1925 Hispano Suiza H6C

The Spanish-based Hispano-Suiza was founded in June 1904. Emilio de la Cuadra created la Cuadra in Barcelona in 1898 for the purpose of building electric automobiles. He met Swiss engineer Marc Birkigt while in Paris and hired him for the company in Spain. Around 1902, the ownership changed hands to José María Castro Fernández and became Fábrica Hispano-Suiza de Automóviles. In December 1903, the company was bankrupt. In 1904, under Castro's direction, La Hispano-Suiza Fábrica de Automóviles was resurrected.

Hispano-Suizas introduced the H6 Series, powered by an 8-liter straight-6 engine, in 1919. The overhead camshaft engine was cast in aluminum, with a fixed head, two valves per cylinder, steel liners, and a seven-main-bearing crankshaft with full lubrication. They were based on the features of its aluminum V8 World War 1 aircraft engines and installed in a light, rigid chassis that had servo-assisted brakes with finned aluminum drums.

In 1921, the H6 was succeeded by the H6B and in 1924 it was joined by the H6C. The H6C was intended for high-speed sport touring purposes and came with a larger 7.9-liter engine, based on the 'Boulogne' racing cars. Although often fitted with luxurious custom coachwork, they were able to achieve speeds of nearly 110 mph.

H6 production continued until 1933, by which time 2,158 chassis of all types had been built.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2019