Bugatti Racking Up Awards At Concorso d’Eleganza, Type 57S Vanvooren Cabriolet ‘Best Of Show’

Bugatti at the annual Concorso d’Eleganza with four awards garnered, and in the spotlight was a Type 57S Vanvooren Cabriolet, named as the ‘Best of Show’.

Other winners included a Type 59 Sports racing car, which won the ‘FIVA Trophy’ for ‘Best Preserved Pre-War Car’ and the Bugatti Bolide, which won the coveted ‘Design Award’.

Bugatti Automobiles’ president, Christophe Piochon, remarked, “The Concorso d‘Eleganza Villa d’Este is one of the most beautiful and significant events in the world of classic and luxury sports cars. We are proud to be a part of it again this year with four quite exceptional vehicles. We are humbled that a Bugatti vehicle has won the prestigious ‘Best of Show’ award among such renowned competition, as well as winning its class. It’s also an honour to see an original Type 59 Sports win the ‘FIVA Trophy’ and the Bolide winning the ‘Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award’ for ‘Concept Cars and Prototypes’.”

With seven different classes on display, the Bugatti Type 57S was featured in class A, ‘The Golden Age of Elegance: The Art Deco Era of Motor Car Design’.

The technical excellence comes from Bugatti, while the elegant convertible body is the work of Vanvooren, based in Courbevoie in the suburbs of Paris. 

It still makes an impression today with its proportions and clear lines, and it is the first of just four Bugatti Type 57S cars to have been built with a Vanvooren convertible body. 

Alongside the Type 57S in class A was a rare Bugatti Type 59 Sports race car from 1934 and a Type 57C Stelvio Cabriolet with Gangloff bodywork from 1937. 

Having served as a factory race car in 1934 and 1935, the Type 59 Sports was converted into a sports car and successfully competed in races until 1937. 

This vehicle now counts among the most significant racing Bugattis and is widely admired for its originality. Fully worthy of the ‘FIVA Trophy’ for ‘Best Preserved Pre-War Car’.

As for the latter, the Bugatti Stelvio Cabriolet was the first Type 57 to be installed with a supercharger by Bugatti. 

The French marquee named it after the Passo dello Stelvio, aka the Stelvio Pass, at which this steep mountain pass was effortlessly summited by its powerful engine. 

Its bodywork comes from the exclusive coachbuilder, Gangloff, based in Colmar, France, and the Cabriolet’s art deco bumpers are worthy of note, being the only Bugatti to adorned such details.

Elsewhere, in the ‘Concept Cars and Prototypes’ class, the new Bugatti Bolide starred as one of seven prototypes on display, winning the coveted ‘Design Award’ of the class. 

Being an experimental study, the Bolide answers the question as to what a Bugatti would look like if it was stripped back to its cutting-edge essentials and based around the iconic 8.0-litre W16 engine. 

Because it was so in demand when it was unveiled, Bugatti made the decision to produce a small production series of only 40 units, where all build slots were immediately sold out.

Outstandingly, the extreme, track-focused hyper sports car has an unparalleled weight-to-power ratio, thanks to its W16 making 1,600 PS combined with the Bolide’s ultra-high downforce setup.

Piochon concluded, “All these vehicles showcase Bugatti’s enduring values despite being separated by nearly 90 years: design, performance, elegance, and quality.”