Hispano-Suiza H6 C coupé-chauffeur Saoutchik
French registration Engine # 320409 - Exceptional and very rare model - The most powerful Hispano-Suiza tourer - Beautiful body and stunning finish - Bodied by Saoutchik for Lily Chipot After the rather modest displacement sports cars known as the Alphonse XIII, Marc Birkigt, Hispano-Suiza's chief engineer went on to develop the car that would become his masterpiece: the type H6, unveiled at Paris in 1919. This car was a modern wonder, bringing aeronautical solutions and technical progress to automobiles. Its 32HP six-cylinder engine featured a camshaft in each head and the car was equipped with brakes on all four wheels controlled by a highly efficient booster and developed by Birkigt himself. Light for its size and very fast for its time, the 32 HP Hispano in 1923 took the name of H6 B, which was the version most sold, with a total production of about 1,750 units made. Meanwhile, the 46HP H6 C made its appearance: this version received an 8-liter engine developing 160bhp and immense torque. The H6 C featured some of the most opulent bodies and production was limited to just over 250 cars. These were the Hispanos that were the preserve of the stars who enjoyed their ultimate blend of luxury, comfort and performance. Out of the factory Hispano-Suiza in Bois-Colombes (a Parisian suburb) on November 3, 1930, the bare chassis of this 46HP rolled out with its mechanicals and the car was immediately sent by the French company to the workshops of Saoutchik to be bodied. It emerged dressed in a coupe design of absolute elegance. In this beautiful body, the car was delivered new to Lily Chipot, a lady of high society well known to the Parisian intellectuals of the epoch, but also known for her entourage and her sensual dances of the striptease variety occasionally in some of the well known cabarets of the city… In 1955, this Hispano was registered in Paris to a bourgeois family before being transferred in the late 1970s to Louis Blériot, the grandson of the famous French aviator and collector from pre-war times, and then it was registered in the city of Morbihan. The latter, after restoration, entrusted the car to Hervé Poulain for the sale on the 4th of June 1985 when Peter Brignole became the new owner. Since then, the car has not left his collection. The engine was completely rebuilt under the supervision of brand specialist Eric Limpalaer, including the restoration of the water pump and the distributor. All four dampers are new and six tyres have barely 500km on them. The presentation of the mechanicals is of very high standards. The finishing of details of this C H6 is amazing: silver plated side strakes, elegant trims door handles, fender enclosures in copper, Stephen Grebel headlamps, the windshield in two parts, divided into two with a top flap tilt. The dashboard features an impressive set of instruments, while the upholstery and the veneer paneling with patterns worthy of more opulent Art Deco furniture. In the privacy and comfort of the rear compartment, the reclining seats are lovely and welcoming, with bottles or small boxes of vials, and a pair folding seats to accommodate two additional people. On page 333 of the second volume of the Hispano-Suiza book by Emilio Polo we can find a photograph of the car. Hispano-Suiza, of course, remains one of the incomparable prestige cars of all times and this fabulous French brand with the power of this amazing six-cylinder engine and the prodigious workmanship of the body makes for a very rare opportunity to acquire a model of this wondrous brand. Saoutchik, one of the most prestigious coachbuilders of the pre-war era, had at its helm a craftsman of Russian origin, Jacques Saoutchik, who began his activity in 1907, making automotive bodies in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a suburb of Paris. At the time, the base material was wood, which suited Saoutchik whose original business was that of making cabinets. Over the years, Saoutchik emerged as a high-class bodybuilder, dressing the chassis of the most prestigious brands from Europe: Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and, of course, the French brands, including Hispano-Suiza. Proving his talent as that of the highest order the pure form of the bodyworks with their impeccable finish and based on the finest of materials, cars were Saoutchik remain amongst the finest. The 46HP that we present is a remarkable witness of that.
French registration Engine # 320409 - Exceptional and very rare model - The most powerful Hispano-Suiza tourer - Beautiful body and stunning finish - Bodied by Saoutchik for Lily Chipot After the rather modest displacement sports cars known as the Alphonse XIII, Marc Birkigt, Hispano-Suiza's chief engineer went on to develop the car that would become his masterpiece: the type H6, unveiled at Paris in 1919. This car was a modern wonder, bringing aeronautical solutions and technical progress to automobiles. Its 32HP six-cylinder engine featured a camshaft in each head and the car was equipped with brakes on all four wheels controlled by a highly efficient booster and developed by Birkigt himself. Light for its size and very fast for its time, the 32 HP Hispano in 1923 took the name of H6 B, which was the version most sold, with a total production of about 1,750 units made. Meanwhile, the 46HP H6 C made its appearance: this version received an 8-liter engine developing 160bhp and immense torque. The H6 C featured some of the most opulent bodies and production was limited to just over 250 cars. These were the Hispanos that were the preserve of the stars who enjoyed their ultimate blend of luxury, comfort and performance. Out of the factory Hispano-Suiza in Bois-Colombes (a Parisian suburb) on November 3, 1930, the bare chassis of this 46HP rolled out with its mechanicals and the car was immediately sent by the French company to the workshops of Saoutchik to be bodied. It emerged dressed in a coupe design of absolute elegance. In this beautiful body, the car was delivered new to Lily Chipot, a lady of high society well known to the Parisian intellectuals of the epoch, but also known for her entourage and her sensual dances of the striptease variety occasionally in some of the well known cabarets of the city… In 1955, this Hispano was registered in Paris to a bourgeois family before being transferred in the late 1970s to Louis Blériot, the grandson of the famous French aviator and collector from pre-war times, and then it was registered in the city of Morbihan. The latter, after restoration, entrusted the car to Hervé Poulain for the sale on the 4th of June 1985 when Peter Brignole became the new owner. Since then, the car has not left his collection. The engine was completely rebuilt under the supervision of brand specialist Eric Limpalaer, including the restoration of the water pump and the distributor. All four dampers are new and six tyres have barely 500km on them. The presentation of the mechanicals is of very high standards. The finishing of details of this C H6 is amazing: silver plated side strakes, elegant trims door handles, fender enclosures in copper, Stephen Grebel headlamps, the windshield in two parts, divided into two with a top flap tilt. The dashboard features an impressive set of instruments, while the upholstery and the veneer paneling with patterns worthy of more opulent Art Deco furniture. In the privacy and comfort of the rear compartment, the reclining seats are lovely and welcoming, with bottles or small boxes of vials, and a pair folding seats to accommodate two additional people. On page 333 of the second volume of the Hispano-Suiza book by Emilio Polo we can find a photograph of the car. Hispano-Suiza, of course, remains one of the incomparable prestige cars of all times and this fabulous French brand with the power of this amazing six-cylinder engine and the prodigious workmanship of the body makes for a very rare opportunity to acquire a model of this wondrous brand. Saoutchik, one of the most prestigious coachbuilders of the pre-war era, had at its helm a craftsman of Russian origin, Jacques Saoutchik, who began his activity in 1907, making automotive bodies in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a suburb of Paris. At the time, the base material was wood, which suited Saoutchik whose original business was that of making cabinets. Over the years, Saoutchik emerged as a high-class bodybuilder, dressing the chassis of the most prestigious brands from Europe: Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and, of course, the French brands, including Hispano-Suiza. Proving his talent as that of the highest order the pure form of the bodyworks with their impeccable finish and based on the finest of materials, cars were Saoutchik remain amongst the finest. The 46HP that we present is a remarkable witness of that.