1938 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio Drophead Coupe Coachwork by Gangloff Chassis No. 57696 Engine No. TBA Two tone navy blue and fly yellow with navy blue interior. Engine: 8 cylinder, 3,255cc, 160bhp, supercharged; Gearbox: four speed manual with synchromesh on 2nd, 3rd and 4th; Brakes: four wheel drum; Suspension: front, semi-elliptic leaf sponge, rear, reverse quarter elliptic leaf springs. Right hand drive. The Type 57C Bugatti enjoyed its public debut at the Salon in Paris in October 1934 and was to stay in production until 1939. The engine produced about 160hp. Various exotic body styles were evolved for the Type 57 including the very attractive drophead coupes by Gangloff of Colmar dubbed "Stelvio" by the Molsheim Factory. This particular 57C not only has the desirable body style but also has the superior Series 2 chassis. With the principal, and very important, change being the stiffening of the frame by cross bracing and mounting the engine on rubber "Silentbloc" bushes to reduce the vibration. The Type 57 was progressively developed during its years in production, the most significant changes being the adoption of Lockheed hydraulic brakes in 1938 and, of course, the introduction of supercharging in the Type 57C in 1936. The Roots-type supercharger was previously used by Bugatti on his Grand Prix cars. Driven off the rear timing gear train and located on the right hand side of the engine with the Stromberg carburetor mounted underneath, it ran at 1.17 times engine speed. Only 110 of the supercharged engines were made and the 57C was considered the best. Noted authority, Hugh Conway, in his Bugatti Magnum ventures the view that the 57C cars were the best of all the road going Bugattis, as the relatively low blower pressure added to flexibility as well as performance-and he cites the achievement of Robert Benoist in lapping a standard 57C at 121.3mph to illustrate the cars respectable performance for a touring car. Bugatti made only 90 Type 57C models during 1938-1939. Of these, 64 were drophead coupes with Bodies by Gangloff, Antem and even Saoutchick. Only some 22 survived. No 57696 has an interesting history. It was supplied new in 1938 to Mr. K. de Geuss van der Heuwel of Bussum in Holland. He managed to hide it from the Germans during the war and after the war sold it to Mr. M.J. Stubbs, a South African working as a pilot for KLM. Mr. Stubbs, whom the last owner knew quite wel1 from schooldays, took the car to Molsheim in the early 50's and had it overhauled. Mr. Stubbs then could no longer afford to run the Bugatti due to financial difficulties and had it stored at Amsterdam Rijtuig. While he was on holiday in South Africa he made the acquaintance of Mr. Strauss, who became very interested in the Bugatti and bought it outright without ever seeing it. After a three month struggle to arrange importation, the car finally arrived at Durban harbour, South Africa. Once stuck valves had been freed she did an exhilarating trip to Johannesburg. The car behaved marvellously and gave immense pleasure. An unfortunate traffic accident in 1958 led to the purchase of a new rear axle from the works plus new Koni shock-absorbers and a new wheel. The car was then repainted from the onginal colors of navy blue and yellow, and to which it has been returned. Mr Strauss had it painted royal blue and grey and also supplied it with new hood and carpets. Mr. Strauss covered over 80,000 miles in all, including some lovely fast runs frequently over 100mph before the general speed limits were enforced. One memorable run was Salisbury (now Harare) to Johannesburg in 12 hours; 750 miles including meal stops and a border delay. Mr. Strauss sold the Bugatti to Mr. 1. van Graan in October, 1979 and it was in turn sold it to Mr. Henry Bessinger in 1980 who later shipped the car to the United Kingdom. After the car's arrival to the U.K., it underwent mechanical restoration at Fullbridge Restoration Company. In 1994 there was necessary restoration to the body which was done by A.B. Price Ltd. Earlier this year it was serviced at Ivan Dutton Ltd. There are available invoices which document the work. This Gangloff bodied Type 57C is remarkably intact, original and has the more attractive Stelvio design which is so sought after by collectors.