The ex-Alec Ulmann, Jules Heuman, Bernard Parris, A J C Thomas
1913 Hispano-Suiza 3.0-Litre Type 20 bis Four-Seat Sports Tourer

• Premier marque
• One of only circa 20 Type 20 Bis models built
• Ultra-rare survivor
• Formerly owned by prominent figures in the 'Antique Automobile' world
• Present enthusiast ownership since 2002

One of the most famous marques of all time, Hispano-Suiza was founded in Barcelona, Spain in 1904. Its name (literally, Spanish-Swiss) recognises both its place of origin and the contribution made by its chief designer, the Swiss engineer Marc Birkigt. The latter had designed the La Cuadra car in Barcelona in 1900 and then the Castro J Castro was one of the creditors of La Cuadra). When Castro went out of business, a new company - Fabrica De Automóviles, La Hispano-Suiza - was formed, headed by wealthy businessman Damien Mateu. Production started in late 1904. Two four-cylinder models were shown at the Paris Auto Show in 1906, initiating an ambitious international expansion, and in 1908 the range expanded with the addition of two sixes.
Spain's young King Alfonso XIII was an early devotee of the brand, which he first encountered when he was unceremoniously passed by a Hispano-Suiza 20hp on one of his trips through Spain. One of Hispano's first customers, he purchased a trio of four-cylinder models at the Madrid Show in 1907 and would own some 30-or-so examples during his reign. The Spanish king had been so impressed when he drove the new Hispano 15/45hp that he bought one and gave permission for the model to carry his name.
To better exploit the potential of the large French market, Hispano-Suiza established a branch in Paris in 1911. Although the marque was of Spanish origin it was Hispano-Suiza's French-built cars, in particular the magnificent H6 and its derivatives, which established it in the front rank of luxury automobile manufacturers following the end of WWI.
Lightweight, narrow and with a centrally positioned engine, the Alfonso XIII can be considered the archetypal sports car. It had its origins in the competition 35 Cr, designed to compete in the Catalonia Cup, and which won both the Ostend and Boulogne Cups. From this lightweight 2.6-litre model was born the 15/20 model. In 1911 the four-cylinder T-head engine was enlarged to 3.6 litres, giving rise to the 15/45model, better known as the Alfonso XIII. A four-speed gearbox was adopted in 1913. The maximum power output of 64bhp was delivered at a lowly 2,300rpm, and with a top speed of around 120km/h (75mph), the Alfonso XIII one of the fastest road vehicles of its day. Production continued until 1914, by which time around 600 Alfonsos had been built, only 25 of which are known to have survived.
Its sales successes and numerous sporting victories notwithstanding, the Alfonso was a conventional car by the standards of its time. Its T-head engine represented a seriously limiting factor in the quest for increased performance, and Birkigt knew that something radically different would be needed for racing. In the spring of 1912 he designed an overhead-camshaft engine, the upstairs cam being driven by a vertical shaft at the front of the block. There were two rocker shafts and two valves per cylinder, set at 35 degrees from the vertical and opening into a hemispherical combustion chamber, features that marked out the Hispano engine as one of the most advanced of its time. The camshaft was pressure lubricated, while the ball-bearing crankshaft relied on 'splash'. In its original form the engine was supercharged and the ignition was by a twin-spark magneto. This valve gear arrangement has been used many times since then, most notably by BMW for its M10 engine, over 3.5 million of which have been produced since the 1960s.
This engine was to be the origin of a whole new 'De Luxe' range, made up of models 21, 22 and 23, with engines of 2,614, 3,817, and 5,655cc respectively. Hispano presented its new line-up at the Paris Salon in 1914, receiving a deluge of orders. However, although the power output achieved by Birkigt was truly exceptional, the engine's bottom end was poorly designed and they were very fragile. Hispano decided to suspend sales, escaping bankruptcy only thanks to Damien Mateu's exceptional entrepreneurial skills.
Hispano-Suiza had intended to enter four cars powered by its new OHC engine in the 1912 Grand Prix de l'ACF at Dieppe, only for the entries to be withdrawn before the race because of a rule change that disqualified Birkigt's design. Three cars equipped with Type 21 engines competed successfully in races during 1913, but Birkigt was still not satisfied. He took the supercharged racing engine, dispensed with the blower, and replaced the original chain drive to the camshaft with a sleeker and more reliable shaft-and-bevels design. The result was the 20 Bis engine.
