Hispano Suiza Carmen

In the run-up to the Geneva International Motor Show, we announced the Hispano Suiza Maguari HS1 GTC as a new sports car of the revived brand from Switzerland in this article. We also announced the premiere of an additional sports car with electric drive, the Carmen, at the GIMS. Little did we know at that time, that the once big brand name Hispano Suiza vanished from car production in the 1940s, but now has been revived twice. The aforementioned Maguari HS1 GTC is a product of the ‘Hispano Suiza Automobilmanufaktur AG’ with headquarters in Zug/Switzerland. CEO Erwin Leo Himmel exhibited a close-to-production prototype based on the first-generation Audi R8 at the GIMS in 2010. However, except of the name this company is not related to ