Description
1937 Bugatti Type 57c by Vanvooren/ Figoni & Falaschi
Chassis number: 57617
Registration Number: Formerly 915EV75 (French)
A simply stunning restoration with over 1 million US dollars invesed in this car. 57617 was originally bodied by Vanvooren with a drop head coupe body. This body now adorns chassis number 57529 which is also for sale with us & has the same owner. It has been suggested that a purchaser of both might wish to swap the bodies to thereby put 57617 back to its original spec as when new.
This is a fully matching numbers car. In the 1950's the gear box was swapped with another type 57c. Two years ago however the original gear box was located & swapped for the one that was in the car thereby making matching numbers in engine, gear box, axles & supercharger.
The car was purchased in 1999 by noted USA collector Mr Malcolm Pray who then set about the most extensive, detailed & fastidious restoration I have yet seen. The bills are simply eye watering. We have photographed just a selection of the invoices on file as they comprise three thick folders with hundereds of invoices & restoration pictures. When purchased it came with a dilapidated but original very stylish open two seat body attributed on the purchase invoice to Figoni & Falaschi of Paris. Detailed analysis however by assorted experts thing it more likely to be a Vanvooren body possibly moved off a Delahaye of the same period. Indeed a not dissimilar car was with many similar styling clues was crafted by Vanvooren for the then Shah of Iran. Seen side by side they have many similarities.
The car has won numeruous awards & first prizes at assorted USA concours d'elegance in the USA a lits of which comes with the paperwork. Post restoration the car covered only a handful of miles. We have thus spent considerable money on fully recomissioning the car & putting it in perfect running order. We are limiting the engine to 2500RPM for the next 1000 miles to ensure it is properly run in having been fully rebuilt.
The body on the car is about as stylish as they come & is redolent of the most flambuoyant styling from Parisienne coach builders of the 1930's. There is no question of its period authenticity or of its French origin. It appears on the Bill of Sale when the car was exported from France, dated 20 October, 1999, as a "dismantled Figoni Body."
In the mid-nineties the 57617 was known to be in the South of France in the hands of the expatriate British concessionaire, Toby Ross. Along with an associate, Peter Rae, in the UK, he made the car available. Per invoice dated 20 October, 1999, from Peter Rae, the car was sold to a Mr. Roy Bamford, of Hyannis, Massachusetts, USA. Mr. Bamford was an associate of Mr. Bruce Amster, who made the car available to the previous owner, Mr. Malcolm Pray. The invoice indicates the car, chassis and body, was still in France and was inspected and purchased there. It is described as
"Bugatti Type 57C with a dismantled Figoni body
Chassis #57617 with engine # 16C.
Incomplete and needing restoration."
The car was shipped to USA and restoration begun by Mr. Amster. After some time with little progress and other issues, the package was shipped to the well known West Coast Bugatti expert, the Alan Taylor Company of Escondido California.
The multi-year restoration by Alan Taylor included the total renovation of the chassis, the replacement of the entire wooden body framework and much metal repair in the front wings. The running gear from engine to rear axle was reconditioned to new condition. Appropriate instruments were acquired. The maroon colour enhances the lines considerably. Finally the trim was completed to the standard of the Salon de I' Automobile where the late Monsieur Gapiand had first been smitten .
The result presented today is a masterpiece of the restorer's art and the genius of the original coachbuilder. Behind the drivers seat is a flip up cowl concealing the hood mechanism & also able to stow a large amount of luggage in. The rear boot also is capacious containing the fuel filler cap, a brand new spare wheel & affording ample additional space for luggage. A coach key is used to access it.
The current coachwork is not original to this chassis. Exactly when it came to the car is currently under research but it was a part of the car while still in France. The Invoice for the car dated 20 October, 1999, references the dismantled body and attributes it to Figoni. A Figoni body plate came with the car but has not yet been authenticated. Body and chassis were together.
Figoni did not do any T-57 Bugatti bodies late in the thirties though they did a number of delightful creations for Delage and Delahaye. Van Vooren and a number of the coachbuilders did, however, create beautiful bodies, often with Figoni-like characteristics, for Bugatti as well as the other Marques. The most notable being the famous Shah of Iran T-57 that was for many years attributed to Figoni until subsequent research proved it to be a Figoni-inspired creation of Van Vooren. While it is possible that this car's coachwork originated on a T-57 Bugatti it is as likely to have come from another of the famous Grand Tourers. A comparison table suggests that, while a Delage might be possible, a T-135 Delahaye, known to have been a favorite of the Carrossiers could most easily have matched the specifications of the Bugatti.
The coachwork is currently being attributed to Van Vooren for a number of reasons, primarily due to the rear deck treatment. It is not exactly Figoni, though the rear wings would lead one in that direction. In fact it bears an interesting resemblance to the Shah of Iran T-57. A Figoni rear deck of the period would have been more rounded than this one, which has a more uniplanar sense to it as it sweeps down from the rear of the cockpit to the tail. Additionally the door handles are similar, as is the arrangement for the disappearing convertible top. The front wings are thought to be a later incorporation. It is a well known fact that most of the coachbuilders of the period would reuse designs or pieces of successful designs on other commissions. This coachwork is obviously related to that masterpiece of Van Vooren's art.
57617 has been much researched and the topic of discussion among Bugatti historians since it came to light.
Sandy Leith, Registrar of the American Bugatti Club (ABC) and author or the very important American Bugatti Register and Data Book - 2003, provided great assistance in the subsequent study of this car. In an attached eMail, dated 27 February, to James P. Donick (automotive historian), he pronounces himself satisfied with the conclusions to date.
In an eMail to Mr. Leith, dated 27 February, the Dutch Bugatti historian, Ploeg, reports. "I am comfortable with 57617 in its present form, provided its custodian does not pretend it to be attributed to Figoni."
The eminent French Bugattiste, Patrick Faucompre, provided his personal recollection of having seen the remains in the warehouse of Mr. Ross near Montpelier in the mid nineties.
The Invoice from Mr. Rae to Mr. Bamford is unimpeachable as it is also evidence in a legal matter related to another enthusiast.
Monsieur Andre Vaucourt, of the Club Delahaye, in France, provided much of the early history with copies of papers from the archive of the original owner, Monsieur Gapiand.
The conclusions herein, while not yet complete in all elements, are satisfactory to the trained historian as well as to the Bugatti world.
Mechanically every single item has been addressed to create what appears to be & feels like a brand new type 57 Leaving Molshiem for the first time. The engine is sewing machine smooth starting instantly & running beautifully. The hydraulic brakes require a bit of effort to be effective from cold but will beacome more powerful as the shoes bed in though use. The gear box shifts as though it were new & is a pleasure to use.
The car is with us now & ready for immediate viewings at our showroom along with the other Vanvooren bodied car.
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