1939 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio Convertible

Ettore Bugatti was born in northern Italy but started building automobiles in Molsheim in the Alsace region of France. Ettore Bugatti's son Jean was in charge of the design team responsible for the Bugatti '57C's'.

The Type 57C racing car was built from 1937 through 1940, with nearly 750 possibly produced. There were three chassis variants, but four body styles. Styles were named after Alpine mountain peaks: the Venfoux, Galiver, Atalante, and Stelvio. Gangloff Company built the Stelvio while the other 57Cs were built at the Bugatti Factory. This car has a standard-type straight-eight 3.25-liter supercharged engine, with 160 horsepower.

The Type 57C is considered by many to be the best of the production Bugattis. Though not intended for competition, some racing versions of the type 57 were built and one model won the 1936 French Grand Prix.

The Type 57 was the first new model built under Jean's direction and it introduced many significant features that were new to Bugatti. This includes the dual overhead camshaft 3.25 litre eight-cylinder supercharged engine that produces 160 horsepower. The crankshaft ran in five main bearings while the camshafts were driven by a train of helical-tooth gears at the engine's rear with a further crankshaft bearing behind them. Finger cam followers minimized side thrust on the valve stems. These were exceptional features for a car of this era.

Back in 1939, this Bugatti Type 57C was perhaps the best small sports coupe you could buy. That is, if you had $7,500.

There were three chassis variants offered, with four body styles. They were named for the Alpine Mountain Peaks; Velvfoux, Galiver, Atalante, and Stelvio. This represents the Stelvio body by coachbuilder Gangloff.

Several of the Type 57s were built specifically for racing, with one taking the victory at the 1936 French Grand Prix. This vehicle was the next to last one produced before occupation by the German Nazi's curtailed production. This car has its original body, original engine and original chassis.

The transmission was seamless, since at that point the Type 57 was Bugatti's only production car, and one of its most successful. The standard 57 engine was a 3257cc inline eight, developed from the Type 49 but equipped with gear-driven dual overhead cams. The supercharged 57C generated 160 horsepower and gave Bugatti its only victories at Le Mans 24 Hour race, in 1937 and 1939. But the Le Mans triumph of 1939 turned to tragedy on August 11 when Jean Bugatti lost his life in a road accident, driving the race-winning car. He was 30 years old. Type 57 C production ran from 1935 through 1939, and included 460 examples, hardtop coupes, and dropheads. The Stelvio drophead coupes were fabricated by Gangloff, a Swiss-based coach-building concern with close ties to Bugatti in the 1930s.

Ettore Bugatti's son Jean was in charge of the design team responsible for the Bugatti Type 57s that were built. There were three chassis variants-the S, the C, and the SC. Most of these Type 57s had one of four different body styles, and all were named after Alpine mountain peaks-the Ventoux, the Galibier, the Atalante, and the Stelvio. The Stelvio two-door convertibles were built by the Gangloff Company. These were the only Type 57s not to have bodywork built by the Bugatti factory. This car has the standard Type 57 straight-eight 3.25-liter supercharged engine developing 160 bhp.

This example was built in July of 1939 with the late-production specifications of Lockheed hydraulic brakes and telescopic shock absorbers. It is powered by a supercharged engine, number 103C, with a Stelvio cabriolet body ordered from Gangloff by the Bugatti factory in black with a burgundy leather interior. It was sent to the Lyon agent P. Monestier et Cie to their client, Dr. Robert Perrin, the car's first registered owner. It was registered in Lyon as 9141-PG. Later French owners include Messrs Turk and François Chevalérias.

A French-born diplomat living in Valley Forge, PA, named Paul Pazery acquired the Type 57 in the late 1950s. It was purchased through a Bugatti broker who had it shipped from France to the United States. At the time it was still in its original livery and remained in excellent condition. Mr. Pazery retained the car for the rest of his life, eventually retiring with it to New Mexico and overseeing a cosmetic restoration in the late 1970s.

After Mr. Pazery passed away, Jeffrey Ozan became its next caretaker, from whom it was shortly thereafter acquired by Mr. Keith Crain in 2006. Mr. Crain submitted the car to Brian Joseph's Classic & Exotic Service of Troy, Michigan, for a complete, fresh restoration. After the work was completed, it was shown at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance followed by an appearance at the Meadowbrook Concours in 2008 and at the Concours d'Elegance of America at St. John's in 2013. In 2018 it returned to St. Johns, most recently receiving the Otto Rosenbuch Spirit of the Hobby Award.