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1937 Bugatti Type 57 background image

1937 Bugatti Type 57 Special Coupe

  • Coachwork by Gangloff
  • Chassis Number: 57517
  • Engine Number: 7C
  • Registration Number: 9456 DG 75
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Navigation
This Bugatti Type 57C Ventoux is a one-off masterpiece, named for an Alpine pass and created to the specification of Prince Wilhelm of Sweden. The prince ordered the car during a visit to Molsheim in the spring of 1937, and the car was delivered on June 5, in black paint with Havana Brown leather. Chassis 57517 was equipped with engine number 7C, one of the first supercharged Type 57 engines built. The car's unique styling is differentiated from other Ventoux bodies by its Atalante-style front fenders and elaborate dash. In 1938, the Bugatti returned to the factory and acquired third-generation upgrades - hydraulic brakes, telescopic shocks, and a Vertex magneto. Retained by its second owner for four decades, the car remains unrestored and displays a nostalgic patina throughout.
Bugatti unveiled the Type 57 in 1934 and served as a successor to the Type 49. Power was sourced from a 3.3-liter, twin-cam, straight-eight engine paired with a four-speed manual gearbox. Refinements and modifications were introduced throughout its production lifespan, resulting in three distinct series of chassis. During 1936, the Second-Series chassis was introduced with a cross-braced frame, rubber engine mounts, a strengthened rear axle, upgraded brakes, and other improvements. This particular example employs a Second Series chassis and is powered by one of the first supercharged Type 57 engines.

This Bugatti Type 57C was assembled in March 1937 and received special Ventoux coachwork, penned by Jean Bugatti and constructed at the Molsheim factory. The design features a steeply raked windscreen and graceful flowing lines, with additional unique features such as the Atalante-style front fenders and 57C dashboard. Most of the Ventoux coupes were in un-supercharged configuration and did not have the 57C dashboard.

This Bugatti was built for Prince Wilhelm of Sweden who ordered the car while visiting Molsheim in the Spring of 1937. When it left the factory, it wore black paint with Havana Brown leather upholstery. It was delivered to the Swedish royal on June 5, 1937.

The Type 57C was returned to Bugatti in 1938 for freshening which was outsourced to coachbuilder Gangloff of Colmar, France. The work done was 'Revison carrosserie, nettoyage, polissage, raccords peinture' and was completed on May 27th of 1938. Bugatti also used the time to update the chassis to the Third Series, adding Lockheed hydraulic brakes, telescopic shock absorbers, and a Vertex magneto.

Dr. Jacques Frasquelle acquired the Ventoux from the Bugatti factory in May 1939 and registered it in Paris as '9456 DW 75.' The car remained in Dr. Frasquelle's care for over four decades. Earl Jennings of The Century Auto Collection in Houston, Texas, acquired the Ventoux in October of 1985 at the Osenat Paris-Fontainebleau Auction. The collection was dissolved a few years later, and the Bugatti was sold, via Ralph Englestad, to Mark J. Smith.

The car was shown in 2009 at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where it received First in Class in the Prewar Preservation class. At the Elegance at Hershey in 2018, it earned the Historic Vehicle Association's Most Well-Preserved Vehicle Award.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2022
Having worked for nearly ten years with such notable firms as De Dietrich, Mathis, and Deutz, Ettore Bugatti established his own firm in 1909. One of his notable early successes was the Bebe made by Peugeot to Bugatti's design. Nearly 8,000 cars and 52 models bearing the Bugatti name were produced at the Molsheim factory located in Alsace, France, from 1910 to 1951 - ranging from his Grand Prix Type 35 racer to one of the most costly and luxurious automobiles ever built, the Bugatti Royale.

This one-off Bugatti with coachwork by Gangloff remains in all-original and unrestored condition with just 60,000 miles from new. It was built for a friend of Ettore Bugatti, Prince William of Sweden. He kept the car in Paris, as did the second owner, until his passing. In 1988 the estate sold the car to a collector in Texas, who lost the car in bankruptcy. The car was sold again and purchased by its current caretaker around 1990.

