1933-1939 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio
Named after the Passo dello Stelvio pass in the Eastern Alps, the Type 57 Stelvio was Bugatti’s factory-designed four-seat Cabriolet.
Most of the Stelvio bodies were manufactured by Gangloff of Colmar who modified the design in detail from car to car. Some of the bodies used faired-in headlights where the majority had external units.
The rear seat in the Stelvio had to little legroom, it could only be used as an occasional 2+1 with the passenger seat fully forward.
The Stelvio befitted from all the Type 57 engineering, development and upgrades throughout production. It used the twin-overhead camshaft 3.3-litre inline-8 which was good for 135 bhp in standard form.
Chassis arrangements included Rudge Witworth wire wheels, fifteen inch drum brakes and an uncluttered chassis having good strength. As with most Bugatti designs the Type 57 was relatively simple in design, but the result of complicated craftsmanship.
Our estimate is that Bugatti and Gangloff produced around 80 Stelvios. Of these 17 have not been located and 12 have been re bodied.
Pictures & Gallery
See full 1938 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio Gallery here
Specs & Performance
| type | Series Production Car |
| production years | 1933 – 1939 |
| built at | Molsheim, France |
| body stylist | Jean Bugatti |
| coachbuilder | Carrosserie Gangloff |
| production | 80 |
| engine | Inline-8 |
| position | Front Longitudinal |
| aspiration | Natural |
| valvetrain | gear-Driven DOHC, 2 Valves per Cyl |
| fuel feed | Single Updraft Stromberg UUR-2 Carburettor |
| displacement | 3245 cc / 198.02 in³ |
| bore | 72 mm / 2.8 in |
| stroke | 100 mm / 3.9 in |
| power | 100.7 kw / 135 bhp @ 4500 rpm |
| specific output | 41.6 bhp per litre |
| bhp/weight | 82.82 bhp per tonne |
| redline | 5000 |
| body / frame | Body over Steel Frame |
| driven wheels | RWD |
| wheel type | 18 Inch RudgeSpoked Wire |
| front tires | 18 x 5.50 |
| rear tires | 18 x 5.50 |
| front brakes | Cable Operated Drums |
| rear brakes | Cable Operated Drums |
| front wheels | F 45.7 x 12.7 cm / 18 x 5 in |
| rear wheels | R 45.7 x 12.7 cm / 18 x 5 in |
| f suspension | Rigid Axle w/Semi-Elliptic Springs, Hartford Friction Shock Absrobers |
| r suspension | Live Axle w/Reversed Quarter-Elliptic Springs, Hartford Friction Shock Absorbers |
| curb weight | 1630 kg / 3594 lbs |
| wheelbase | 3300 mm / 129.9 in |
| front track | 1350 mm / 53.1 in |
| rear track | 1350 mm / 53.1 in |
| transmission | 4-Speed Manual |
| tran clutch | Single Dry Plate |
| final drive | 4.16:1 |
| top speed | ~152.85 kph / 95 mph |
Auction Sales History
1938 Bugatti Type 57C Gangloff Stelvio 57597 – sold for $770,000 Formerly of the Bob Pond Collection. Mechanical restoration by the legendary “Bunny” Phillips. First in Class at the 1989 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Multiple CCCA award winner. A supercharged variant of Bugatti’s most celebrated chassis. Auction Source: 2014 Monterey by RM Auctions
1938 Bugatti Type 57 Gangloff Stelvio Cabriolet 57569 – sold for $962,500 One of the most desirable and beautiful of all Type 57 Bugattis. Competition-style faired-in headlamps and other unique features. Formerly owned by the Pernod family and John Ridings Lee. Recent complete engine rebuild. Well-sorted by RM Auto Restoration. Auction Source: 2014 Arizona by RM Auctions
1938 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio 57677 – sold for $1,292,500 An Extremely Rare and Authentic Type 57C. Late-Production Chassis with Desirable Factory Options. Beautifully Proportioned Gangloff Coachwork. Genuine Example with Original Chassis, Engine and Body. Impressive Provenance. Documented by David Sewell. A Well-Known and Highly Regarded Bugatti. Auction Source: 2012 Pebble Beach Auctions by Gooding & Company
1937 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio Cabriolet 57435 – sold for €344,288 Complete with EU paperwork, the Stelvio remains in excellent overall condition throughout. The bodywork shows signs of a highly skilled restoration at some point in the car’s history, complete with an older re-trim in the correct light tan hides, along with a new hood and hood cover. All the period details are correct, including the radiator mascot and the rear light clusters. Auction Source: 2011 London Auction by RM
1938 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio 57569 – sold for $693,000. Complete with EU paperwork, the Stelvio remains in excellent overall condition throughout. The bodywork shows signs of a highly skilled restoration at some point in the car’s history, complete with an older re-trim in the correct light tan hides, along with a new hood and hood cover. All the period details are correct, including the radiator mascot and the rear light clusters. Auction Source: 2011 Monterey Auction by RM
1938 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio 57715 – sold for €495,000. Our featured chassis 57715 attests to the company founded in 1903 by Georges Gangloff. Gangloff was one of the most important passenger vehicle coachbuilders after The Great War. His company produced bodies for Martini, Rolls-Royce, Delage, Ansaldo, Hispano-Suiza, Isotta-Fraschini, Mercedes-Benz, Bugatti, Minerva and various others.
