Bugatti Type 57 S Grand Routier
Various interesting bodies were built on the basis of the Type 57 chassis. In addition to Bugatti itself, renowned coachbuilders such as Gangloff and Vanvooren tried their hand at independent designs. Corsica from Cricklewood was also involved, as we reported recently. The four-seater Grand Routier nicknamed ‘Dulcie’ shown in this article was also created at Corsica. On February 19, it will go under the auction hammer at Bonhams in London. Behind this special vehicle is once again a story worth reading, which we would like to tell. Although this Type 57 appears in the Bonhams auction catalog with a year of manufacture of 1937, this is only half the truth. Under the Grand Routier body is a frame, which was already partly used in the Type 57G Tank racing car of the factory team.
Vehicle history begins in 1936
Presumably, it was the car that competed with starting number 82 at the French Grand Prix in Montlhéry and with number 14 at the Grand Prix de la Marne in Reims-Gueux. Afterwards, this aerodynamic race car was on display at the Paris Motor Show 1936 – and never appeared again afterwards. However, nobody knew about the Tank parts in this car until 2006. Before that, the car was considered to be a normal Type 57 S, with the S standing for ‘surbaisse’, or ‘lowered’. Bugatti was referring to the lowered frame compared to the normal Type 57, which allowed the center of gravity to be shifted lower. Only 42 Type 57 S were ever produced. To anticipate: The reuse of parts previously used for racing was quite common at Bugatti. For this reason, among others, only one original example of the Type 57G Tank still exists today. However, due to its own history, dismantling this 57 S is out of question.
The Type 57G Tank became a Type 57 S
The longitudinal and cross members of the Type 57G Tank were given holes of different sizes to lighten the weight. At the beginning of 1937, they were joined with parts of a new frame for a Type 57 S and assigned the chassis number 57503. Subsequently, on January 29, 1937, the rolling chassis was delivered to the London Bugatti dealer Colonel Sorel for his partner company Jack Barclay Ltd. who, in turn, organized the onward transportation to Corsica Coachworks. The order for 57503 was dated November 7, 1936, the same day that Robert Ropner, the 28-year-old son of a shipping magnate, signed the purchase contract for a Type 57 S with a Grand Routier body from Corsica. For this he gave his Mercedes-Benz 540 K in payment.
Originally registered on license plate DUL351
The body shop in the London district of Cricklewood immediately set to work. Within a few weeks, the desired body was created. It can be assumed that work began as soon as the order was received on the basis of the known basic dimensions. There is no other explanation for the fact that the Type 57 S was ready on its wheels as early as March 3, 1937. Two days later the car received the registration DUL351 and could be handed over to Robert Ropner. Because of the license plate, the nickname ‘Dulcie’ was created. His son Bruce Ropner, a bobsled champion and amateur racer, still remembers a nighttime drive with his father in the Bugatti on the Great North Road. He was only seven years old at the time, the Great North Road later became Motorway A1 and they reached speeds in the 96 mph range.
Robert Ropner in Montlhéry
The first owner of this Bugatti Type 57 S really loved to drive fast. Shortly after taking delivery of the car, he traveled to Montlhéry, France, with a good friend to do some laps on the race track. While there, he didn’t participated in any race, but used what are today known as ‘tourist drives’ on tracks like the Nürburgring Nordschleife. After two laps at around 100 mph topspeed, he came into the pits. There he put down the windshield and donned a helmet to find out how fast his Type 57 S really was. After just one lap, with a topspeed of 112 mph achieved, there was a loud bang. The 3.3-liter inline eight-cylinder hadn’t been able to withstand the load. At least one piston broke through the block.
Free replacement engine from Bugatti
Since the car was less than a month old, Ropner had it towed to the Bugatti plant in Molsheim. There he received a replacement engine installed free of charge. He returned home in May 1937 and used the Type 57 S as an everyday car and for vacation trips. One such trip took him to the south of France again in the summer of 1938. At the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939, he finally put the car in safe storage. Robert was born into the Ropner family on July 2, 1908, as the fifth child. After completing his schooling and a BA degree at Clare College, Cambridge, he served as Captain in the Royal Artillery in World War 2. He then held several directorships in the Ropner shipping company and associated firms. In 1958 he was Chairman of the General Council of British Shipping and a year later Queen Elizabeth II ennobled him as a Sir. The Bugatti was followed by several Jaguar sports cars.
Accident with a truck
In 1945, Robert Ropner sold his Bugatti to Rodney Clarke, who somewhat later co-founded the Connaught racing car brand. However, he first had to reactivate the Type 57 S after its six years in storage. Shortly thereafter, a truck pulled into a lane just ahead of him, causing some damage to the right front of the sports car. Rodney himself sustained minor cuts to his face. He dismantled the car down to the last bold and began straightening the bent frame. While the repair work was still in progress, he found a new owner for the car in H.H. Coghlan. Mr. Coghlan completed the work and in May 1948 chassis# 57503 was back on its wheels. However, he used his own chassis number 16S to register it again. This presumably was an act to save road tax. Anyway, he received the license plate EMO207.
51 years in the same ownership
After about 20,000 miles covered and five years in his hands, he sold the Type 57 S to a Dr. K.C.A. Cock, who then received an offer to buy the car in 1968 by a Mr. Bill Turnbull. It took them until May 1969 before a deal was reached. In return the car remained in the collection of Mr. Turnbull for the following 51 years. During this time, all technical components received the best possible service, while the body and interior were allowed to age gracefully. In 2001 Bill made an application to the DVLA to clarify that DUL351 and EMO207 are one and the same car. This was granted and he was issued with new registration papers, but these certify a first registration on September 5, 2001. Requests for a change back to 1937 only resulted in a corresponding additional entry, while the registration date remained at the incorrect year. Bill Turnbull passed away in 2019. His Bugatti is now expected to achieve a hammer price of between £ 5,000,000 and £ 7,000,000.
Images: Bonhams