Meanwhile, the few racing chassis completed were sitting unused at the factory and Louis Massuger, one of Hispano-Suiza's directors, suggested that one should be fitted with one of Birkigt's new 'touring' engines. The result was the 'Massuger Special'. Massuger would later claim that the car brought him "some successes in local races" but it appears to have made little impact of note, at least to begin with.
Early in 1913 the Massuger Special was re-bodied with narrow, aerodynamic single-seater coachwork and matching radiator, its slab-sided, slimline appearance earning it the nickname 'La Sardinia' (The Sardine). Raced at Brooklands on 4th October with Leon Molon driving, 'Sardine' did not feature in the results, possibly due to unfavourable handicapping. That same year 'Sardine' made a successful demonstration run at the Côte Gaillón hill climb, earning the newspaper headline: 'Splendid performance by Hispano-Suiza at Gaillon'. In its first real test, the Course du Coeur Volant, La Sardinia took outright victory and also won the category for cars up to 4.0 litres (remember that the 20 Bis had only 2,950cc at its disposal). Thus the stage was set for the launch of the new overhead-camshaft models at the 1914 Salon de l'Automobile at the Grand Palais in Paris.
In November 1913, assembly of 15 examples of the 20 Bis was authorised, for use by the factory and very special clients. The price of these 20 Bis models was 14,000 francs, 30% more than an Alfonso XIII. In his book, Les Automobiles Hispano-Suiza, Paul Badre observes: "The principal difference between the experimental models and the production engines concerned the crankshaft: it no longer had ball-races but ran in plain bearings."
Badre quotes Louis Massuger as having this to say: "At the request of a certain number of customers we built a number of chassis to the same specification, but a little less highly tuned." This limited-edition sports car was the Type 20 Bis. Badre again: "These replicas of the Massuger Special were road cars, but very similar to the Sardine, being like it, based directly upon the 1912 racing car.
"The Type 20 bis was not in the catalogue, and never publicly announced... The model was reserved for a few special customers like... Max Antoine, French representative for Rudge-Whitworth wheels and thus one of Hispano-Suiza's main suppliers..."
The Type 20 Bis radiator was flat, not pointed as on the production 15hp model, and had no filler cap, suggesting that the cooling system was pressurised. Badre speculates that the first Type 20 Bis were "built on original 1912 chassis, of which there cannot have been more than half a dozen. The following examples (Massuger speaks of about 15 in all) were built on more ordinary chassis (probably the standard 15hp chassis)."
Badre also refers to the car offered here: "This has an overhead-camshaft engine with ball-bearing crankshaft and a flat radiator but an orthodox chassis." Chassis '2291' also features in La Hispano-Suiza by Emilio Polo (pages 440-445).
Unfortunately, the car's history remains a mystery prior to its discovery in Corsica. There is a (copy) French Certificat d'Immatriculation on file dated 21st March 1975 showing that the Hispano was owned by one Jean Claude Pesce and registered as '4 FU 20'. This document is stamped 'May 4 1981', which is quite likely the date the car left Corsica.
The Hispano '2291' then went to the USA where it was owned by Jules Heumann, past president of the Hispano-Suiza Club of America, and then by Alec Ulmann, one of the pioneering members of the SCCA and founder of the Sebring 12-Hour endurance race. Alec kept the Hispano until just before his death in 1986. There are photographs on file of Alec sitting in the car alongside the famous French racing driver, René Dreyfus.
Alec had sold the car to VCC and VSCC stalwart Bernard Parris of Tonbridge, Kent, who entrusted its mechanical restoration to the highly regarded specialists, Crossthwaite & Gardiner (bills on file). The car then changed hands again, passing in December 1993 to Chris and Elspeth Thomas, who gave it a complete facelift and cosmetic restoration. The Thomases sold the Hispano to the current enthusiast vendors in April 2002, since when it has been maintained by N P Veteran Engineering.
Unsurprisingly, this exceptional Hispano-Suiza comes with a most substantial file of documentation: correspondence; extracts from books; newspaper cuttings; various photographs; sundry bills; expired MoTs; old/current UK registration certificates; VCC Certificate of Date, etc, etc. Also included in the sale is a skiff-type two-seater sports body.
The Type 20 bis is a mythical model in the history of the Hispano-Suiza marque, with only some 20-or-so built, and this rare survivor is certain to cause a stir wherever it goes. Owned by some of the most prominent figures in the 'Antique Automobile' world on both sides of the Atlantic, '2291' represents a likely once-in-lifetime opportunity for the next discerning collector to enjoy what was, arguably, the most technologically advanced sports car of its day.
Bonhams would like to thank Ana Polo for her invaluable assistance in preparing this description.