Hispano-Suiza H6

Hispano-Suiza H6

Hispano-Suiza 1924 H6B Million-Guiet Dual-Cowl Phaeton.
Overview
Manufacturer Hispano-Suiza
Production 1919–1933
Designer Marc Birkigt
Body and chassis
Class Luxury car
Layout FMR layout
Powertrain
Engine 6,597 cc (6.6 L) straight-6
7,983 cc (8.0 L) straight-6
Transmission 3-speed manual
Chronology
Successor Hispano-Suiza J12

The Hispano-Suiza H6 is a luxury automobile that was produced by Hispano-Suiza, mostly in France. Introduced at the 1919 Paris Motor Show,[1] the H6 was produced until 1933.[2] Roughly 2,350 H6, H6B, and H6C cars were produced in total.

Specifications

The H6 engine featured a straight-six engine inspired by designer Marc Birkigt's work on aircraft engines.[3] It was an all-aluminium engine displacing 6,597 cubic centimetres (403 cu in).[4] Apart from the new overhead camshaft, it was essentially half of Birkigt's aviation V12 design.[3] The seven-bearing[4] crankshaft was milled from a 600 lb (272 kg) steel billet to become a sturdy 35 lb (16 kg) unit,[1] while the block used screwed-in steel liners,[4] and the water passages were enamelled to prevent corrosion.[5]

One of the most notable features of the H6 was its brakes. They were light-alloy drums on all four wheels[5] with power-assist[1][2][3] the first in the industry, driven with a special shaft from the transmission. When the car was decelerating, its own momentum drove the brake servo to provide additional power.[1] This technology was later licensed to other manufacturers, including arch-rival Rolls-Royce.[2][6]

The 1922 H6B was slightly more powerful. An 8.0 litres (488 cu in) (110 by 140 mm (4.3 by 5.5 in)) engine was used in 1924's H6C.[1]

The H6 series was replaced in 1933 by the J12, which initially used a 9.5 L (580 cu in) V12 pushrod engine.

Special versions

A series of five racing H6Bs with short wheelbases and slightly enlarged engines was built in 1922.[1] These were referred to as "Boulogne", to celebrate the H6's triple victory at the sports car race at Boulogne by pilots Dubonnet, Garnier & Boyriven in 1923 (Journal des debats, July 27, 1923).[1][6] Woolf Barnato piloted a Boulogne to eight international records, including a 92 mph (148 km/h) average over 300 mi (480 km), at Brooklands in 1924.[5]

André Dubonnet entered an H6C Boulogne in the 1924 Targa Florio.[7] Powered by a 7,982 cc (487.1 cu in) straight 6 (estimated to produce 195 hp (145 kW)),[8] Dubonnet demanded a maximum body weight of 100 lb (45 kg),[5] and the aircraft maker Nieuport- Astra complied with tulipwood strips[7] (later determined to have been mahogany), fastened to an aluminium frame with thousands of tiny rivets.[7] Dubonnet finished the gruelling event without a body failure, and drove home to Naples afterward.[8] This vehicle is currently housed at the Blackhawk Museum near Danville, California.

A later series of short-wheelbase H6Cs was built, eventually being referred to as "Monzas".[1]

A six-wheeled H6 was purchased by motion picture director D. W. Griffith.[9]

Specifications: 1924 H6C Dubonnet Boulogne Targa Florio speedster

André Dubonnet's 1924 H6C Targa Florio speedster

Škoda

Some H6s were built at Hispano-Suiza's industrial complex at La Sagrera, Barcelona, but most H6s were built at Hispano-Suiza's French division in the Parisian suburb of Bois-Colombes. Some 100 H6s were built under license by Škoda in Czechoslovakia from 1926 to 1929. To cope with the poor fuels available, the compression ratio had been limited to 4.5:1 and engine power to 100 hp (75 kW) at 1800rpm.[10][11]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hispano-Suiza H6.

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ultimatecarpage.com - Hispano Suiza H6C Monza
  2. 1 2 3 AutoZine - Hispano-Suiza H6 (1919)
  3. 1 2 3 Conceptcarz.com - 1922 Hispano Suiza H6B
  4. 1 2 3 Browne, T.C. p.118.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Browne, T.C. p.119.
  6. 1 2 Autos.ca: Motoring Memories - Hispano-Suiza
  7. 1 2 3 Browne, T. C., p.119-20.
  8. 1 2 3 Browne, T. C., p.120.
  9. ↑ Forney Museum of Transportation - 1923 Hispano Suiza Victoria Town Car
  10. ↑ "Nachtschicht im Schloss: A report on a concours d'elegance at Schloss Bensberg". Auto Motor u. Sport. Heft 25 2010: Seite 12. 18 November 2010.
  11. ↑ "Škoda – Hispano Suiza 25/100 KS (1926-1929): Poprvé s okřídleným šípem" (in Czech). http://veteran.auto.cz/. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 2013-05-11. External link in |publisher= (help)

Sources

External links

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