To Be OFFERED AT AUCTIONEstimate:
€750,000 - €850,000
- Exhibited on the Bugatti stand at the 1939 Geneva Salon
- Company demonstrator driven by the legendary Works team driver
Jean-Pierre Wimille
- One-off special cabriolet coachwork penned by Lucien
Schlatter
- Retains original factory-equipped straight-eight engine
- 56 years of faithful care within the noted Quattroruote
Collection in Italy
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Please note that this lot will need to be collected from Brussels,
Belgium.
Very few race-car drivers figure as prominently in the annals of
Bugatti history as Jean-Pierre Wimille, who was recruited to the
factory team as a 26-year-old sensation in 1934 in the wake of
Willie Grover-Williams's retirement and Achille Varzi's return to
Alfa Romeo. As the son of a motoring writer for Le Petit Parisien,
Wimille was raised in the pits, so to speak, weaned on concepts of
high-speed driving and racing strategy. His first entry in a grand
prix in 1930 saw him behind the wheel of a Bugatti Type 37A, a
relationship that propitiously blossomed over the following years.
Wimille was a centrepiece of Bugatti's Le Mans efforts during the
late 1930s, winning the famed Sarthe race in 1937 and 1939 while
piloting Type 57 "Tank" Bugattis. In more recent years, the
driver's brave participation in the French Resistance during World
War II has come to light, adding even greater lustre to his legacy
of derring-do.
Like many drivers of his era, Wimille was not merely a component of
Bugatti's competition concern, but an active road-car driver and
representative of the marque. After all, manufacturers could not
create a better endorsement of their products than having one of
their best drivers use the cars about town during social forays. To
this end Wimille was the recipient of several Bugattis during his
career, of which the featured car was an important example. In
addition to benefitting from such significant ownership provenance,
this Type 57 was also a company show car before becoming the
centrepiece of a major collection for 56 years.
Chassis no. 57731 was one of 11 examples built in late 1938 as an
official 1939 model. The chassis was specified with unique, one-off
"special cabriolet" coachwork penned by Lucien Schlatter and was
dispatched to the nearby Gangloff carrosserie in Colmar, which was
contracted to clothe the company's open Type 57 models, the Stelvio
and the Aravis. The resulting coachwork was quite similar to the
Stelvio design, yet it incorporated several nuanced differences in
its lines. Distinguishing details included a more steeply raked
windshield, a single side-mounted spare, and an unusual rear deck
treatment, while more common Type 57 cues were evident in the dual
front bumperettes and headlamps integrated into the fenders.
Differences from the Stelvio are no doubt partially attributable to
the chief builder, as most Stelvios were built by Gangloff employee
Schmitt, while 57731 was instead built by an employee named
Zubern.
Completed in October 1938, the Type 57 was first utilised by the
factory as a show car, debuting on the manufacturer's stand at the
16th Geneva Salon in March 1939. The Bugatti was then employed as a
factory demonstration car and entrusted to Jean-Pierre Wimille for
his personal use. Although the Type 57's history is unknown during
World War II, the car was re-registered in Rouen, France, in 1950,
according to the research of marque expert Kees Jansen. In the
early 1960s it was purchased by the marque dealer Paul Sac, under
whose ownership the car is recorded in Hugh Conway's seminal 1962
Bugatti Register. In 1964 the cabriolet was sold to Italian
enthusiast Gianni Mazzocchi, the founder of Quattroruote magazine,
and the car went on to become a centrepiece of his important
Quattroruote Collection, where it spent the following fifty
years.
Refinished in a colour combination of cream and black and still
retaining its original engine, the Bugatti was then acquired by the
consignor in 2016, and he has continued to fastidiously maintain
the car. Over the last few years, the cabriolet has been treated to
a variety of maintenance measures by the consignor's private staff,
including an overhaul of the carburettors, fuel pump, fuel tank,
and exhaust system. Claiming important history as a factory show
car and demonstrator, and the significant ownership of the great
Jean-Pierre Wimille, as well as 56 years of ownership within the
respected Quattroruote Collection, and retaining its original
factory-equipped engine, this impressive Bugatti is ideal for
presentation at major concours d'elegance and premium motoring
events. Such an important Type 57 would make a splendid complement
to any pre-war collection, ideal for Bugatti enthusiasts
worldwide.
