“BUG HUNTING ABROAD” In mid-1956, American enthusiast Russ Sceli journeyed to Europe, camera and note pad in hand, and began pursuing Bugattis, which he referred to as “the cherished game of an ardent cult.” “The more I talked to people, especially the enthusiasts, the more convinced I became that if one is fortunate enough to own a Bugatti, or is able to secure one, they should keep and treasure it forever, like a rare jewel, or an amenable wife who will put up with ‘Bugatti’s idiosyncrasies,’” he wrote in his travelogue, published as “Bug Hunting Abroad” in the January 1957 issue of Road & Track.

It was that article that first revealed to American eyes this rare Type 57 cabriolet, bodied by Letourneur et Marchand, one of the rare custom coachbuilders whose work matched Jean Bugatti’s own designs for grace and beauty.

Elaine Bond, the wife of Road & Track’s indomitable publisher, was captured peering into the widow of chassis number 57587, noted as “offered at $750.

Quite a bargain...