 57 Bugatti is a touring model manufactured from 1934 to 1940, and just 630 examples were produced. It has a 3.3-liter twin overhead camshaft engine from the Type 59 Grand Prix cars, producing 135 horsepower. Top speed is 95 mph. The Type 57 weighs about 2100 pounds. It features a smaller version of the square-bottom horseshoe grille, also found on the fabulous Bugatti Royale. The sides of the engine compartment are covered with thermostatically-controlled shutters.

The owner has owned this Bugatti since 1970, and it has been in the weddings of four of their children and one granddaughter.
Many manufacturers during this time produced multi-purpose vehicles that could be driven to a race track, raced, and then driven home. The Bugatti Type 57, however, was solely a road-going vehicle and is considered the most celebrated of all non-racing Bugattis. Even though the Type 57 was strictly a road-going vehicle, a racing version was created for the 1937 24-Hours of Le Mans race. This vehicle, based on the Type 57S chassis and named the 57G, won the race. A supercharged version was created for the 1939 Le Mans race and also was victorious. This is the legacy of the Bugatti heritage and the quality and innovative designs that were truly masterpieces in all respects.

In 1934, the Type 57C entered the scene, a project headed by Jean Bugatti, the son of Ettore Bugatti. The vehicle centered around refinement while focusing on the values that had made Bugatti successful.

Three 'factory' bodies were available and consisted of the Ventoux, a two-window and four window version, the Stelvio, and the Atalante. All of the Atalante bodies were produced and all were done in-house. The Atalante was named after peaks in the Alps and is one of the most exclusive bodystyles ever produced by Bugatti.

The Type 57 could also be ordered with Galibier four-door bodies. Ealier versions of the Galibier bodies had suicide-opening front doors with no pillar. Later versions had suicide-opening front doors and rear doors hung in the traditional fashion. The front and rear doors would share a common pillar.

Jean designed an indepenent front suspension to aide in the handling of the vehicle. This was not popular with Ettore Bugatti and had the traditional Bugatti front axle installed.

A 3.3 liter, twin-cam, straight-eight engine was used to power this vehicle. Even with the heavy saloon bodies, the engine could propel the vehicle to a speed of around 95 mph. A Roots-type supercharger was later added and the vehicle was given the designation 57C. The supercharger was quiet and provided between three to four pounds of boost pressure. The addition of the supercharger increased the horsepower rating to 175.

The Type 57S version was a 'sportier' version of the Type 57. The chassis was shorter, with the rear axle running through the frame. A slightly tuned engine with higher compression and a dry sump lubrication helped increase the performance of the car. The front and rear axles received de Ram shock aborbers, replacing the Hartford Friction dampers.

The Type 57SC was a combination of the 57C and 57S. The engine produced between 200 and 220 horsepower.

On August 11, 1939 while testing a Type 57C tank-bodied racer near Molsheim, Jean Bugatti was killed. This was the same day as the start of the 2nd World War, which inevitably meant that the race Jean was preparing the vehicle for would never be run.
Ettore Arco Isidoro Bugatti was born in Milan, Italy in 1881. His father, Carlo, was a furniture designer of some fame. The father's brother, Rembrandt, was a gifted sculptor of animals. When he was old enough, Ettore attended the Brera Academy of Art where he studied sculpture. Soon, he turned his attention to mechanical endeavors.

The first Bugatti motor car was built in 1899 though the first vehicle to bear his name was the Type 13 of 1910. Power came from a four-cylinder, eight-valve engine. The 1913 the radiators became more rounded and in the shape of a horse shoe.

The company's first eight-cylinder engine production car was introduced in 1922 and dubbed the Type 30. The engine had a single overhead camshaft and displaced two liters. The car had a drum brakes, solid axles and leaf springs on all four corners.

The Type 35 in all sequences, the A, B, C, and T, were some of Bugatti's early examples that made the marque famous. The Type 57 introduced in 1934 and continued in production until 1940. They were powered by a 3257cc straight-eight engine with double overhead camshafts that produced between 130 and 140 horsepower. There were four road-going versions of the 57 and these were the Type 57, Type 57C, Type 57S, and Type 57SC. The Type 57C was a supercharged version while the Type 57S was a sporty version based on a short and lower wheelbase. The Type 57SC was a combination of the 57S and 57C. A variety of body-styles were offered throughout the years.

The engine rested in a ladder-type frame and matted to a four-speed manual gearbox. The front had a tubular axle with the suspension comprised of longitudinally mounted semi-elliptic leaf springs. The rear axle was suspended in place by a pair of quarter-elliptic leaf springs. The early versions of the vehicle had cable-operated drums on all four wheels. Later versions were upgraded with Lockheed hydraulic brakes with twin master cylinder, which first appeared in 1938.

The Type 57 and its variants were intended for road going use. However, many made their way onto the racing circuit. Lord Howe drove a Type 57 to a third place finish in the 1935 Tourist Trophy. A Type 57G won the Monthlhery and Reims race in 1936. In 1937, Jean-Pierre Wimille and Robert Benoist drove a Bugatti to victory at LeMans.

Many of the cars were clothed by prominent coachbuilders such as Figoni, Van Vooren, Corsica, and James Young. Most of the chassis were bodied by the factory with coachwork in the style of Jean Buggatti. The catalog bodies included two versions of the Ventoux Coupe, the Galibier four-door sedan, the Stelvio cabriolet, Atalante, and Atlantic. The Atlantic and Atalante were constructed in two-door coupe configuration. Gangloff, a Swiss coachbuilder, was tasked with clothing most of the factory bodies.

1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux

Year1935
MakeBugatti
ModelType 57 Ventoux
Engine LocationFront
Drive TypeRear Wheel
Body / ChassisAluminum body on steel frame
Production Years for Series1934 - 1940
Weight2100 lbs | 952.6 kg
Combined MPG0.00

Performance
Top Speed95 mph | 152.9 km/h Similar top speeds

Engine  
Engine ConfigurationS
Cylinders8
Aspiration/InductionNormal
Displacement3.30 L | 201.4 cu in. | 3300.9 cc.
Valves16 valves.
2 valves per cylinder.
ValvetrainDOHC
Horsepower135.00 BHP (99.4 KW) @ 4500.00 RPM
HP to Weight Ratio15.6 LB / HP (Vehicles with similar ratio)
HP / Liter40.9 BHP / Liter
Fuel TypeGasoline - Petrol
Fuel FeedCarburetor
Stromberg UUR2 Carburetor
BlockCast-iron
HeadCast-iron
Vehicles with similar horsepower and weight

Standard Transmission
Gears4
TransmissionManual
ClutchMulti-plate
Final Drive3.85:1


 
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1938 Type 57 Ventoux
1937 Type 57 Ventoux
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