1937 Hispano Suiza J12

The Hispano-Suiza marque had Swiss and Spanish origins and a parallel manufacturing location in France. The first Hispano-Suiza of 1904 was based on the Barcelona-built Castro, designed by Swiss engineer Marc Birkigt. Born in Switzerland in 1878, Birkigt left for Spain in 1899 after excepting a position as an engineer with a firm in Barcelona where he helped design Spain's first gasoline automobile, the La Cuadra. During the first year of Hispano-Suiza production, 27 examples were produced. The company quickly gained a reputation for craftsmanship and mechanical prowess, even Spain's King Alfonso XIII would eventually own over thirty examples.

Hispano-Suiza opened a second factory near Paris in 1911 called Hispano France, and Hispano-Suiza operations were moved to larger factories at Bois-Colombes in 1914. During World War I, Hispano-Suiza designed and built aero engines which would become the most commonly used aircraft engines in the British and French air forces.

When peacetime resumed, Hispano-Suiza returned to automobile manufacturing and soon introduced the Hispano-Suiza H6. It was powered by an inline six-cylinder overhead-camshaft engine based on the V8 aluminum aero engines. The Hispano-Suiza Company would build a variety of engines in various configurations over the years, including T-head fours, overhead-cam engines, and a water-cooled V-8. As the multi-cylinder wars of the early 1930s escalated, Marc Birkigt was determined to keep Hispano-Suiza at the forefront of the luxury car segment. In 1929, he began work on what would become the J-12. Beginning with a new design, Birkigt created a 'square' V-12 engine with a bore and stroke of 100 mm, influenced by his early engineering experience. It used convex pistons, a compression ratio of 5.0:1, a seven-bearing crankshaft, a displacement size of nearly 9.5-liters, rubber engine mounts, a pushrod-operated overhead valvetrain, and developed approximately 220 horsepower. It had dual Scintilla magnetos, vitreous enameled manifolds, and aluminum castings. The engine was backed by a three-speed manual transmission. The suspension was comprised of a solid front axle and a live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs. Four-wheel servo-assisted mechanical drum brakes provided the stopping power.

The Hispano-Suiza J12 (also known as the Type 68 or T12) was produced from 1931 to 1938. The mechanical sophistication was equaled by its price tag, guaranteeing its exclusivity, with approximately 120 examples - all built to order- built during its production lifespan. Four wheelbase sizes were available including a 135-, 146-, 150-, and 158-inch platform, and was the largest and most expensive car ever constructed by the marque. Hispano-Suiza constructed the chassis while buyers had to arrange coachwork from outside builders.

In its day, there were few that could compare to Marc Birkigt's piéce de résistance. Among the list of notable and original owners include Lord Rothschild, Marcel Boussac, and André Dubonnet. Collectors who have owned the J12 include Briggs Cunningham, Alec Ulmann, William Burden, Charles Chayne, and C.W.P. Hampton.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2021