It is of interest that Carrosserie Gangloff remains in business today, with branch works in Geneva, Zürich, Berne and Colmar in France. Gangloff Carrosserie, Gangloff Trailers and Gangloff Cabins represent the company’s three divisions. The renaissance of funicular railways in the ’70s made Gangloff an international operation.
Finished in claret over black with maroon leather upholstery, the car presented here has beige carpets piped in maroon, a beige top and black-spoked wheels. Inspection reveals the older restoration to have held up quite nicely and remains very presentable. Certain areas exhibit a lovely patina, and the details of the streamlined body remain impressive, from the arc of the wings to the bullet shape of the marker lamps and the integrated headlamps. Beautiful two-piece front bumpers flank the stately British registration plate positioned ahead of the traditional Bugatti radiator surround.
With their steeply raked windshields, radiators set back between the front wheels, long hoods, teardrop wings and passenger compartments set in the back third of the wheelbase, these were purposeful, aggressive and radical motor cars. Leading back from the grille, a thin chrome line separates the maroon upper from the black lower. Its dramatic drop toward the rear accentuates the car’s stance and gives the design a powerful sense of motion.
Adequate space is provided in the well-appointed boot for luggage. This would be a car that one could drive to and from a show in complete comfort. The enclosed side-mounted spare wheel is mounted on the passenger-side front wing.
Inside, the four-place cockpit complements the exterior perfectly. The Jaeger gauges jump to life when the engine fires. The odometer shows only 37,338 kms. Since its acquisition by Mr. Schermerhorn in 2000, the car has been carefully preserved and maintained in his respected collection. Formerly the property of Bob Roberts, this is a wonderful example of Ettore Bugatti’s quintessential road car, eminently usable and ready for open-air driving. Auction Source: 2009 RM Auctions’ Automobiles of London
1936 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio 57395 – did not sell for $240,000. The 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio presented here is finished in two-tone blue with coachwork by Gangloff. The Type 57 was originally purchased in February 1936 in Belgium by a man named M. Soler. Early photos show the car in Belgium with the chrome “B” on the boot signifying its nationality for European roads.
Over the years the Bugatti has changed ownership several times, entering the well-known collections of DeDobbeleer, Gene Cesari and Juli Sano to name but a few. For nearly thirty years and until recently the car belonged to Henry Schafer of Princeton, New Jersey. During his ownership, Shafer successfully campaigned this car in several East Coast rallies.
Included in the sale is a comprehensive folio documenting a complete body-off restoration undertaken by Mr. Schafer in the late eighties, which includes an abundance of photographs. Today the Bugatti retains its original body, gearbox and motor and a documented history from new. Auction Source: 2009 Automobiles of Amelia Island RM Auction
1936 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio 57395 – did not sell for $325,000. The 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio presented here is finished in two-tone blue with coachwork by Gangloff. The Type 57 was originally purchased in February 1936 in Belgium by a man named M. Soler. Early photos show the car in Belgium with the chrome “B” on the boot signifying its nationality for European roads.
Over the years the Bugatti has changed ownership several times, entering the well known collections of DeDobbeleer, Gene Cesari and Juli Sano to name but a few. For nearly thirty years and until recently the car belonged to Henry Schafer of Princeton, New Jersey. During his ownership, Shafer successfully campaigned this car on several East Coast rallies.
Included in the sale is a comprehensive folio documenting a complete body-off restoration undertaken by Mr. Schafer in the late eighties, which includes an abundance of photographs. Today the Bugatti retains its original body, gearbox and motor and a documented history from new.
The Bugatti has a charming gray leather interior with a wood dash and a full set of Jaeger gauges. The exterior features a black cloth top, a matched set of Marchal headlights and a Bugatti Owner’s Club badge on the grille. More recently the Type 57 has had its brakes serviced, and had a new stainless steel exhaust system installed. The car is mechanically very well sorted and runs and drives perfectly. Auction Source: 2008 Monterey Preview
