1934 Bugatti Type 57 For Sale by Auction

This car is Lot 118 to be auctioned by Bonhams|Cars at The Paris Sale on Friday January 30th, please see the Bonhams website for full details. Public Viewing: Available January 27th from 09:00 until 18:00, January 28th from 09:00 until 18:00, January 29th from 09:00 until 18:00, and January 30th from 09:00 at Polo de Paris. Lot 118 A Highly Original Example of the First-Series Galibier 1934 Bugatti Type 57 Galibier Chassis no. 57140 Auction Estimate €220000 - 280000 Body No. 18 • One of only 41 examples built, with an estimated dozen surviving • Recently restored by its current owner • Accompanied by its Laugier report • Delivered new to Marseille The Bugatti Type 57 was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October 1933 as a pillarless four-door saloon named "Galibier". Following the construction of three prototypes built for the presentation, 38 production cars were released in 1934 before Bugatti's own coachbuilding department ceased manufacture of this model. A second, very limited production run of just four bodies in 1935, followed by nine more in 1936, constitutes the second series of Bugatti-built Galibiers, of which only three of the thirteen are known to survive today. Production of the Galibier body by the Molsheim factory then ceased until 1938, when the second series entered production with a more aerodynamic design. Bugatti Type 57 Galibier chassis no. 57140, corresponding to production number 35, was the 18th example of its kind to leave the Molsheim factory, as confirmed by the number "18" stamped on various wooden and aluminium body components. It is the first of four "C-I" (Conduite Intérieure) bodies built at Molsheim in June 1934, with the coachwork completed on 7 June 1934. Bugatti factory ledgers record that chassis 57140 was invoiced on 1 June 1934 for 61, 695 francs to the "Société Marseillaise", run by Gaston Decollas, located at 42 Avenue du Prado in Marseille. The completed car was dispatched by rail on 8 June 1934 and delivered to its first owner, Monsieur Jean-Michel Storione, at 11 Rue Saint-Jacques in Marseille, registered as 1034 CA 7. The Storione family, originally from Italy, had enjoyed considerable success in Marseille since the late 19th century in the bakery business and were also the founders of the famous Francine brand. Jean-Michel Storione, also known as Jean Storione, was a true connoisseur of mechanical engineering, with a passion for aviation as well as automobiles. Prior to becoming a valued client of the Molsheim marque, he owned several Delage cars. While his Bugattis were purchased through Gaston Decollas, they were maintained twice monthly by Mr Meronni. His Bugatti ownership included a Brescia in 1921, a Type 44 Torpedo in 1929, a Type 55 Roadster in 1933, a Type 49 in 1933, this Type 57 Galibier in 1934, an Atalante in 1938 and finally a Type 57C Stelvio in 1939. Chassis 57140 also appears in the Bugatti factory mechanical repair archives. On 20 October 1934, when the car was just four months old, its engine was returned to the factory under warranty due to malfunctions. The repair record states: "Overhaul of engine No. 35: the crankcase, cylinder block and one connecting rod were damaged. Piston No. 1 was seized. Rectification required for connecting rods Nos. 4 and 8." Jean Storione retained his Galibier until 1936, when he sold it—almost certainly through Decollas—to Dr Gustave Cousin, of 27 Boulevard Montricher in Marseille, one of the city's most prominent physicians. Dr Cousin kept the car for many years, registering it under the new registration system on 24 December 1954 as 7983 AQ 13, by then residing at 7 Cours F. Roosevelt (formerly 7 Cours Devilliers). In 1966, Dr Cousin sold chassis 57140 to Jean Brignone, of 47 Rue Monte Cristo, Marseille. In 1967, the car was acquired by renowned Bugatti hunter Antoine Raffaelli, who recalled his first encounter with 57140: "I went to see the car at the Paragalo garage, 268 Boulevard Baille in Marseille, around 1960. The car was in for servicing for Cousin, and the mechanic was fitting special brake linings for improved braking. He had also cut the cam boxes to make the engine resemble that of an Alfa Romeo 8C! The car was black with blue sides...". Raffaelli sold the car in the spring of 1967 to Parisian architect Daniel Guidot, then registered as 71 GU 78 and located at 5 Allée du Colombier, Le Pecq. Shortly thereafter, Guidot participated in the Paris–Nice Rally with 57140. Born in 1922, Daniel Guidot had served in the French Resistance during the war as a navigator for the Royal Air Force. A devoted Bugatti enthusiast, he also owned a Type 46 Vanvooren coachbuilt car and a Type 35A. In 1974, chassis 57140 was sold to Jean Vilette, a member of the Club Bugatti France. Although based in Paris, Vilette worked near the German border, and by the mid-1980s the car was listed by the German Bugatti Club in 1989 as belonging to Walter Metz of Moosbrunn. Later acquired by Feierabend Klassic Technik, the Bugatti...