On August 17, 2025, Carolyn and Craig Jackson will present their 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio in the European Classic class at the 74th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, one of the crown jewel events of Monterey Car Week.
Known for their commitment to the collector car industry, community and the driving forces behind the Barrett-Jackson auctions – Craig as chairman and CEO and Carolyn as chief brand officer – the Jacksons acquired the 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio, bearing Chassis No. 57406, at Barrett-Jackson’s 2024 Scottsdale Auction. Since then, Craig Jackson has led a nut-and-bolt restoration, carried out by his multi-generational team, ranging from veteran engine builders to recent graduates of McPherson College, bringing the car to its current concours-worthy condition and the Pebble Beach show field.
During the restoration process, Bugatti Heritage and Certification Specialist Luigi Galli was brought in to examine the vehicle and confirm its matching-numbers authenticity. The Bugatti retains its original No. 286 engine, No. 427 rear axle and No. 50 internal frame. Although the No. 68C transmission is not original to this Type 57, the same model was used in supercharged Stelvios.
Initially, Craig Jackson set out to make the vehicle as reliable as possible and mechanically sound so it could be driven in vintage rallies. As the project progressed, Jackson made the decision to drive and show the vintage Bugatti at the Pebble Beach Tour and Concours d’Elegance in part to honor the esteemed Don Williams, a beloved member of the Barrett-Jackson family. The 3257cc Straight-8, dual-overhead cam, gear-driven engine was completely gone through and rebuilt, with passageways cleaned out to ensure everything was refreshed with new seals and gaskets. During the process, the team found the engine had been rebuilt previously.
The entire chassis was stripped and sandblasted, and every nut and bolt were nickel-plated before being carefully indexed.
The restoration also included a full repaint, with the fenders and body carefully stripped, sanded and refinished in a deep, rich PPG black. For the “sweep panel,” Craig Jackson chose a striking silver hue, color-matched to his 2023 Bugatti Chiron, creating a visual bridge between the marque’s prewar elegance and modern hypercar performance.
Before joining the Jacksons’ collection, this prewar Bugatti had been part of the renowned Don Williams Collection and resided at the Blackhawk Museum. The late Williams truly left a legacy that continues to inspire. In 2023, the Jackson Family Foundation partnered with Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Chairman Sandra Button and her husband Martin to establish a Classic Car Restoration Program in Williams’ name at Rancho Cielo, a Monterey County educational organization focused on youth facing many challenges to success.
Built in April 1936, this Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio was originally designed by Jean Bugatti as a four-passenger cabriolet featuring signature pontoon fenders and an Atalante-inspired rounded tail. The design evolved throughout production, with Stelvios from 1935 and 1936 featuring a folding windshield and a top retracted into the body.
The Bugatti was delivered to a Mr. R. Petit on August 8, 1936, and was originally finished in green with gray sweep panels. Subsequently, the car made its way into the ownership of a Mr. Ferrand, by which time it had been upgraded with several period-style updates, including integrated headlamps, rear fender spats, front “moustache” bumpers and upgraded Lockheed hydraulic brakes. As common upgrades to earlier cable-brake cars this indicates that these modifications were either done by the factory or by a Bugatti agent. Mr. Ferrand, who acquired the car in 1946, sold the car to French actor Jacques Dufilho, whose ownership is well documented through numerous historical photos.
In 1974 Dufilho passed it on to Alec Ulmann, the founder of the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race. Ulmann refinished the car in blue and black and drove it without the rear fender spats. After his death in 1986, Ulmann’s wife held onto the car for two years before the Bugatti came under the care of the Blackhawk Museum in 1988. The museum completed a full restoration and preserved Ulmann’s two-tone royal blue and black “sweep panel” paint scheme and added pale gray leather upholstery for contrast. The rear spats were reinstalled and chrome wire wheels were added, echoing Bugatti’s own offerings from 1937. At some point, the Blackhawk Museum sold the Bugatti to a private collector; Williams later acquired the car in 2022.
This marks the second time in recent history the Jacksons have shown a grand automobile at Pebble Beach, following their 2019 appearance with a beautifully restored 1948 Talbot-Lago. Craig Jackson has a deep-rooted passion for restoration, shaped over decades of hands-on experience. He learned the craft from his late brother Brian, who passed away 30 years ago this September, and continued honing his skills under the guidance of his father Russ and Williams, as well as automotive legend Tom Barrett.
One of Craig Jackson’s most significant restoration achievements was a 1948 Figoni et Falaschi-bodied Delahaye 135M Narval. Russ Jackson and his wife Nellie had acquired the car in the early 1980s from a European owner. It arrived in the United States disassembled, with the engine and transmission packed in shipping crates. Craig Jackson poured his heart into the restoration, fabricating body panels and chassis components by hand. His efforts paid off: The finished Delahaye earned a perfect 100-point score at the 1987 Classic Car Club of America Grand Classic, and later headlined the 1989 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, where it sold for $900,000.
While at Pebble Beach Weekend, Craig Jackson will also showcase the double prototype “Little Red” at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, further highlighting his exceptional restoration expertise. Little Red, one of the most historically significant Shelby Mustangs known to exist, is the only known 1967 Mustang EXP500 prototype coupe equipped with a 428ci engine and dual four-barrel carburetors, and is the only twin supercharged Shelby ever built. Craig Jackson led the multi-year effort to locate, recover and meticulously restore the car – thought to be lost for decades – to its original factory specifications.
The following weekend, the Jacksons will show Little Red with “Green Hornet,” a 1968 Mustang EXP500 prototype coupe, at the Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) 50th Anniversary convention at the Sonoma Raceway. The two legendary muscle cars will be on display together for the first time since their public unveiling at the Barrett-Jackson 2020 Scottsdale Auction.
The Green Hornet, a “double prototype,” was originally built at the Dearborn Assembly Plant in the fall of 1967. This 1968 Mustang notchback coupe began life as a prototype for a nation-wide version of the California Special. In early 1968, the car was handed off to Carroll Shelby and his team, who transformed it into the experimental 500 (EXP500) with independent rear suspension and direct port computerized fuel injection. Like its sibling Little Red, Green Hornet was long believed to have been lost to history and crushed. Craig Jackson acquired Green Hornet and then completed a years-long comprehensive restoration to bring the car back to its original glory.
Showing the 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio at the 74th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and displaying Little Red and Green Hornet, underscores the Jacksons’ commitment to preserving automotive history with precision and passion, whether it’s a rare European classic or a one-of-one American icon.
This article was originally published on Barrett-Jackson.com
