Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet Vanvooren
French title Engine: 57274/197 - Very rare Vanvooren cabriolet on a 57 base - Original body, chassis and engine - Just 4 owners from new - A future star of concours d'élégance THE VANVOOREN COACHBUILDERS AT COURBEVOIE Vanvooren ran an automobile coachbuilders at Courbevoie, with correct but relatively low level of production. When he died in 1924, the concern was bought by a Mr Daste who developed it considerably, particularly by carrying out, under the Weymann licence, a wide range of bodies for the major French marques. At the end of 1929, Robert de Prandières became an associate of M. Daste and together they patented a new type of panelled body built on " Silentblocs " which displayed considerable technical progress. They also patented a pillarless body which was particularly good for building four-door bodies on short chassis, as it allowed easy access to the interior. Mr Daste left Vanvooren in 1932 to become director of the automobile department of Hispano-Suiza, and the majority of the marque's chassis were bodied at Courbevoie until production ceased in 1936. Then Vanvooren bodied almost all the Bentley and Rolls-Royce chassis sold in France until 1939. The workshops were partially destroyed by a bombardment in 1943. Following this damage, the coachbuilders tried to restart operations in 1947, but the company was dissolved in 1950, with no chassis left to body. BUGATTI AND VANVOOREN Collaboration between the manufacturer from Molsheim and the coachbuilder from Courbevoie coincided with the arrival of Robert de Prandières at Vanvooren in 1929. He was responsable for the relationship with Bugatti. Moreover, R.de Prandières was a close friend of Dominique Lamberjack Jr, the biggest Bugatti agent in Paris with a showroom at 68 Rue Bayen. Thus, from 1930, Vanvooren worked on several closed body models for Bugatti on the chassis of the 3-litre Type 44. A coach and a faux cabriolet were also available on a 5-litre chassis. In 1931, a two-door four seater Type 49 was added to the range. At the end of 1931, D. Lamberjack Jr. obtained exclusive rights to the sale of the Type 55 chassis in Paris and between 1932 and 1935, six different chassis for this model were bodied at Coubevoie. THE TYPE 57 BODIED BY VANVOOREN When the Type 57 went into production in 1934, Vanvooren was given several chassis by Lamberjack to build into four-seater cabriolets. Numerous four-door, four-seater Type 57s were built at Courbevoie between 1934 and 1936. Four Type 57S chassis received Vanvooren cabriolet bodies between 1936 and 1937. Three coupés and a roadster were produced between 1938 and 1939. THE TYPE 57 CABRIOLETS BY VANVOOREN Numbers produced of this type of bodywork remained unclear, if we compare it to the total number of coachs and saloons produced between 1930 and 1936 on different chassis. An in-depth study of all Type 57 chassis that weren't produced by Bugatti or Gangloff has allowed us to compile a reasonably accurate list of the Type 57 chassis that had cabriolet bodies by Vanvooren. It appears that there were no more than twelve built, during the whole period of production between 1934 and 1939. Two designs were proposed by the coachbuilder from Spring 1934. The first design showed a cabriolet with fold-down windscreen and sloping vents on the bonnet, doors opening from the front to the back, flanges on the rear wings and no sign of a trunk. The second design revealed a cabriolet with doors opening from back to front, fixed windscreen, vertical vents on the bonnet on the bonnet and rear trunk. The car offered in the sale, chassis 57274, was built according to the second design. In 1934, it appears that just four Type 57 cabriolets were built by Vanvooren : - The first, chassis 57104, delivered to Lamberjack on 22 June, built to the second design. - The second, chassis 57146, delivered to Lamberjack on 28 July, is based on the first design. - The third, chassis 57205, appears to have been preprared for the Motor Show in October 1934, from the first design. - The last, chassis 57162, delivered to Lamberjack on 10 November 1934, comes from the second design. It carried the spare wheels on the front wings. In 1935, only three Type 57 cabriolets were bodied by Vanvooren : - Chassis 57269, delivered to LABESSE on 3 May. - Chassis 57274, delivered to MOURRAL on 4 April. Both these cars were built according to the second design. 