1936 Bugatti Type 57 Pillarless Coupe

This 1936 Bugatti Type 57 wears Ventoux coachwork designed by Jean Bugatti and built in-house at the Molsheim Works. It left the factory wearing a gray exterior, a steeply raked windscreen, flowing lines, and a rear-mounted spare tire. It was delivered to Moreau-Esnault in August 1936. By 1949, it was in Paris being serviced by Roger Teillac's Laos Garage for then-owner M. Raleur. In 1954, it was registered to a new Parisian owner and then passed through two subsequent owners before being acquired in 1960 by Belgian Bugatti dealer Jean De Dobbeleer.

It was sold to Osmo Penttinen of Westminster, Massachusetts, via Dutch dealer van Ramshorst in the mid-1960s. The Bugatti remained in his care for over five decades before being sold to the current caretaker. It Ventoux has been exhibited on just one occasion, at The Boston Cup Classic Car Show in September 2012.

This Bugatti Type 57 is in original, unrestored condition and has spent decades in static storage. It retains its matching-numbers engine, factory data tag, and Ventoux coachwork.

This Bugatti has the second-series chassis - introduced in 1936 - featuring a strengthened rear axle, cross-braced frame, rubber engine mounts, and upgraded brakes. The 3,257cc dual overhead camshaft inline eight-cylinder engine has a single Stromberg UUR-2 carburetor and delivers 135 horsepower at 5,000 RPM. There is a four-speed manual gearbox, four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes, a solid front axle, and a live rear axle. The suspension used semi-elliptical leaf springs and shock absorbers at the front and reversed quarter-elliptical leaf springs and shock absorbers at the rear.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2023