1923 Hispano Suiza H6B Cabriolet de Ville

This Hispano Suiza features the Cabriolet de Ville body style with coachwork by J. Saoutchik, Carrosserie.

Hispano Suiza began building automobiles in 1914 but switched to aircraft engines at the onset of WWI. After the war, they returned to automobile engine design and in 1919 introduced their first famous car, the H6B. They used a design that closely resembled their wartime aero engines. This engine is a straight six-cylinder block giving a capacity of 6,597 cc (6.6 Liter), with its single overhead camshaft driven at the front by a vertical shaft, which was also utilized to operate both the twin distributors as well as the water pump via skew gears. Gear changing was not looked upon with favor, therefore, a 3-speed, rather than 4-speed gearbox was standard and capable of dealing with any road condition encountered. The servo-operated 4-wheel drum brakes, driven from the gearbox, provided the most efficient known means of stopping a heavy vehicle and remained in use for some fifty years.

The cost was a secondary consideration during the development and production of the Hispano Suiza.