57269 which was the fourth and last car bodied according to the second design, and the only one not to have the spare wheels on the front wings. On 24 December 1935, a third Vanvooren cabriolet, chassis 57368, was delivered to M.LEROUX. It had a unique design that was already in the style of the 1936 models. Between 1936 and 1939, four further four-seater cabriolets were built by Vanvooren - numbers 57617, 57287, 57695 and 57757. A two-seater cabriolet, chassis 57430 delivered in 1936 and a two-seater roadster, chassis 57808c in 1939, completes the list. Of the known production of twelve cabriolets, just four have survived with their body on the original chassis (57162-57205-57274-57368). The body of 57146 is on chassis 57407 as ordered by its first owner. The body of 57757 is on a new factory chassis. 57617 retains its original body and 57287, whose body was built in 1938, was completely destroyed by fire a short while ago. The body of the two-seater cabriolet 57430 is on a different chassis today. THE VANVOOREN CABRIOLET CHASSIS 57274 The chassis was delivered to MOURRAL on 4 April 1935. The name of the dealer Lamberjack appeared in the register of sales for chassis 57274 - engine 197. The invoice register shows: " 4/4/35 f 57274 MOURRAL Suresnes 45600ff. " The price for the body is not recorded, but we know that body 57269 was invoiced to the factory for the sum of 27,000ff, and the two bodies are almost identical. By comparison, a four-door saloon body was billed at 15,000ff by Vanvooren, and a four-seater cabriolet body by Gangloff cost between 14,000ff and 18,000ff. The high build quality of Vanvooren cabriolets on Type 57 chassis made these cars expensive, in relation to the cost of the bare chassis. To quote a great author " the price is forgotten, the quality remains ". The chassis, ordered by the intermediary Lamberjack, was delivered by train (as shown by the 'f' in the register) to Mourral in Suresnes. The address in Suresnes is actually the SAURER factory. The company " Automobiles Industriels Saurer " was on the site the old Darracq factory at 67 avenue de Verdun, Suresnes. AUTOMOBILES INDUSTRIELS SAURER. This French subsidiary bought the Darracq-Serpollet omnibus factory in Suresnes in 1910. It opened a branch and a workshop in Lyon in 1912. In 1956 Saurer sold his lorry factory in France to Unic. Ties between Mourral and the Lamberjack family, the Bugatti dealer in Paris, would have encouraged the regular participation by Dominique Lamberjack Senior in the Paris-Nice Rally, and in the Rallye du Maroc in 1935, in buses nicknamed " Popol " and " Virginie " by Saurer. The Saurer buses were the most luxurious on the market. They performed exceptionally well for vehicles of that period, reaching speeds of more than 100 km/h, and with very efficient brakes. Bugatti was already using a Saurer to get to Le Mans in the 20's! JEAN EUGENE HENRI ALPHONSE MOURRAL (1888-1972). He was born in Irigny in Rhône on 14 September 1888. After studying engineering at the Ecole Centrale, he served during the first world war, where he left as a captain. He was made Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in 1919. Mourral became Director General of Automobiles Saurer, and also had interests in other companies. He rented an apartment in Paris at 29 rue de Sèvres, next to the hotel Lutetia, and had a family home " Le Chevallon " in Voreppe, Isère. The Bugatti was registered at his Paris address in April 1935 with the number 7178 RJ 7. In 1935, Mourral was 47 years old. According to family recollections, it appears he had no other car. He kept the Bugatti until almost in his 80s. The vehicle had been re-registered in his name and Paris address on 21 March 1955 with the number 7926 DR 75. After more than thirty years of good and loyal service, the Bugatti would be sold to buy a Peugeot 404 ! It had a low mileage, as it had been used very little in Paris. At the occasion of a nephew's baptism in Isère in 1966, Mourral was still driving his faithful Bugatti. On colour slides taken at this event, we see J. Mourral, in his fedora, at the wheel of his precious cabriolet. The car appears to be liveried in black. The spokes of the wheels and the radiator are also the same colour, as was the norm on the Bugatti Type 57 before 1936. The horns are a different model to those fitted later. Five years after selling his cabriolet, Jean Mourral died at his home in Voreppe in 1972. Several months after it had last been driven, the car was sold, on 16 November 1967. The identity of the buyer, from Vaucluse, is unknown. It was registered with the number 62 LQ 84. A year later, the cabriolet was bought by Pierre VIDALENC from Paris, who registered it with the number 8838 VG 75, on 29 January 1969. This enthusiast carried out a comprehensive restoration of the car. The originally black paintwork was changed to the cream and brown it is today. For more