Bugatti Type 57 SC Tourer by Corsica

Only eight Bugatti Type 57 Ss received their bodies from Corsica of Cricklewood. Only two of them were open four-seater Tourers. RM Sotheby’s is auctioning one on January 22 in Arizona. So this is a good opportunity for us to take a closer look at this rarity. In October 1936, the Type 57 S debuted at the Paris Motor Show as a distinct evolution of the Type 57. The S stood for ‘surbaisse’, i.e. lowered. This indicated the lower installation position of the engine as well as the overall lowered frame. Bugatti also shortened the chassis by 32 centimeters. The front axle was split in two, while the rear one used underslung leaf springs. In addition, the 3.3-liter engine received dry sump lubrication and a power increase to 130 kW/175 hp. On request, supercharging by means of a Roots supercharger was available in the Type 57 SC. This delivered 147 kW/200 hp and was also available as a retrofit solution.

Custom bodies remained rare

Compared with the normal Type 57, the base price rose by around 30 percent. The Type 57 S was only available ex works as the Atalante and the Aravis or as a bare chassis including engine and gearbox. In total, only 16 Type 57 S were built with an open-top body, i.e. as a Convertible, Roadster or Tourer. Unlike other luxury car manufacturers of the same era, Bugatti produced many of the bodies itself. Since the solvent clientele was used to having special requests fulfilled by independent coachbuilders, Bugatti models were also available as chassis. Most of these went to French companies such as Gangloff. Vanvooren and Vandenplas also produced some bodies. As described at the beginning of this article, eight such chassis were shipped to Corsica Coachworks in Cricklewood, England.

Corsica Coachworks

In 1920, Charles Stammers founded the coachbuilding company Corsica Coachworks together with his two brothers-in-law Joseph and Robert Lee. The company name referred to Corsica Street in the London borough of Islington, where it was originally located. However, as larger premises were soon required, the company moved to the Cricklewood district. Although Corsica’s custom bodies attracted a lot of attention and filled the order books, only 20 employees worked for this coachbuilder.

End due to World War 2

The body design was carried out in close consultation witht the respective customers by freelance draftsmen. In this way, all special requests could be taken into account. Afterwards, the tinsmiths at Corsica created the corresponding body parts, which were then mounted on the respective chassis by external companies. In addition to bodies for Bugatti, there were also some for Bentley, Lea-Francis, Frazer Nash or Rolls-Royce. But also Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo, Humber, British Salmson or Wolseley were among them. The outbreak of World War 2 led to ever decreasing order numbers and finally to the closure of the company. After the war, some former employees got together. In 1960, they founded Coachwork FLM Panelcraft, which mainly converted British sedans into station wagons.

First owner came from London

Chassis number 57512 was the second of two open Tourers by Corsica. Both differ from each other in various details. On this example, the curved fenders extend relatively far back. At the front, the right fender encloses the spare wheel mounted on the side next to the hood. Under the rear, eight exhaust pipes peek out into the open on the left side – one per cylinder. On March 8, 1937, the naked Type 57 S chassis arrived at the London Bugatti dealer Colonel Sorel. He had ordered the vehicle on behalf of Hubert Papworth, who ran a Bugatti tuning shop. The chassis was delivered to Corsica Coachworks shortly later. After completion, Mr. Papworth handed it over to the first owner, Maurice Fox-Pitt Lubbock. The latter was a close friend of Jean Bugatti and got the license plate DXP 970 for the Bugatti.

At times used as a racing car

It is no longer clear beyond doubt when, but the Type 57 S received an upgrade to an SC. This probably happened at the factory in Molsheim. About ten years after the first delivery, Rolls-Royce appointed Mr. Lubock as new brand president, forcing him to sell his beloved Bugatti. Leonard Potter kept the Type 57 SC Tourer for only about three years. Then he sold it via the London car dealer ‘Speed Models’ to a Mr. Thomson in New York. However, the latter only took care of the purchase and import on behalf of the advertising executive Walter Stocklin. In his possession, the Bugatti made several appearances as a racing car during the 1950s. For this purpose, he had the original body exchanged for a two-seater race car body made by Hiram Hillegas in 1955. In 1960, car collector Judge John North bought the car including its original body. He sold this body a few years later to Allen Henderson, who wanted to install it on a longer Bugatti chassis. After this failed, he sold the Corsica body to Walter Weimer, who passed it on to Ray Jones.

Body and chassis reunited

Eventually, the body ended up back at Judge John North via Lynn Steele. He then created a quasi-replica of the Corsica Tourer based on a modified Type 57 frame and a 57-SC engine. This car was sold to Count Hubertus von Donhoff in Germany in 1986. From him, he bought the car back in 1998 and then finally reunited the original chassis with the body. Shortly thereafter, General Lyon purchased the Bugatti and placed it in the Blackhawk Collection. The latter had a careful restoration of the Type 57 SC Tourer by Corsica carried out. In 2003, it made its debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Compared to as-delivered condition, the inner front fenders are shorter. This gives a view of the chassis and allowed the installation of the multi-louvred hood. The engine and transmission are still original. Now the car is auctioned by RM Sotheby’s in Arizona. The price is likely to be easily in the seven-figure range.

Images: RM Sotheby’s, Patrick Ernzen