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Temporary UK Import
See UK Registration/Import Status Guide in catalogue.

As sales of the Type 49 touring car, with its dated single-cam engine, declined during the early years of the Great Depression, the introduction of the new twin-cam Type 57 model in 1934, combined with the lucrative French government railcar contract, immediately improved the otherwise dim outlook for the Bugatti company. While Ettore concentrated on the railcar business in Paris, his 25-year-old son, Jean, put all his effort into the design of the new Type 57, creating the last great Molsheim Bugatti, which remained in production from February 1934 to August 1939, a month before the German invasion of Poland.

The model evolved over its five-and-a-half-year production run with refinements in braking, comfort, and styling, resulting in total sales – when the standard 57, supercharged 57C, and exotic 57S models were included – of approximately 740 vehicles.

This Type 57, chassis 57181, with engine no. 30 was assembled in February 1934 and ordered by the Mulhouse-based agent, Muller & Cluzel, on March 3rd. It was then canceled and reordered on May 23rd for a slightly higher cost. The first owner, M. Widerkehr, took delivery of the rolling chassis a week later and delivered it to Gangloff for the fitment of a four-door berline body, according to factory records. M. Widerkehr’s ownership extended into late 1938 or early 1939, when he sold the car back to the factory. At some point, the Gangloff Stelvio body it wears today was fitted, but whether M. Widerkehr had the car re-bodied during his ownership or if this Stelvio body was fitted after he sold the car back to Bugatti is unknown.

Reportedly, after WWII, the Type 57 was found under a haystack by M. Gros in Seysses, France, who owned it from 1949 to 1958. He sold the Bugatti to the Swiss dealer Robert Baer in Geneva, Switzerland, who, in turn, sold it to the great American enthusiast David Mize with only 27,000 km showing on the odometer. During his custody, Mr. Mize, a CIA operative, traveled a great deal to exotic locales such as Algeria, Libya, and Vietnam, and the car saw little use.

Eventually, John J. Risch of Plainfield, New Jersey, persuaded Mr. Mize to sell the Bugatti to him and he took possession on February 2, 1967. A year later, it would win the Best of Show trophy presented by René Dreyfus at the New Hope Automobile Show in Pennsylvania. Mr. Risch drove the car extensively during his many years of ownership, including several trips into Manhattan to dine at his new friend René’s restaurant, Le Chanteclair at 18 East 49th Street. Mr. Risch would own 57181 until his passing in 1991, when it was inherited by his son, John Jr.

The Type 57 would remain in the Risch family for a further 30 years; the final five years of which, the car was maintained and occasionally exercised by specialists LBI Limited in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During their care, the Bugatti appeared at a number of prestigious concours events, including the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, where it was awarded Second in the Prewar Preservation Class, the 2018 Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance, and the 2018 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, where it received the FIVA Trophy for Best Preserved Prewar Car. John Risch Jr. eventually decided to part with the car and it joined Jack Braam Ruben’s illustrious Bugatti collection in September 2021.

After an absence from its country of origin for over 65 years, 57181 was part of the fine automobiles display at the 2023 Salon Retromobile in Paris. This Type 57 presents in stunningly original condition–from the original, supple, brown leather interior to the beautifully patinated deep red and black exterior, offset by its light tan convertible top. Discerning collectors of unrestored automobiles are encouraged to give this Bugatti their closest inspection.