Time-warp Type 57: one of the world's best-preserved Bugattis heads for Rétromobile

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It seems that everyone likes a Bugatti Type 57. We like them very much ourselves, and they were very well-received in period, too. Indeed, the Type 57 can claim to be among the most popular models Bugatti ever produced, with more than 700 built, including 57S and 57C variants. The basic Type 57s were originally bodied by Gangloff in five styles—Aravis two-seat cabriolet, Atalante two-seat coupé, Galibier saloon, Stelvio four-seat cabriolet and Ventoux four-seat coupé—and it is not unusual to see survivors restored possibly to "better than new" condition, polished to a dazzling shine, and recumbent on the immaculate lawns of the world's leading concours d'élégance.

So, are we about to highlight another restored show queen? Not today—chassis 57181 is as far removed from clinical concours restorations as it is possible to get. Although you wouldn't guess it until you start to look closely, it is, in fact, an extremely original oily-rag which exudes history. Considering it is such an original car, it is interesting to read that it was originally fitted with a berline body. Completed in February, 1934, and supplied new to the Mulhouse agent Muller et Cluzel, 57181 was sold to one M. Widerkehr as a rolling chassis, who had Gangloff fit the Galibier body. However, it was returned to Gangloff for a Stelvio body very early in its life, possibly during Widerkehr's ownership; he kept it until 1938 or 1939, when he returned it to Bugatti. We wonder if Widerkehr was connected in anyway with the Widerkehr carrossier of Strasbourg and Colmar, which ended up being taken over by Gangloff? Molsheim, Mulhouse, Strasbourg and Colmar are all situated fairly close together on the Alsace side of the Rhine.

Sadly, the German occupation of France caused turmoil at the Bugatti works in Molsheim, so close to the border, and the factory was irreparably damaged during the fighting. It's anyone's guess what happened to 57181 in that time, but it had a lucky escape of some kind and was eventually discovered under a haystack in Seysses by one M. Gros, who owned it from 1949 to 1958. He obviously treated the car very sympathetically before disposing of it viâ the Geneva Bugatti dealer Robert Baer. With only 27,000 k.m. (16,800 miles) on the clock, it was shipped to America in the new ownership of David Mize but, as a C.I.A. worker with business in places such as Algeria, Libya and Vietnam, he had little time for enjoying the car. Its situation improved in February, 1967, when Mize agreed to sell it to the collector John J. Risch of Plainfield, New Jersey, who would ensure its continued preservation. He enjoyed showing the car, even scooping Best of Show honours at the 1968 New Hope Automobile Show in Pennsylvania, his award being presented by no less than René Dreyfus. An interesting postscript is that Risch befriended Dreyfus, who, being of Jewish blood, had left France for America in 1940. Having retired from motor sport in 1955, Dreyfus took over the Le Gourmet restaurant at 18, East 49th Street, Manhattan, turning it into Le Chanteclair, and Risch made regular journeys to dine there in his much-loved Stelvio.

The Bugatti continued to be enjoyed by John J. Risch Jr. following his father's death in 1991, and perhaps the highlight of its life so far was being recognised as an exemplar of originality in the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where it appeared in the Pre-War Preservation Class and gained a Second in Class award; this was followed by the F.I.V.A. Trophy for the Best Preserved Pre-War Car at Amelia Island in 2018. Impressively, 57181 remained in the Risch family until September, 2021, when it entered the well-known Dutch Bugatti collection of Jack Braam Ruben.

It remains an outstanding preservation piece, now still in perfect running and driving condition, and is very much deserving of close inspection, which you will be able to do if you visit Salon Rétromobile, for it will be displayed on the PreWarCar.com stand alongside a similarly unrestored 1902 Peugeot Bébé and a 1927 Amilcar C6 which has recently emerged from a painstaking restoration, having been bought as just a pile of parts in 2015.

As usual Salon Rétromobile promises a spectacle which is not to be missed, and it takes place at Paris's Expo Porte de Versailles on February 5-9th. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.retromobile.com.

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