1935 Hispano-Suiza K6 'Vanvooren' Limousine (RHD)

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. Also known as the 30CV in France and rated at 30/120 in Britain, the Hispano-Suiza K6 was unveiled in March 1934 as a cheaper alternative to the twelve-cylinder J12, sharing many of the same attributes including the basic chassis design. With a bore and stroke of 100 by 110mm, the K6's overhead-valve six-cylinder displaced a little over five litres and developed 140 horsepower at 3000 rpm. In a contemporary road test conducted by The Autocar, the K6 was described as ?one of the world's super cars? with ?remarkable acceleration and average speed capabilities?. The subject of the test, bodied - like the car on offer here - by Vanvooren as a saloon, reached a maximum speed of 85 mph thanks to the tall gearing, while the light steering and mechanical servo'd brakes were also singled out for praise. The test concluded by saying the K6 was ?a car obviously built with superlative care, with that perfection of detail found on only the most expensive machines, extremely satisfying to drive?? The K6 was clothed by some of the finest Continental coachbuilders of the day, including the likes of Chapron, Fernandez & Darrin, Letourneur et Marchand, Saoutchik. One of the most popular choices for K6 owners was the Carroserie Vanvooren based in the Paris suburb of Courbevoie, the coachbuilder enjoying a long lasting relationship with the Hispano-Suiza marque. The K6 was always produced in limited number and best estimates are that 204 were made, of which 134 were built on the standard wheelbase and 68 on the shorter. As might be expected, the survival rate is quite high, with approximately 69 cars known to survive according to the Hispano-Suiza Society and many of these can be found in some of the finest private collections and public museums today. While surviving K6s 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.