Bugatti Type 57 Grand Raid Roadster, Worblaufen, #57260, 1935

Location:
St. Michaels Concours d'Elegance, 2016

Owner: Linda and Paul Gould | Pawling, New York

Prologue:

Image Source: Nikon D750 (24.3 MP)

While an annual trip to Maryland's eastern shore has been typical for us since the start of the St. Michaels Concours, I made this trip expressly to shoot this Bugatti. I was already acquainted with the incredible studio gallery that accompanies the car's auction listing at RM Sotheby's, which I think one of the best inside-out depictions of a classic in that, not only is the car nicely photographed, but the details are beautifully composed as well. I've come to realize I cannot achieve anything so smooth and subtle when the original images feature an abundance of light, and so the best approach I've found is to go with the contrast. As for the images, I focused on portraits, as these have often become my favorite shots. A few years down the road, this gallery includes ten no-crop portraits, each one courtesy of late September's glowing light.

References:

• RM Auctions: Much of #57260's history stems from this 2011 Monterey piece.
• Louwman Museum: The Everett Louwman collection houses the original Grand Raid roadster, chassis #57221, which you can see in this short feature.
• Coachbuild: History on the two original Worblaufen cars, with vintage photographs of the other, chassis #57246.
• Crankhandleblog: Here's a nice, short quip on Worblaufen, with reference to the two Grand Raid cars the firm completed.

The Grand Raid Roadster, so called by way of reference to rally raid endurance events, is the forerunner of the sporting Type 57S Bugatti. While not classified a Surbaissé (lowered) Type 57, the Grand Raid is a lower profile car. Bugatti raked the steering column at a lesser angle, and repositioned the gear lever and handbrake, putting the driver farther back along the chassis and allowing for a shorter windscreen.

The first Grand Raid appeared at the 1934 Paris Auto Salon, chassis #57221, which was bodied by Gangloff, a coachbuilding firm located in the Franco-Swiss territory near Berne. Bugatti would build a further nine Grand Raid cars before its sporting intentions were brought upon the Type 57S Atalante. Of the original ten Grand Raid cars, two were bodied by the Swiss firm Carrosserie Worblaufen, the second of which is our car here. Established in 1929 by the frères Ramseier—Fritz, Hans, and Ernst—Worblaufen came into existence only for the purpose of clothing the most luxurious cars in Europe. Of less notoriety than many of its Parisian and Milanese brethren, Worblaufen nevertheless succeeded in creating a few stunning designs.

The first of the Grand Raid Worblaufen cars was ordered by Monsieur Montfort, pseudonym of Prince Louis Napoleon; this was chassis #57246, which headed to Montfort's home on Lake Geneva. Shown here, the second Grand Raid Worblaufen car was ordered and invoiced between March and April of 1935. The Swiss owner, Jules Aellen, commissioned Worblaufen to complete the same coachwork as Montfort's, though Aellen specified that his car wear a taller vee-shaped windscreen. He ordered both a retractable top and a tonneau cover for the passenger compartment, and also a full car cover. RM Auction notes that the car was also furnished with "two sets of matching leather coveralls, two Pecari jackets in the same color as the car, two leather caps, two sets of driving glasses and a leather picnic basket." Aellen also asked that the headlamp level be higher than standard, and he asked for the handsome chrome 'EB' badge on the headlamp bar. From period photos it also appears that chassis #57260 originally wore the pressed disc wheel covers seen here, whereas the Montfort car wore painted spokes. Aellen's car was originally beige and black, a near reversal of the Montfort livery.

While the Grand Raid foreshadowed the Type 57S—and indeed some did race—chassis #57260 was always intended for show. In early June of 1935, just days after delivery, chassis #57260 won the Grand Prix d'Honneur at the 2nd Swiss Automobile Concours d'Elegance in Montreux. Through its life, this Grand Raid remained nicely kept, and after its modern-day discovery in 2000, returned to concours condition.