than fifteen years Vidalenc was a regular attender of Club Bugatti events and prestigious rallies such as the Paris-Deauville. He decided to part with his rare Vanvooren cabriolet in 1988. On 9 November 1988, the car came under Maitre Poulain's hammer at auction, and sold to the current owner, Pierre BRIGNOLE. From that point, it was meticulously maintained by the mechanical workshop Novo. Recently, the paintwork was redone by a specialist workshop in Corsica. The upholstery and front shock absorbers are new. Examination of the vehicle has shown that hydraulic brakes have been fitted. This modification must correspond to updating work commissioned by Mourral around 1939. The major mechanical components are all original and in excellent condition. The engine is engraved with the numbers 57274 and 197, and this is the first model with rigid fixings and exhaust towards the front. The intake manifold and the Stromberg carburettor conform to the original model. The cam carriers bear the engine number 197. The coachbuilder's plaque " Vanvooren Carrossier Courbevoie Paris " is visible at the bottom of the two front wings. The dashboard has two large dials: a rev counter and a speedometer, positioned either side of the starter key. Two spanners allow adjustment of the shock absorbers. The upholstery is new. The hood allowed for the 'Milord' seating position, the mark of all grand Vanvooren cabriolets. The car doesn't appear to require major work before joining the garages of a new enthusiast, who will have the honour of representing, on the road and in concours d'élégance, the distinction of French coachbuilding from the golden age of the automobile. This rare and beautiful car has had the good fortune to have been kept vigilantly by its first owner, hidden in Provence during the war, and then used regularly until the mid 1960s by its faithful admirer. More than thirty years of faithful ownership allowed Jean Mourral to bequeath to us a car that retains the mechanics and body in a condition as close to the day it left the factory as is possible to be. Of the four cars of this model bodied by Vanvooren in 1934-1935 to the second design proposed to clients, this cabriolet, 57274, is one of just two that survive. It is naturally in Paris that one of the most beautiful creations of French coachbuilding will be offered for sale. Pierre-Yves LAUGIER
French title Engine: 57274/197 - Very rare Vanvooren cabriolet on a 57 base - Original body, chassis and engine - Just 4 owners from new - A future star of concours d'élégance THE VANVOOREN COACHBUILDERS AT COURBEVOIE Vanvooren ran an automobile coachbuilders at Courbevoie, with correct but relatively low level of production. When he died in 1924, the concern was bought by a Mr Daste who developed it considerably, particularly by carrying out, under the Weymann licence, a wide range of bodies for the major French marques. At the end of 1929, Robert de Prandières became an associate of M. Daste and together they patented a new type of panelled body built on " Silentblocs " which displayed considerable technical progress. They also patented a pillarless body which was particularly good for building four-door bodies on short chassis, as it allowed easy access to the interior. Mr Daste left Vanvooren in 1932 to become director of the automobile department of Hispano-Suiza, and the majority of the marque's chassis were bodied at Courbevoie until production ceased in 1936. Then Vanvooren bodied almost all the Bentley and Rolls-Royce chassis sold in France until 1939. The workshops were partially destroyed by a bombardment in 1943. Following this damage, the coachbuilders tried to restart operations in 1947, but the company was dissolved in 1950, with no chassis left to body. BUGATTI AND VANVOOREN Collaboration between the manufacturer from Molsheim and the coachbuilder from Courbevoie coincided with the arrival of Robert de Prandières at Vanvooren in 1929. He was responsable for the relationship with Bugatti. Moreover, R.de Prandières was a close friend of Dominique Lamberjack Jr, the biggest Bugatti agent in Paris with a showroom at 68 Rue Bayen. Thus, from 1930, Vanvooren worked on several closed body models for Bugatti on the chassis of the 3-litre Type 44. A coach and a faux cabriolet were also available on a 5-litre chassis. In 1931, a two-door four seater Type 49 was added to the range. At the end of 1931, D. Lamberjack Jr. obtained exclusive rights to the sale of the Type 55 chassis in Paris and between 1932 and 1935, six different chassis for this model were bodied at Coubevoie. THE TYPE 57 BODIED BY VANVOOREN When the Type 57 went into production in 1934, Vanvooren was