1939 Bugatti Type 57 Aravis Coupe

The Type 57 was designed under the supervision of Ettore Bugatti's young son, Jean. For the first time in a Bugatti, the transmission was mounted integrally with the engine, separated by a single-plate clutch. In 1936, the company introduced the supercharged 57C and the 57S, a sports version with a lower, shorter chassis and a split front axle. Hydraulic brakes were added to all models in 1938.

Named after a mountain pass in the French Alps, Aravis coachwork is regarded as one of Jean Bugatti's masterpieces on the Type 57 chassis. The silhouette gives the impression that the car is built for speed, with teardrop fenders that seem to launch the car forward. Bugatti himself claimed that this actual car was 'the most beautiful of all Type 57s.'

This Carrosserie Gangloff-built Aravis Cabriolet was finished in a two-tone blue-and-white paint scheme as specified by Jean Bugatti and sold new to French Grand Prix racing driver Maurice Trintignant in 1939. After use as his daily road car, Trintignant sold his Type 57 in 1947, and it later passed into the hands of longtime owner Rudi van Daalen Wetters. Rudi was a true Bugatti enthusiast and expert who owned multiple Bugattis over the course of his life. He passed away in 1999, and the car joined the Mullin collection in 2002. With the help of Trintignant, who was still alive and very sharp at the time, the rare Bugatti was restored to its original configuration.