This 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio, chassis number 57597, was sent to Gangloff in December 1937 to be fitted with a special "Atalante Type" tail design, as well as integrated headlights. Just 95 examples of the Type 57C were produced, with 37 estimated left remaining. This Bugatti was delivered in February, 1938 to the prominent d'Aubarede family of Lyon, France with registration 4090 PF9 - the plate it wears today. Reportedly, the car was requisitioned by the German government during World War II, and returned to Lyon after the war ended. It was later rescued from being scrapped by Henri Malatre in the mid-1950s, and subsequently sold to Bugatti expert Jean-Louis du Montant. Mechanics at Universal Motors in Nice were tasked with dismantling the engine, which was by then in non-running condition. As a solution, an original-specification supercharged engine (82C) was fitted in 1961 from chassis number 57809 (a Letourneur et Marchand cabriolet) but this car retains its original Molsheim (18C) gearbox. 57597 bears the original Molsheim Chassis tag and Brevets Ettore Bugatti plate in the engine compartment.
Arriving in the United States around 1963, 57597 found home in several notable collections, and underwent full restoration in Wisconsin by Bob Lorkowski under the ownership of Gary Tiscornia. When finished, the car was awarded Best in Class at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1989. Tiscornia kept the car until 1999, when it was added to the Blackhawk Museum. Robert Pond then owned the Bugatti from 2000 to 2014. Greg Manocherian purchased this Bugatti in 2014, and further restoration work occurred in 2015 by Bugatti specialists Sargent Metal Works in Bradford, Vermont. The car then joined the collection of John Shibles in 2019, where additional restoration and mechanical reconditioning by Steve Babinsky and John Estell kept this 57C in exceptional running condition. Photos before and during restoration are included, along with binders of maintenance and ownership records. 57597 was freshly serviced in 2025, and is ready for the next chapter of its illustrious legacy.
