1938 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio Cabriolet
- Engine
- Supercharged 3.0L inline-eight DOHC, 160 bhp
- Colour
- Red with aubergine fenders
Bugatti Type 57C chassis 57737, bodied by Gangloff in the rare four-seat Stelvio cabriolet style and fitted with supercharged engine 50C, was delivered in 1939 to Roland du Pouget of Saint-Malo, who retained it through the German occupation and for over two decades thereafter. Passing through a succession of notable French and German collectors, the car retains its original chassis, engine, gearbox, rear axle, and bodywork, and displays a recorded mileage that historians consider potentially genuine. A 2019 inspection by Bugatti historian Pierre-Yves Laugier confirmed its remarkable state of preservation.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate €1,000,000 – €1,200,000
- 1939-05-24 → 1961Private saleRoland du Pougetfull documentation
Registered at his Villa Stella Maris in Brittany; the car survived wartime requisition and Allied bombing, and by the late 1950s was stored under cover and used only occasionally.
- 1961 →Private saleMarquis Robert de Goulainepartial documentation
Acquired in its original livery and had the car restored by Bugatti specialist Francis Mortarini near Paris; kept at Château de Goulaine near Nantes.
- → 1971Acquisition unknownBaron Napoleon Gourgaudpartial documentation
Housed the car in the Autorama de la Grange museum at his château in Essonne; the collection was dispersed after the museum closed at end of 1970.
- 1971 → 1972Acquisition unknownJacques Rousseaupartial documentation
Believed to have briefly held the car following dispersal of the Gourgaud collection, prior to the Paris auction in mid-1972.
- 1972 →Private saleUwe Huckepartial documentation
Described as a significant collector; the car was exhibited as a rolling chassis in Hamburg in 1983 before being sold.
- 1972-06-16 → 1972AuctionAlbert Prostpartial documentation
Purchased at a Paris sale of notable automobiles but quickly moved it on, as his primary collecting focus was Ferrari rather than Bugatti.
- 1983 → 2014-08-01Private saleRudi Kreyerpartial documentation
Collector based near Bremen who retained the car for over three decades before it was acquired by a dealer.
- 2014 →Private saleCurrent owner (consignor)full documentation
Used the car in an international Bugatti gathering in 2016; commissioned a detailed inspection by historian Pierre-Yves Laugier in December 2019 confirming originality of major components.
- 2014-08-01 → 2014Private saleJack Braam-Rubenpartial documentation
Well-known Maastricht-based dealer who held the car only briefly before passing it to the consignor.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownM Fouquepartial documentation
The car was ordered on his behalf by the Toulouse Bugatti agent but apparently never delivered to him.
Competition
- 1967-05-03Paris–Nice Rally
Car participated carrying competition number 47 while in the Gourgaud collection.
- 2016-06-01International Bugatti Rally Montreux
Entered by the current owner in this marque-specific gathering held in Switzerland.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2019Inspection
Formal condition and authenticity inspection performed by Bugatti historian Pierre-Yves Laugier, confirming the originality of the chassis, engine, gearbox, rear axle, and coachwork, and noting the potentially genuine low mileage of 29,008 km.
Written report retained on file; supports FIVA identity card documentation.
- —RestorationFrancis Mortarini
A restoration was carried out by Bugatti specialist Francis Mortarini, based in Montmorency south of Paris, during the ownership of Marquis Robert de Goulaine.
Commissioned after acquisition in spring 1961; no completion date recorded.
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