The 10 facts about Hispano Suiza you should know

Although it has spent many years in the background, the Hispano Suiza company is one of the best-known that has emerged in Spain. Today, it is back in the spotlight thanks to the brand’s latest model, the Hispano-Suiza Carmen. Even so, it remains a fairly unknown brand for the general public. We are going to offer several details about this brand so that you can get to know it a little better.

A brand with more than 100 years of history

Hispano Suiza was founded on 14 June 1904. Its creators were Damián Mateu, Francisco Seix and Marc Brikigt. It emerged from two earlier companies, La Cuadra and J. Castro. The first vehicle was launched in 1905 and was the Tipo Acorazado Sistema Bikigt. It was equipped with a four-cylinder engine with a power output of 20 CV, which reached a top speed of 87 km/h. They later launched the first car with a six-cylinder engine built in Spain. It offered 75 CV of power and competed in the Perpignan-Paris route, a journey it completed in 22 hours.

More than just cars

The Spanish brand has not limited itself to making remarkable cars. It has also built engines for aircraft and boats. One of its aviation engines was licensed in several countries in order to meet demand. Others of its engines were used in navigation. The most popular was a 60º V12-cylinder block that produced 1,300 CV of power.

A royal brand

The brand’s success grew when Alfonso XIII showed himself to be a great car enthusiast and liked the brand’s 20 CV model. He drove this model in 1905, and this gave Hispano Suiza a significant boost. In 1910 he became a shareholder in the brand, eventually holding 8% of it. A car was named in his honour. It was a sporty, two-seat model, equipped with a 3,619 cc inline four-cylinder engine producing 60 CV and a top speed of 120 km/h. The Hispano Suiza T45 was also known as the Hispano Suiza Alfonso XIII.

A car for the upper class

The characteristics of Hispano Suiza cars made it a benchmark on a par with the great luxury brands of the era. It was soon recognised as one of the most highly regarded in the luxury market and was used by prominent figures from around the world. Coco Chanel, André Citroën, Paul McCartney and Albert Einstein each drove a model of this brand at one time or another. High-net-worth customers who enjoyed the performance and comfort offered by the Spanish brand.

A Hispano Suiza, a Cultural Heritage Site

The Hispano Suiza 30-40 HP replaced the 20-30 HP, and one of the units of this model was acquired by the Marquis of Zayas and coachbuilt by Francisco Capella. He used fine woods and materials such as ivory and silver. The steering wheel was placed on the right, as was the tradition at the time. The car’s appearance was impressive and showed that a bespoke Hispano Suiza was something to be taken seriously.

This car was acquired by the Ministry of the Interior and became a Cultural Heritage Site in 1988. This places it on the same level as other Spanish monuments, and it is today under the custody of the Dirección General de Tráfico and is housed in the Museum of the History of the Automobile in Salamanca.

The Stork

The Stork, the brand’s emblem, comes from the world of aviation. It was adopted in homage to a French pilot, Georges Guynemer, a pilot in a squadron that used it on its combat aircraft. All of those aircraft had an engine built by Hispano Suiza. It was used in the presentation of the Hispano Suiza H6B at the Geneva Motor Show and it is still present on the Hispano Suiza Carmen.

The origin of the Carmen

This model, which was presented very recently, is the most advanced the brand has designed and built. The origin of the name is found in Doña Carmen Mateu, granddaughter of the founder and mother of the company’s current president, Miguel Suqué Mateu. It was proposed as a tribute to this woman who was so important to the family, and everyone agreed. In fact, the signature on the model’s rear is her own handwritten signature.

The name Boulogne is also a tribute to the brand’s past. In this French town the George Boillot Cup was held, where the H6 Coupé won several victories.

Built for the track

The Hispano Suiza Carmen and Carmen Boulogne are designed for road use but developed on the track. They were presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2019 and were built in collaboration with QEV Technologies, the company that built the first car to win the Formula E drivers’ title.

It has 1,019 CV of power, which rises to 1,114 CV in the Boulogne version, and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in under three seconds. It is one of the most powerful and fastest road cars on the market.

Tested by an F1 driver

Former Formula 1 driver Luis Pérez-Sala has taken charge of getting behind the wheel on both circuit and road. The tests the model has undergone make it possible to obtain the same sensations as those felt at the wheel of a single-seater. Another of the test drivers has been Pablo Suárez, a rally and rallycross driver, who has also contributed his experience to the development of the vehicle.

Unique models

No two Hispano Suizas are alike. Thanks to the Unique Tailormade personalisation service, many options can be added that turn each unit sold into a one-of-a-kind car. There are 1,904 possible combinations for the buyer to personalise their car and make it unique.