This 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux Used to Drive Around a Baby Elephant

This 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux would probably fall in that last category, if only for its incredible start as the world's fanciest promotional vehicle. That's not an official title, by the way, and neither does it sum up the vehicle's entire storied existence, but it is accurate: this Bugatti Type 57 was used to drive around a baby elephant.

Now, that's a phrase you wouldn't expect to read in relation to such a beautiful car, even if it's only a project car as of this writing.

This Bugatti Type 57 was commissioned by and delivered to a passionate Bugatti owner and Circus Pinder director, Roger Spiessert. Known as Roger Spessardy, "Le dompteur d'animaux" or the Tamer, Spiessert had already owned a Type 37 Grand Prix and another Type 57 Ventoux when he asked for this one.

In fact, according to the listing now live on a dedicated platform, for this one, he traded in his previous Type 57 and 30,000 French Francs in cash, working with Bugatti for the custom touches.

One of them was a highly polished black exterior with a red leather interior and "tobacco" carpeting, as well as a privacy curtain on the rear window and, in keeping with his job as a circus tamer, a prancing elephant mascot. Similar to the mascot on the Type 41 Bugatti "Royale" mascot designed by Rembrandt Bugatti, Spiessert's mascot was smaller and more joyful.

The Ventoux four-seat coachwork included three rows of bonnet louvers on each side, a special external luggage carrier, no front or rear bumpers, and a recessed and backlit license plate holder in the rear.

Spiessert took delivery of the car in February 1936, one month after it was completed. Legend has it that he used to drive around with a baby elephant in the passenger seat, advertising for the circus. If he ever did do that, there's no photographic evidence of it, but it would probably make the Bugatti the fanciest and most unexpected promotional vehicle out there. Photos of Spiessert with lion or cheetah cubs by the car do exist, hinting that he may have only used the car this way to drum up publicity.

Not that he owned it that long. He sold it within months to a chief of police, who, in turn, sold it after a few months of ownership. The Bugatti had six owners since delivery and spent at least a decade abandoned in Paris before being shipped to the U.S. at the end of the '50s decade.

The current owner has had it since 2018 and, like all the others before him, has failed to put it back together. The 3.3-liter inline-eight is uninstalled and partially disassembled, and the vehicle's interior is completely bare, missing sections of the flooring in places.

That said, everything but the left front shock absorber, the left front and rear fender brace, the right upper door check, the right sunvisor mounting hardware, the gas cap, and the rear glass, is present and included in the sale. The vehicle's history is thoroughly documented, except for the decade it spent abandoned. The front glass is shattered and missing a piece.

This 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux is in need of much attention, love, and a steady flow of cash, so it might get a second lease at life – and yet another chapter to an already incredible story. Whoever is feeling up for the task can bid for it: with two more days to go into the auction, bidding currently sits at $100,057.