To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Paris event, 6 February
2019.
Estimate:
€1.300.000 - €1.500.000
- Rare and elegant one-off cabriolet coachwork by Etienne
Brandone
- Superb sweeping lines with tasteful chrome accents
- Quality restoration to original configuration that presents
beautifully
- Classic example of an extravagant convertible, perfect for
touring the C�te d'Azur
In 1934, Hispano-Suiza introduced the lovely K6 which shared many
components with its otherworldly sibling, the incredible 9.5-litre,
twelve-cylinder Hispano-Suiza J12. K6 production is believed to
have been a mere 204 chassis, all fitted with individually
coach-built bodies, painstakingly constructed by the very finest
carrosseries in France and abroad.
Chassis no. 16035 was delivered by Hispano-Suiza on 4 May 1935 and
sent to the premier coachbuilder on the C�te d'Azur, the
Carrosserie Etienne Brandone in Cannes. The designs of Etienne
Brandone were always tasteful, well-proportioned and with a certain
elegant sophistication that is perfectly epitomized in this lavish
K6 cabriolet. Indeed, chassis no. 16035 has previously been falsely
attributed to Saoutchik, Figoni, Letourneur et Marchand and even
Kellner, unquestionably some of the greatest coachbuilders of all
time.
Originally delivered to a Mr Copley-May living in the Villa
Rangimore on Avenue de la Corniche in Nice, chassis no. 16035was
given Alpes-Maritimes registration 6542 BA4 on 29 June 1935 and was
shown at the Cannes concours on 27 March 1936, in light blue with
darker blue accents. As reported in the May 1936 issue of the
famous trade publication La Carrosserie: '. . . the two highlight
prizes, the Grand Prix d'Honneur and the cup for the most beautiful
French car were given to a splendid 1935 Mercedes-Benz coach by
Saoutchik and a very beautiful roadster by Brandone on a 32 CV
Hispano-Suiza, in front of all the other cars' - a perfect
summation of the appreciation received in period. The following
year, it was shown in Cannes once more, now repainted in an elegant
dark shade of either blue or black.
Still in the Alpes Maritimes, the car was re-registered 487 BB 06
on 22 May 1952 to a company in Lyon with the initials M.A.S.E. It
then passed to a Mme Pierre in Villeurbanne in October 1955. By
1964, chassis no. 16035 was owned by Jim de Bickero in Chicago,
Illinois, who carried out a first restoration that included a
redesign of the rear deck, top and windscreen and converting the
car from two to four seats. It was subsequently acquired in this
configuration by the Blackhawk Collection and then the famous
collector Peter Mullin. After a second restoration, it was shown at
the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1986, 1991 and 1999,
winning several awards.
Chassis no. 16035 then passed to noted collectors Sam and Emily
Mann, and noted French historian Andr� Vaucourt was commissioned to
perform in-depth research into its provenance. Based on his
findings, Mann commissioned Stone Barn Restorations in Vienna, New
Jersey, to return the K6 to its precise configuration as delivered
to the Copley-Mays in 1935. The car was shown at Pebble Beach once
again, this time chosen as a Best of Show nominee. In 2013, it
participated in the Hispano-Suiza Rally in Arizona and received a
full engine rebuild by RM Auto Restoration in 2015.
This presents a rare opportunity to acquire the best of several
worlds: a rare and elegant cabriolet with sumptuous French style by
a supremely talented coachbuilder, supported by one of the finest
luxury chassis of the interwar years. From its immediately
recognizable radiator topped by perhaps the most beautiful hood
ornament of all time, to the beautiful flow of the sculped fenders
and rear deck, chassis no. 16035 exudes French joie de vivre from
every panel and curve of its exquisite body and would be welcomed
at high-level events worldwide.To view this car and others
currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/pa19.
