1934 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux

Without Reserve

Chassis: 57297
Engine: 151

Formerly Part of the Schlumpf Reserve Collection
An Unrestored Example Retaining Its Original Body and Engine
Known History; The Perfect Candidate for Concours Restoration

Introduced in 1934, the Type 57 is widely regarded as a masterpiece by the hand of Jean Bugatti. The successor to the popular Type 49, the new Bugatti was powered by a jewel-like 3.3-liter, twin-cam, straight-eight engine and represented the ultimate in automotive design. Like all Bugattis that preceded it, the Type 57 handled with finesse and possessed a delicate feel characteristic of these magnificent automobiles. Graceful, exquisitely made, and incredibly exclusive, the Type 57 was instantly recognizable as a conveyance of the highest quality and performance.

According to a copy of the American Bugatti Register and Data Book entry on file, this Type 57 was ordered on November 30, 1934, and delivered on January 25, 1935, to its first owner, Jean Verdier, through Bugatti agent Lamberjack in Paris. M. Verdier paid 66,240 French francs for his new Bugatti, which was fitted with Ventoux coupe-style coachwork and engine no. 151, which it retains today.

In 1938, M. Verdier traded this Type 57 towards another example (chassis 57389), and it was later sold by Lamberjack to Léon Givon. By 1963, the Bugatti was owned by John Shakespeare of Centralia, Illinois, when it came to the attention of Fritz Schlumpf via Bugatti specialist Bob Shaw. Schlumpf purchased it from Mr. Shakespeare on March 1, 1964. A part of the famed Schlumpf Reserve Collection, this Type 57 remained in static storage and unrestored in Malmerspach, France until 2008 when the Mullin Collection purchased the entire collection, including this Bugatti. After acquiring the cars, the Mullin Collection kept approximately half of the Schlumpf Reserve Collection for display in the Mullin Automotive Museum, only exhibiting cars of particular historical significance. The Type 57 is one of these cars.

*Please note that all of the Lots in this Auction have been in long-term static storage at the Mullin Automotive Museum and may not be currently operational. They will require mechanical attention and in some cases significant restoration prior to any road use.