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1922 Hispano-Suiza H6B Skiff-Torpedo
THE ONLY SURVIVING HISPANO-SUIZA LABOURDETTE SKIFF TORPEDO BODY
IN NOVEMBER 1922 Mlle. Suzanne Deutsch de Ia Meurthe, a wealthy French sportswoman, purchased a new Hispano-Suiza H6B and asked that it be delivered to Henri Labourdette. In January 1923 she ordered this fashionable Skiff-Torpedo body. Little further is known about that body until the 1970s when French collector Hervé Charbonneaux purchased a bare Hispano-Suiza H6B chassis from a Mr. Gruere in Burgundy, France. He then purchased an H6C engine, various original parts, and then this Labourdette Skiff-Torpedo body from the Labourdette family through auction. The body had been modified to fit another chassis; likely a Panhard 40/50 hp. Charbonneaux employed a Mr. Payet to repair the body, and added Grebel headlights. The workshop at the Villiers museum attempted to modify the chassis to fit the engine, but it proved unfeasible, and the project was sold to J.F. Picaud of Switzerland. After one failed restoration attempt, Mr. Picaud moved the project in crates to A. Archer in England asking that it be made ready for sale. Ian Hughes of Philidelphia purchased the project and remounted the body on a correct chassis and engine. In 1999 marque historian Jules Heuman learned of the body’s authenticity and, dedicated to its preservation, purchased and completed its restoration. In 2008 Heumann exhibited the car at Pebble Beach. Dutch collector Jaap Braam Ruben purchased it at auction in August 2009 and sold it to Peter Mullin in 2010. SPEC OVERVIEW:
Coachbuilder: Henri Labourdette Chassis No. 12198 (Body# 4393) Production No.: 1 Of 2614 Produced Engine No. 301224 Inline Six-Cylinder Aluminum Engine 135 BHP At 3,800 RPM 6,597 CC Overhead Camshaft 3-Speed Manual Gearbox Live Axle With Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs 4-Wheel Servo-Assisted Drum Brakes |
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