1937 Bugatti Type 57C Ventoux
Introduced at the 1934 Paris Salon and produced through 1940, the Type 57 represented a significant departure for Molsheim. Where Ettore Bugatti had long favored single-cam engines, his son Jean led the development of a 3.3-liter (3,257cc) twin-overhead-cam straight-eight, drawing directly on the firm’s Grand Prix engineering.
The Type 57C designation identifies supercharged examples, with output rising from the standard 135 horsepower to approximately 160 horsepower. Bugatti produced 96 examples of the Type 57C between 1937 and 1940.
The Ventoux body style was one of several factory coachwork options designed by Jean Bugatti and constructed primarily at Molsheim, with some examples bodied by Gangloff of Colmar.
A two-door, four-seat coupe with a steeply raked windshield, the Ventoux took its name from the Provençal mountain long associated with Tour de France stages and hill-climb motorsport. Total Ventoux production across all Type 57 variants was approximately 130 examples.
Running gear followed Bugatti practice, with semi-elliptic front springs and reversed quarter-elliptic rear, while the 3.3-liter engine drove through a four-speed gearbox.
Ongoing improvements during the production run included hydraulic brakes, introduced in 1938. The same basic chassis also underpinned the Type 57G Tank racers that won Le Mans in 1937 and 1939.
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