We are pleased to offer 1937 Bugatti Type 57 s/n 57564 with engine # 295, rebodied at great cost as a tribute to the Type 59/50B “Wimille” Grand Prix Monoposto s/n 50180, famed for its entry, with dual rear wheels, at the Prescott Hill Climb in July, 1939 and now in the Schlumpf collection. Bugatti s/n 57564 meets the three-fifths build requirements, meaning that three-fifths plus of the components are original Bugatti components, making it eligible for most Bugatti events and an automatic entry for the Monterey Historic races, Amelia Island and more. The project began in the 1970s when the respected Bugatti restorer, Ray Jones, started with a shortened tipo 57 frame, all the original Bugatti mechanical parts needed for the build and a hand crafted aluminum body built by Bob Moser. The unfinished project went on to F.W. Durand of Solano Beach, CA and then, after his death, was advertised in the November, 1979 issue of Road & Track before going to to famed Bugatti owner Jim Hull who completed Bugatti Tipo 57 s/n 57564. With the help of Bugatti Guru David North, s/n 57564 was completed and shown by Jim Hull at Pebble Beach in 1981 and racing it at the Monterey Historics in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984.
In the mid-1980s Bugatti Type 57 s/n 57564 was sold to sold to Peter Mullin, chairman of the Mullin Automotive Museum and an avid Bugatti collector, but went into storage at Jim Stranberg’s High Mountain Classics in Fort Collins, Colorado, as Jim Stranberg is a pre-war Bugatti specialist. In late 2017 Bugatti s/n 57564 was sold to Mike Gertner of Silverado, in southern California, and was shipped to noted Bugatti specialist, David North at North Street Garage in Easton, Maryland, the same person that had prepared Bugatti s/n 57564 for Monterey and Pebble Beach back in 1981! A fresh and intense restoration was begun in preparation for the Monterey Historic races, only months down the road in August of 2018!
In only six months the restoration was completed in time for the 2018 Monterey Historical race. Reground cams and followers were fitted into rebuilt cam boxes. Mechanically a new block was machined by High Mountain Classics and assembled by Leydon Restorations of Lahaska, Pennsylvania. A new Crower 2-piece crank was mated with lightweight Carrillo Rods, forged Arias pistons and an ultra-rare period four-carb intake manifold with four period Solex carbs was fitted. Exhaust was via a custom eight-tube header system and an S-type horizontal magneto provided the spark. When completed the 3.3 liter straight-eight was good enough for 160hp / 190 ft-lb of torque on Leydon Restoration’s dyno, truly impressive for a pre-war car! Please see the photos of the engine on the dyno at Leydon Restorations.
The shortened type 57 frame was fitted with original Bugatti front and rear axles with a new stronger and later type S-type webbed aluminum center section. 1939 Bugatti hydraulic finned aluminum brake drums with vented rears were installed, with a split master cylinder, making for excellent braking. Period deRam style friction shocks and tapered arms helped hook the suspension to the ground. The steering box, front hubs and control arms were also all rebuilt. A pre-war 4-speed ZF gearbox with twin stick overdrive was installed putting power to the Bugatti rear end. The final result was an ultra-high quality restoration with period correct engine turning under-hood, inner and outer firewall and dash face with obsessive attention to detail work on all components from the engine bay to the cockpit to the suspension and brakes! A five-inch brass radiator with an auxiliary electric radiator fan keeps it cool, even in traffic. Bugatti s/n 57564 was completed (at a cost close to $600,000.00) with only three days to go before being trucked to Monterey and ran beautifully, was trouble free and so the race weekend was a great success.
in 2019 Bugatti s/n 57564 returned to Laguna Seca and while the practice sessions went beautifully, the clutch pressure plate lost its grip in the main event as the springs in the pressure plate were not up to the task. After the race the Leydon Restoration gang came to the rescue with new spring pressure and a new design for Kevlar lining on the disk. In 2020 Bugatti s/n 57564 was shown with the Hillclimb dual-rear-wheels at Amelia Island and in 2021 was shown in the Bugatti class at the Radnor Hunt Concours.
1937 Bugatti Type 57 s/n 57564 has headlights, a token tail light and is street licensed with a California title still in the name of Peter Mullin, see a scan of the title in the photos. Also comes with the dual rear wheels and hubs which were on the car when shown at Amelia Island. We also have several interesting and informative write-ups and comments from both Jim Hull and from David North which detail the restoration and race preparation. Also comes with voluminous restoration invoices. Call us for copies and click on the videos below for Bugatti type 57 s/n 57564 in action. Today Bugatti Type 57 s/n 57564 is ready to go and ready to show.