- Ausstellungsfahrzeug auf dem Bugatti Stand auf dem Genfer
Automobilsalon 1939
- Vom legend�ren Werksfahrer Jean-Pierre Wimille gefahrener
Werksvorf�hrwagen
- Einzelst�ck mit Cabriolet Spezialkarosserie von Lucien
Schlatter
- Mit originalem Werks-Reihenachtzylinder
- 56 Jahre treuer Pflege in der namhaften Quattroruote Sammlung
in Italien
Nur wenige Rennfahrer haben so sehr die Geschichte der Marke
Bugatti gepr�gt wie Jean-Piere Wimille, der 1934 nach Willie
Grover-Williams Abgang in den Ruhestand und Achille Varzis Wechsel
zu Alfa Romeo als 26-J�hriger zum Team stie�. Der Sohn eines
Automobiljournalisten des Le Petit Parisien war mehr oder weniger
in der Boxengasse gro� geworden und hatte die Idee von
Hochgeschwindigkeitsfahrten und Rennstrategie quasi mit der
Muttermilch aufgesogen. Schon seine erste Teilnahme an einem Grand
Prix 1930 sah ihn am Steuer eines Bugatti Typ 37A; so begann eine
Verbindung, die sich im Laufe der folgenden Jahre noch
intensivieren sollte. Wimille war ein zentrales Element der
Anstrengungen in Le Mans Ende der 30 Jahre und gewann das ber�hmte
Rennen an der Sarthe 1937 und 1939 am Steuer eines Bugatti Typ 57
�Tank" (Panzer). Erst in den letzten Jahren wurde Wimilles aktive
Teilnahme im franz�sischen Widerstand w�hrend des Zweiten
Weltkriegs bekannt, was seinem Ruhm eine weitere Facette
hinzuf�gte.
Wie viele Fahrer seiner Zeit war Wimille nicht nur Werkspilot in
Bugattis Team, sondern auch privat Bugatti Fahrer und Botschafter
f�r die Marke. Was konnte es f�r ein Unternehmen Besseres geben als
einen Rennfahrer, der auch privat ein Fahrzeug der Marke f�r seine
eigenen gesellschaftlichen Auftritte nutzte? In dieser Funktion
hatte Wimille im Laufe der Jahre viele Bugatti zu seiner Verwendung
�berlassen bekommen, von denen das Fahrzeug hier ein wichtiges
Exemplar darstellt. Neben dem ber�hmten Erstbesitzer wurde diesem
Bugatti auch die Ehre zuteil, f�r das Unternehmen als Vorf�hrwagen
zu dienen und anschlie�end 56 Jahre in einer gro�en Sammlung zu
verbringen.
Chassisnummer 57731 war eines von elf Fahrzeugen, die Ende 1938 als
1939er Modell gebaut wurden und war als �Spezialcabriolet" aus der
Feder von Lucien Schlatter vorgesehen. Die Karosseriefirma Gangloff
im nahen Colmar, die sonst f�r den Bau der Karosserien der offenen
Typ 57 Modelle Stelvio und Aravis verantwortlich war, schuf hier
eine Au�enhaut im Stil des Stelvio, allerdings mit einer Vielzahl
unterschiedlicher Nuancen in den Linien. Zu den �nderungen geh�rten
eine steilere Wundschutzscheibe und ein einzelnes seitlich
angebrachtes Reserverad. Zu den bekannteren Typ 57 Merkmalen
z�hlten der geteilte vordere Sto�f�nger sowie in die Kotfl�gel
integrierte Scheinwerfer. Die Unterschiede zum Stelvio lie�en sich
bestimmt auch auf den verantwortlichen Gangloff-Mitarbeiter
zur�...for more information please contact the seller.
