US title Customs cleared in EU

Chassis No 57181 Engine No 30

- Certainly the most original Stelvio in existance

- Undeniable authenticity

- Desirable model, highly elegant bodywork

- Entirely original engine

- Part of the Risch family for over 50 years

- Real “time-capsule” 

This Bugatti #57181 was ordered on 3 March 1934 by Bugatti agent Muller & Cluzel in Mulhouse for a sum of 50,400 francs. However, the invoice was amended on 23 May of the same year to 51,900 francs. Typically, the second order is lower than the first, often due to delayed delivery for example. It is however the opposite in this instance, therefore suggesting a cancellation and subsequent reinstatement of the order. Regardless, the chassis of this Bugatti Type 57 Series I was delivered on 30 May 1934 to a customer whose name “Widerker” is written in pencil in the delivery logbook.

 

The chassis was then fitted with a four-seat Stelvio convertible bodywork at the Gangloff workshop in Mulhouse, although it does not seem to appear in the coachbuilder’s records. From 1949, the car was owned by a certain Mr. Gros in Seysses (Haute-Garonne), France. This is where it was registered as 209 DA 31 in 1955 (according to the new system). With a mileage of only 27,000 km at the time, it was bought in 1958 by Robert Baer, a classic car dealer based in Geneva who sold it in the United States to David Mize, a dedicated Bugatti enthusiast who regularly sourced Bugatti models in countries he was working in. As a member of the American Bugatti Club of which he later became president, he sold the Bugatti 57 Stelvio in 1967 to another American enthusiast, John G. Risch.

The latter was also the owner of a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso and in 1968, he took part in the eleventh edition of the exhibition “New Hope Automobile” with his Bugatti and won the Best of Show category. Another Bugatti also signed up to this event, a Type 57 Galibier saloon car which took second place in the competition. The Trophy was also given to him by Rene Drefus, famous racing driver for the manufacturer who settled in the United States after the war.

The car first appeared in Hugh Conway’s Register in 1974, listing Risch as resident in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. He later moved to Solebury in Pennsylvania; and being of Dutch origin, the car was also mentioned in Volume 4 of the Bugatti Register The Netherlands – Belgium. Following John Risch’s death in 1991, the Bugatti was inherited by his son Johnny who barely used it before eventually parting with it a few years later. It was therefore with the Risch family that this car remained the longest, marking a 50-year tenure. It was carefully preserved throughout, with John Risch devoted to retaining its originality without compromising its integrity.

In 2016, this Bugatti Type 57 convertible was serviced by Andrew Mastin from LBI Limited, collector car specialist based in Pennsylvania; the car was then displayed that same year at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it won second prize in its category “Pre-War Preservation”. It subsequently participated in other classic car events and concours: the Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance in 2016, “The Elegance” at Hershey in 2017, the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in 2018, the Plymouth Concours d’Elegance in 2018, the Lime Rock Historic Festival in 2018 and the inaugural Newport Car Week at Belcourt Mansion in 2019. In 2021, it was acquired by the current owner, a leading expert on the make who was mesmerised by the car’s exceptional original condition.

Finding a fully original Bugatti nowadays is a miracle! Yet, this is precisely the case for this 57 Stelvio, which has never suffered any mishap. This is in fact the most original Bugatti 57 Stelvio, fully matching numbers. It has a flawless authenticity, featuring its original bodywork and traditional colour, its original patinated brown leather upholstery and its original engine. It is truly a “time capsule”.

Additionally, this Type 57 features one of the model’s most elegant bodyworks, ideal for drives or to be welcomed at the most prestigious classic car events.

Photos © Kevin Van Campenhout