Jay Leno checks out a 1923 Hispano Suiza
Spain and Switzerland aren’t often called automotive powerhouses, however residents of these nations got here collectively to create one of many biggest automakers of the prewar period: Hispano Suiza.
Just lately featured on an episode of “Jay Leno’s Storage,” this 1923 Hispano Suiza H6B exemplified the work of the automaker, the identify of which implies “Spanish Swiss” in reference to the nationalities of its two founders.
Just like the 1933 Hispano Suiza J12 featured on one other Jay Leno’s Storage episode, this automobile is a part of California’s Nethercutt Assortment. Including to the worldwide taste, each automobiles have been constructed not in Spain or Switzerland, however France.
Whereas the J12 is powered by a V-12 engine, this automobile makes do with an inline-6—set in a neatly organized engine bay. Energy is distributed to the rear wheels by way of a 3-speed handbook transmission, which was extra fascinating as a result of it meant much less shifting in that pre-automatic period.
Like most luxurious automobiles of the interval, this Hispano Suiza left the manufacturing facility as a naked chassis, leaving a coach builder liable for the bodywork. On this case Saoutchik utilized its patented Cabriolet de Ville physique fashion, making this automobile a four-door convertible. The tradeoff for all of that sunshine is flimsy doorways with difficult-to-use home windows.
This automobile would have been priced near a Rolls-Royce when new, however engineering was additionally comparable. The Hispano Suiza’s naked 145-inch-wheelbase chassis weighs a comparatively svelte 2,600 kilos, and it was one of many first automobiles of the interval with entrance brakes. This automobile and others of the interval used cable-operated brakes, which required particular {hardware} to have the ability to work on a steered axle.
The unique Hispano Suiza ceased constructing automobiles in 1946. The corporate shifted focus to its aviation enterprise (it was later absorbed into a bigger conglomerate), however the automobile model was revived in 2019 with the Carmen electrical supercar. An evolution of that automobile, the Carmen Sagrera, is scheduled to debut in June.
