1938 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet

The coachbuilding firm of D'Ieteren was founded in 1805 by Jean Joseph D'Ieteren, who started his career as a wheel-wright. Thus D'Ieteren, which is located in Brussels and still exists today, is one of the oldest automotive firms in the world. From 1897 to 1935 the firm built something like 6,000 high-quality coachworks on chassis from Hispano Suiza, Minerva, Mercedes-Benz, and Bugatti. It counted Dutch and Belgian royalty amongst its clients. Sadly just 30 to 40 of those magnificent cars have survived. This is the only Type 57 Aravis Known to have been bodied by Albert D'Ietern. It was delivered on March 9, 1938, to its first owner, a Mr. Baggage.

The Cabriolet coachwork on this Bugatti was inspired by Letourneur et Marchand's three-seater chassis no. 57826. Mr. Baggage was a tall individual resulting in the somewhat stretched cabin proportions. There is a low, sleek and streamlined folding canvas top and roll-up windows.

The Bugatti remained with Monsieur Baggage for nearly two years before the German invasion of 1940 compelled him to hide it. The history of the following decade is not fully known. At some point after the hostilities subsided, the Type 57 resurfaced and was offered by the French government as a 'Vente des Domaines' and sold in late May 1951 to an industrial company in Paris. It passed through two different Parisian magnates before it was acquired in early 1952 by Gaston Docime and sold that May to André Derain. Mr. Derain owned as many as 14 Bugattis during his lifetime, and chassis number 57589 was the last of his acquisitions.

In December of 1956, the car was sold back to Docime and sometime over the following year the car was purchased by Bugatti dealer Jean de Dobbeleer who had it exported through Gene Cesari for sale to American owner Julian Sano.

Robert Wells of Akron, Ohio, acquired the Bugatti in 1963 and kept it for 35 years. In August of 1969, it was brought to the meeting of the American Bugatti Club in Painesville. In 1999 it was sent to Europe for a period of exhibitions, being shown at the Rétromobile and the Techno Classica in 2000 and again at Rétromobile as well as the Festival Bugatti in Molsheim a year later.

Alfred Lechter of Jean, Nevada, acquired the Type 57 in 2004 and displayed the car at the 2007 Palos Verdes Concours d'Elegance. Two years later, it received expert attention by Jim Stranberg in Colorado. In August 2009, it was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and participated in the Tour d'Elegance before being sold in 2010 to Greek collector Theodore Angelopoulos, who commissioned regular maintenance by the Swiss firm Pichler GFG AG Classic Center over the next five years.

The current owner from Florida acquired the Bugatti in September 2015. A limited cosmetic refurbishment soon followed that included service of the original mechanical components as needed. The top and interior were retrimmed, and the coachwork was refinished in a two-tone scheme of black with maroon.

While in the current owner's care, the car has been driven at select events including the ABC Maine Fall Rally in September 2016, the Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza in May 2018, and the Audrain Newport Concours in October 2019, where it won the Bugatti touring class.

This Bugatti retains most of its original factory components, including the dual-overhead-cam straight-eight engine, the original chassis frame, and the D'Ieteren one-off coachwork.