It was built for competition with a v-shaped windscreen, its coach-built aluminium body is finished in Ettore Bugatti’s favorite colors black and yellow.
Its public debut was at the Salon de l’Automobile in Paris back in 1934.
“The BUGATTI Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid Usine is an exceptional piece of Bugatti’s heritage and laid the grounds for what BUGATTI still embodies in the 21st century,” says Christophe Piochon, President of BUGATTI Automobiles. “It was engineered for performance and designed and built with the highest standards of craftsmanship. It is a luxury sports car and thus the inspiration for modern BUGATTI automobiles.”
The French word “raid” stands for a long rally through inhospitable terrain and that is what the car was made for with its streamlined and elongated fenders, V-shaped windscreen and aerodynamic headrest supports. The steering column angle allowed the driver to move further backwards in the chassis, and the gear lever, handbrake and pedals were repositioned.
Shortly after its premiere, the Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid Usine was entered into the Paris-Nice rally in 1934 by legendary BUGATTI racer Pierre Veyron – the man whose name was given to the first modern-era BUGATTI, the 2005 VEYRON 16.4. In April 1935, at the hands of Grand Prix driver Robert Benoist, the Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid Usine took first place in the Chavigny hill climb event.
Since 2001 the Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid Usine has been on display in the Louwman Museum in the Netherlands.