c1924 Hispano-Suiza H6B "Martin & King" Saloon

Description

One of the finest names in the history of motoring, Hispano-Suiza was the brainchild of Marc Birkigt, a formidable Swiss-born engineer whose first car appeared in 1904. Based in Spain, Birkigt's company continued to turn out cars of the highest quality for the next four decades, establishing a factory in Paris in 1911. The legendary H6, introduced at the conclusion of the Great War, is regarded as one of the best vintage cars ever made, competing directly with the likes of Rolls-Royce. From the moment the H6 debuted at the 1919 Paris Salon, it was regarded as a masterpiece of automotive design and quickly found favour with royalty and sporting stars alike. Inspired by Hispano-Suiza's aero engines, the H6's six-cylinder unit had a bore and stroke of 100 by 140 mm, giving a total capacity of 6597cc, boasted an overhead camshaft design and steel cylinder sleeves screwed into an aluminium block. Rated at 32CV in France and 37.2 hp in Britain, a contemporary road test by The Autocar in May 1920 estimated the engine's output at 135 bhp at 3000 rpm and praised its superlative performance. The H6's chassis had four-wheel braking via finned alloy drums, semi-elliptic springs front and rear and a three-speed transmission. Two chassis lengths (with wheelbases of 3390mm and 3690mm respectively) were available. Delco electrics were provided for the lighting and ignition and the wire-spoked wheels were fitted as standard. Only the finest coachbuilders of the day were chosen to clothe the Hispano's chassis, including Saoutchik, Kellner, Labourdette, Million-Guiet, Binder and Hibbard & Darrin. Over its twelve-year production life many detail changes were made to the model and it was designated the H6B from c.1922 onwards. Derivatives included the racing model built for the 1922 Coupé Georges Boillot held at Boulogne and the 8-litre H6C, also known as the 46CV. Hispano-Suiza is thought to have made around 2158 H6/H6Bs between 1919 and 1931 of which a little over ten per cent are thought to survive and many of those live in some of the finest automotive collections and museums on the planet. While surviving H6Bs are usually found gracing the lawns at Pebble Beach and Villa d'Este, they make wonderful touring cars, with enough power to keep up with modern traffic and excellent driving characteristics.