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So, just what is a Hispano-Suiza, and why do we car collectors have so precious few of them? Well, it was a combined automotive engineering and building effort of Spain and Switzerland; sort of. A little bit of France was thrown into the mix too, but more on that later. Born in Geneva in 1878, auto designer, Marc Birkigt was behind the marque that would later become the finest automobile of its kind in the world; to be the choice of kings, film stars and the very well-to-do. Birkigt was a Swiss national. Damien Mateu, a Spanish entrepreneur of great wealth, backed his admiration of Birkigt’s auto genius with financial capital to start building cars in 1904. This Spanish-Swiss conglomerate became known as, “Fabrica La Hispano-Suiza de Automobiles”. The quality of the cars built by the factory became legendary in short order. Renowned journalist, Charles Faroux, drove a new Hispano-Suiza V-12 from Paris to Nice and then back again, finishing the trip by parking in a clean showroom over new white paper sheeting and displaying not one single drop of oil, giving credence to his printed claim that the H-S was the best car in the world, bar none. Oh, and that French connection? In 1918, Hispano-Suiza cars first displayed a flying stork as a radiator mascot. Georges Guynemer, a French flying ace, very close to Birkigt, was killed in WWI in 1917. To commemorate the death of his dear friend, he adopted the ace’s squadron’s emblem, the flying stork.
FM first created the 1925 Hispano-Suiza as a Kellner-coach bodied replica. Issued in maroon in 1993, the model had solid white tires and a brown-colored body with white top. The top is non-removable by the way. It was an elegant car but not suited to my taste. But re-spray this opulent auto in a gorgeous pewter-silver shade; it has just a hint of gray in it, and make it perfectly scaled, metallic-wise, and you have a beautiful image of yesteryear’s conveyance for the rich and famous. FM blended in a knock-out deep red in the form of front seating, interior door paneling and rumble seat and the accents on upper doors and fenders and on each wheel center to pull off the elegant FM repaint of the year-to-date to my eyes. For an older-tech image, the car displays nice detail in the engine compartment, has excellent door, trunk and engine cover gapping, or should I say lack thereof. The radiator guard is done in a delicate photo-etch metal criss-cross grille and the top texture has a great fabric feel to it. I so like the change to conventional black rubber tires while still employing the wide whites for contrast.
The edition is small at 1500 pieces and should go fast once the quality of the piece is realized. Issue price is $135.
(02/03/2007)
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