Provenance *
* Please note, dates are approximate

2022 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach

Pre-Auction Estimates :
USD $1,000,000-USD $1,500,000 
Sale Price :
USD $940,000

1937 Bugatti Type 57 Auction Sales

Recent Sales of the Bugatti Type 57

(Data based on Model Year 1937 sales)
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio Coachwork by Gangloff
Chassis#: 57600
Sold for USD$577,000
  2024 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach
1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  
1937 BUGATTI TYPE 57 GALIBIER
Chassis#: 57535
Sold for USD$179,200
  2024 Gooding & Co: Selections From The Mullin Collection Auction
 
1937 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante
Chassis#: 57557
Sold for USD$1,325,000
  2023 Broad Arrow : Monterey Jet Center
1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  
1937 Bugatti Type 57C Vanvooren Roadster
Chassis#: 57742
Sold for USD$1,132,500
  2023 Broad Arrow Group : Amelia Island
1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  
1937 BUGATTI TYPE 57C VENTOUX
Chassis#: 57517
Sold for USD$940,000
  2022 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach
1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet
Chassis#: 57156
Sold for USD$582,500
  2022 RM Sothebys : Amelia Island
1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet
Chassis#: 57156
Sold for USD$665,000
  2021 RM Sothebys : Monterey
1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Surbaisse 3.3-Litre Four-Seat Sports Grand Routier Dulcie
Chassis#: 57503
Sold for USD$5,634,922
  2021 Bonhams : Legends of the Road
 
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet par Graber
Chassis#: 57500
Sold for USD$569,680
  2019 Artcurial : Retroobile
 
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Pillarless Sports Coupe
Chassis#: 57443
Sold for USD$360,434
  2018 Bonhams : Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais
1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet
Chassis#: 57156
Sold for USD$572,000
  2017 RM Sothebys : Monterey
1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux coach usine
Chassis#: 57547
Sold for USD$474,143
  2016 Artcurial : LeMans Classic
 
1937 Bugatti Type 57
Chassis#: 57579
Sold for USD$339,440
  2015 Rétromobile by Artcurial Motorcars
 
1937 Bugatti Type 57C Ventoux
Chassis#: 57584
Sold for USD$800,000
  2015 RM Auctions - Automobiles of Arizona
1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  
1937 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio by Gangloff
Chassis#: 57467
Sold for USD$985,376
  2014 RM Auctions - London
 
1937 Bugatti Type 57C Roadster in the style of Figoni et Falaschi
Chassis#: 57617
Sold for USD$902,000
  2014 RM Auctions - Amelia Island
1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux
Chassis#: 57524
Sold for USD$420,029
  2013 RM Auctions - VILLA ERBA
 
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux
Chassis#: 57345
Sold for USD$451,000
  2013 Gooding and Company - The Scottsdale Auction
1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  1937 Bugatti Type 57 image  
1937 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio Cabriolet
Chassis#: 57467
Sold for USD$978,670
  2012 RM Auctions - London
 
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio Cabriolet
Chassis#: 57435
Sold for USD$477,848
  2011 RM Auctions - London
 

Bugatti Type 57s That Failed To Sell At Auction

1937 Bugatti Type 57's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
VehicleChassisEventHigh BidEst. LowEst. High
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Roadster574952023 Bonhams : Goodwood Revival $280,000$340,000
1937 BUGATTI TYPE 57C VENTOUX575062022 Gooding & Company : London Auction $800,000$1,200,000
1937 Bugatti Type 57C Ventoux575842020 RM Sothebys : Shift/Monterey $700,000$850,000
1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante Coupe576412019 Worldwide Auctioneers : Riyadh Auction$2,800,000  
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Pillarless Sports Coupe574432017 Bonhams : Greenwich Concours $400,000$480,000
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Pillarless Sports Coupe574432017 Bonhams : Scottsdale, AZ $500,000$600,000
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux 2008 Vintage Motor Cars of Meadow Brook$390,000$475,000$575,000
1937 Bugatti Type 57575462008 Bonhams Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles Automobiles d'Exception $350,000$450,000
1937 Bugatti T57 Stelvio574402008 RM Auctions Automobiles of Arizona$395,000$450,000$550,000
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux 2006 Bonhams & Butterfields at The Quail Lodge, Resort & Golf Club $265,000$300,000
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux Sports Saloon575482005 Bonhams Sports, Competition & Collectors' Motor Cars, F1 Memorabilia, Automobilia & Models $160,000$200,000
1937 BUGATTI TYPE 57 C ATALANTE DECOUVRABLE 2001 Kruse Auction Scottsdale Arizona$550,000  

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1937 Bugatti Type 57

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