1936 Bugatti Type 57 Berline by Vanvooren
- Colour
- Black and white two-tone
Chassis 57414 is one of only three Vanvooren-bodied four-door saloons built on the Bugatti Type 57 in 1936, and one of approximately five surviving examples from the coachbuilder's total Type 57 output. Delivered in May 1936 to Otto Graf, a Swiss-French industrialist and committed Bugatti enthusiast, the car passed through a documented chain of French, American and European owners over eight decades. It spent more than forty years in the United States before returning to Europe and undergoing a comprehensive nut-and-bolt restoration. Matching chassis, engine, gearbox and rear axle numbers are retained.
Ownership
- 2025-06-29Auction saleSold CHF 200,000 (≈ $220K)
- 1936-05-14 → 1945-10-09Factory deliveryOtto Graffull documentation
Prominent cheese industry figure based in Dôle; car was registered in his name at his factory address from February 1936. Sold on return from wartime deportation in Germany.
- 1945-10-09 → 1946-01-28Private saleCar enthusiast from Lyonpartial documentation
Registered the vehicle under a Rhône department number; identity not recorded beyond general description and city.
- 1946-01-28 →Private saleAlbert Riegelfull documentation
Strasbourg-based businessman involved in concrete building materials; registered the car under an Alsace plate.
- → 1954-06-30Acquisition unknownHenri Meurdrapartial documentation
Strasbourg hotelier known for owning numerous Bugattis; no formal sale document between Riegel and Meurdra, but period photographs confirm the car outside his hotel.
- 1954-06-30 → 1994Private saleJohn Bayard Brittonfull documentation
US Army lieutenant, later a physician, who kept the car for over four decades across military postings in Germany and eventual residence in Florida and Virginia. Died in 1994 as a result of a violent attack at his clinic.
- 1995 → 2013Private saleLaverne and Marlene Johnsonpartial documentation
Couple based in Grosse Point Park, Missouri; had the car restored and repainted in two-tone brown and green, then entered it in several concours events. Laverne Johnson died in 2013 prompting the sale.
- 2013 → 2017Private saleJack Braam-Rubenpartial documentation
Motor trade dealer who acquired the car following Laverne Johnson's death.
- 2017 →Private saleCurrent ownerpartial documentation
Registered the car in Switzerland in March 2017 and commissioned a thorough restoration involving full disassembly and a repaint in black and white.
Competition
- 1999Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance
Exhibited during the ownership of Laverne and Marlene Johnson after the two-tone brown and green restoration.
- 2005Cranbrook Concours d'Elegance
Second known concours appearance during the Johnson ownership period.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2017Restoration
Comprehensive restoration involving complete disassembly and removal of all previous paint, with the car refinished in black and white. All original mechanical components were retained.
Commissioned by the current owner following acquisition and Swiss registration in 2017.
- —Restoration
The car was fully restored and refinished in a two-tone brown and green colour scheme, presumably in preparation for concours appearances in 1999 and 2005.
Work carried out during the Johnson family's ownership, prior to 1999.
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