Motor: 3,257 cc straight 8-cylinder, cast-iron block and head

Valvetrain: dual overhead cam, chain-driven, 2 valves per cylinder

Aspiration: single Zenith carburetor

Power: 135 bhp @ 5,000 rpm

Drivetrain: 4-speed manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive

Front Suspension: solid axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and telescopic shock absorbers

Rear Suspension: solid axle with reversed quarter-elliptic leaf springs and telescopic shock absorbers

Architecture: steel ladder-frame chassis with steel coachwork by Worblaufen

Wheelbase: 3,302 mm (130 inches)

Top Speed: 152 km/h (95 mph)

Etymology:

Bugatti numbering follows sequential factory projects. The Type 57 debuted in 1934 using the dual overhead cam eight-cylinder motor from the Type 49, (which exited production the same year), with plans for four-seat and two-seat cars, as well as competition specials. For the Type 57, the base car without any letter designation is the standard, naturally aspirated version. The term 'Grand Raid' is akin to 'Grand Prix' in that it refers to a motorsport event, in this case not the prize (or 'prix') of a championship fixture, but a high-mileage endurance trial. The term 'rally raid' is similar, and still in use to describe events such as the Dakar Rally. Coachwork on this Type 57 is by Worblaufen of Switzerland, and we include the chassis number in the title as well.

Figures:

Bugatti produced better than 700 Type 57 cars between 1934 and 1939. Of these, ten early roadsters were given the Grand Raid title, the first being a special roadster (#57221) prepared for the 1934 Paris Auto Salon by Gangloff. Of that small handful, Carrosserie Worblaufen clothed two in very similar body styles, each with the same diving dart on the flanks.

Value:

RM Auctions sold chassis #57260 in 2011 for $990,000.

Sporting Fit: Comparing the Grand Raid to the Type 57S

Because of its low profile, this Grand Raid could be taken for a later Type 57S. The fit and finish of its post-millennium restoration also makes chassis #57260 appear perhaps more properly gleaming than its age would otherwise make it seem. But the original design and present execution combine to make this car a grand master of high classic era style.

Grand Raid: Comparing Gangloff and Worblaufen Designs

At a glance #57260 doesn't look entirely alike to the original Grand Raid by Gangloff, #57221, but the pattern is in fact quite similar. Worblaufen did more than carry over the dramatic dart on the flanks, using very similar forms for the rear skirted fenders and back deck, (minus the twin headrest fairings of the original). The streamlined teardrop embellishment on the rear skirts is similar, but much refined on the Worblaufen car, as are the front fenders. The original Gangloff car uses faired-in marker lights, while the Worblaufen cars employ clean, constant arcs with attached markers; these are stylized chrome pieces with three separate lenses. The front fender profile is sleeker on the Worblaufen design, the original Gangloff being round along the lower edge, not to appear so low and lean. Also, the boomerang dart on the Gangloff design meets the leading, cut-down curve of the doors, whereas Worblaufen thinned the dart and set it off the edge. This change in particular makes the body appear cohesive; the flank is otherwise planar, and the dart accentuates the length.

From the front, chassis #57260 is pure Type 57 Bugatti, with a narrow grille in the classic Bugatti shape, cleanly sculpted front fenders, and open space in between the dumb irons to showcase the elegant solid axle, (an obdurate imposition for a forward-thinking design). The small chrome 'EB' finial was specified by the purchaser, Jules Aellen, as were the large, high-mounted headlamps. The position of the headlamps is smart, as compared to the other Worblaufen car (#57246) this Grand Raid bears arguably better proportions in the frontal aspect. Maybe a Bugatti purist would disagree, however, as low light placement defined the fascia of the Type 57 series, and this was a feature custom coachbuilders played upon with many different fancies.

Jewel Case: The Type 57 Grand Raid Motor

Looking at the impeccable machining inside the motor compartment, we see telltale Bugatti simplicity—basic geometric shapes, blocks and circles, embellished with engine-turned aluminum flashing. Perhaps more impressive is the hollow brace on the lower part of the bulkhead, and the beautiful steering box complete with its own curved notch in the coachwork.

Raked and Leathered: Cockpit Features of the Type 57 Grand Raid

On the dashboard, note that the tachometer sits in front of the driver, while the speedometer sits in front of the passenger. This spaced out gauge placement on this Type 57 is common to the line. Best seen in our photos encircling the speedometer, the multi-piece wooden shroud overdoes what a chrome ring would typically do. Matching shift knob continues the flamed wood theme. The rest is stitched leather, carpet, and chrome. Leather stitching on the doors looks specially strong, forming the better part of the covering, the arm rest, and a satchel below the dash. Seatbeats are a modern concession.

Slantback Fittings: Rumble Seat and Continental Kit

The large hatch on the rear deck opens to a rumble seat, while the narrow three-piece hatch in between (just aft of the cockpit) opens to a slim stowage compartment. This quirky feature is one of many surprising facets; you can see the thin piano hinges of the locking side pieces, as well as the larger chrome hinges on the back the cockpit.