360° Interior

1929 Hispano-Suiza H6B Hibbard & Darrin 3-Position Cabriolet

360° Exterior

1929 Hispano-Suiza H6B Hibbard & Darrin - The JBS Collection

Creating some of the most elegant and quality luxury cars in Europe, Hispano-Suiza produced just over 2,000 automobiles total in its 14-year history. This particular H6B, chassis No. 12034, has coachwork done by Hibbard & Darrin and is considered by experts to be one of the most elegant Hispano-Suizas and one of the most appealing grand luxury automobiles of the 1920s.

Thomas Hibbard and Howard Darrin, both Americans, were involved with LeBaron coachwork in the United States and had a coachwork shop in Paris in the 1920s.

This H6B was purchased in America by Mr. Clark de Pease and then imported from the United States by Charles Howard, historic car dealer, to England and sold in the 1980s. It joined a private Swiss collection in the 1990s when it was fully restored by the famous Walther Koeng Coachworks. It stayed in that private collection until 2011.

The three-position configuration on this car’s top allows it to be up, down, or partially open. This offers passengers the most comfortable and amenable riding experience during any kind of weather.

Plane Inspiration

During the First World War, Hispano-Suiza supplied more than 50,000 V12 engines for fighter planes. Originally, Marc Birkigt planned on putting one of these massive V12s into the newly designed H6, the H6B’s predecessor. However, after testing it was discovered that it would take just half of one of the engines to propel the new car.

A Striking Creation

Aluminum makes up the block and the head of the H6’s straight-six to keep the weight lower. The engine is finished in black enamel with polished aluminum serving as an accent for the “Hispano Suiza: Special for U.S.A.” so that it stands out and catches the eye.

The interior and details on the rest of the car are just as striking and some are just as historic. La Cigogne Volante or The Flying Stork serves as the hood ornament for the car and represents the emblem that the highly decorated WWI pilot Captain Georges Guynemer and his squadron, who became known as Les Cigognes (The Storks) had painted on their fighter planes. These storks also grace the rear seat, its complimentary pillow, and the lid of the trunk.