given several chassis by Lamberjack to build into four-seater cabriolets. Numerous four-door, four-seater Type 57s were built at Courbevoie between 1934 and 1936. Four Type 57S chassis received Vanvooren cabriolet bodies between 1936 and 1937. Three coupés and a roadster were produced between 1938 and 1939. THE TYPE 57 CABRIOLETS BY VANVOOREN Numbers produced of this type of bodywork remained unclear, if we compare it to the total number of coachs and saloons produced between 1930 and 1936 on different chassis. An in-depth study of all Type 57 chassis that weren't produced by Bugatti or Gangloff has allowed us to compile a reasonably accurate list of the Type 57 chassis that had cabriolet bodies by Vanvooren. It appears that there were no more than twelve built, during the whole period of production between 1934 and 1939. Two designs were proposed by the coachbuilder from Spring 1934. The first design showed a cabriolet with fold-down windscreen and sloping vents on the bonnet, doors opening from the front to the back, flanges on the rear wings and no sign of a trunk. The second design revealed a cabriolet with doors opening from back to front, fixed windscreen, vertical vents on the bonnet on the bonnet and rear trunk. The car offered in the sale, chassis 57274, was built according to the second design. In 1934, it appears that just four Type 57 cabriolets were built by Vanvooren : - The first, chassis 57104, delivered to Lamberjack on 22 June, built to the second design. - The second, chassis 57146, delivered to Lamberjack on 28 July, is based on the first design. - The third, chassis 57205, appears to have been preprared for the Motor Show in October 1934, from the first design. - The last, chassis 57162, delivered to Lamberjack on 10 November 1934, comes from the second design. It carried the spare wheels on the front wings. In 1935, only three Type 57 cabriolets were bodied by Vanvooren : - Chassis 57269, delivered to LABESSE on 3 May. - Chassis 57274, delivered to MOURRAL on 4 April. Both these cars were built according to the second design. 57269 which was the fourth and last car bodied according to the second design, and the only one not to have the spare wheels on the front wings. On 24 December 1935, a third Vanvooren cabriolet, chassis 57368, was delivered to M.LEROUX. It had a unique design that was already in the style of the 1936 models. Between 1936 and 1939, four further four-seater cabriolets were built by Vanvooren - numbers 57617, 57287, 57695 and 57757. A two-seater cabriolet, chassis 57430 delivered in 1936 and a two-seater roadster, chassis 57808c in 1939, completes the list. Of the known production of twelve cabriolets, just four have survived with their body on the original chassis (57162-57205-57274-57368). The body of 57146 is on chassis 57407 as ordered by its first owner. The body of 57757 is on a new factory chassis. 57617 retains its original body and 57287, whose body was built in 1938, was completely destroyed by fire a short while ago. The body of the two-seater cabriolet 57430 is on a different chassis today. THE VANVOOREN CABRIOLET CHASSIS 57274 The chassis was delivered to MOURRAL on 4 April 1935. The name of the dealer Lamberjack appeared in the register of sales for chassis 57274 - engine 197. The invoice register shows: " 4/4/35 f 57274 MOURRAL Suresnes 45600ff. " The price for the body is not recorded, but we know that body 57269 was invoiced to the factory for the sum of 27,000ff, and the two bodies are almost identical. By comparison, a four-door saloon body was billed at 15,000ff by Vanvooren, and a four-seater cabriolet body by Gangloff cost between 14,000ff and 18,000ff. The high build quality of Vanvooren cabriolets on Type 57 chassis made these cars expensive, in relation to the cost of the bare chassis. To quote a great author " the price is forgotten, the quality remains ". The chassis, ordered by the intermediary Lamberjack, was delivered by train (as shown by the 'f' in the register) to Mourral in Suresnes. The address in Suresnes is actually the SAURER factory. The company " Automobiles Industriels Saurer " was on the site the old Darracq factory at 67 avenue de Verdun, Suresnes. AUTOMOBILES INDUSTRIELS SAURER. This French subsidiary bought the Darracq-Serpollet omnibus factory in Suresnes in 1910. It opened a branch and a workshop in Lyon in 1912. In 1956 Saurer sold his lorry factory in France to Unic. Ties between Mourral and the Lamberjack family, the Bugatti dealer in Paris, would have encouraged the regular participation by Dominique Lamberjack Senior in the Paris-Nice Rally, and in the Rallye du Maroc in 1935, in buses nicknamed " Popol " and " Virginie " by Saurer. The Saurer buses were the most luxurious on the market. They performed exceptionally well for vehicles of that period, reaching speeds of more than 100 km/h, and with very efficient brakes. Bugatti was already using a Saurer to get to Le Mans in the 20's! JEAN EUGENE HENRI ALPHONSE MOURRAL (1888-1972). He was born in Irigny in Rhône on 14 September 1888. After studying engineering at the Ecole Centrale, he served during the first world war, where he left as a captain. He was made Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in 1919. Mourral became Director General of Automobiles Saurer, and also had interests in other companies. He rented an apartment in Paris at 29 rue de Sèvres, next to the hotel Lutetia, and had a family home " Le Chevallon " in Voreppe, Isère. The Bugatti was registered at his Paris address in April 1935 with the number 7178 RJ 7. In 1935, Mourral was 47 years old. According to family recollections, it appears he had no other car. He kept the Bugatti until almost in his 80s. The vehicle had been re-registered in his name and Paris address on 21 March 1955 with the number 7926 DR 75. After more than thirty years of good and loyal service, the Bugatti would be sold to buy a Peugeot 404 ! It had a low mileage, as it had been used very little in Paris. At the occasion of a nephew's baptism in Isère in 1966, Mourral was still driving his faithful Bugatti. On colour slides taken at this event, we see J. Mourral, in his fedora, at the wheel of his precious cabriolet. The car appears to be liveried in black. The spokes of the wheels and the radiator are also the same colour, as was the norm on the Bugatti Type 57 before 1936. The horns are a different model to those fitted later. Five years after selling his cabriolet, Jean Mourral died at his home in Voreppe in 1972. Several months after it had last been driven, the car was sold, on 16 November 1967. The identity of the buyer, from Vaucluse, is unknown. It was registered with the number 62 LQ 84. A year later, the cabriolet was bought by Pierre VIDALENC from Paris, who registered it with the number 8838 VG 75, on 29 January 1969. This enthusiast carried out a comprehensive restoration of the car. The originally black paintwork was changed to the cream and brown it is today. For more than fifteen years Vidalenc was a regular attender of Club Bugatti events and prestigious rallies such as the Paris-Deauville. He decided to part with his rare Vanvooren cabriolet in 1988. On 9 November 1988, the car came under Maitre Poulain's hammer at auction, and sold to the current owner, Pierre BRIGNOLE. From that point, it was meticulously maintained by the mechanical workshop Novo. Recently, the paintwork was redone by a specialist workshop in Corsica. The upholstery and front shock absorbers are new. Examination of the vehicle has shown that hydraulic brakes have been fitted. This modification must correspond to updating work commissioned by Mourral around 1939. The major mechanical components are all original and in excellent condition. The engine is engraved with the numbers 57274 and 197, and this is the first model with rigid fixings and exhaust towards the front. The intake manifold and the Stromberg carburettor conform to the original model. The cam carriers bear the engine number 197. The coachbuilder's plaque " Vanvooren Carrossier Courbevoie Paris " is visible at the bottom of the two front wings. The dashboard has two large dials: a rev counter and a speedometer, positioned either side of the starter key. Two spanners allow adjustment of the shock absorbers. The upholstery is new. The hood allowed for the 'Milord' seating position, the mark of all grand Vanvooren cabriolets. The car doesn't appear to require major work before joining the garages of a new enthusiast, who will have the honour of representing, on the road and in concours d'élégance, the distinction of French coachbuilding from the golden age of the automobile. This rare and beautiful car has had the good fortune to have been kept vigilantly by its first owner, hidden in Provence during the war, and then used regularly until the mid 1960s by its faithful admirer. More than thirty years of faithful ownership allowed Jean Mourral to bequeath to us a car that retains the mechanics and body in a condition as close to the day it left the factory as is possible to be. Of the four cars of this model bodied by Vanvooren in 1934-1935 to the second design proposed to clients, this cabriolet, 57274, is one of just two that survive. It is naturally in Paris that one of the most beautiful creations of French coachbuilding will be offered for sale. Pierre-Yves LAUGIER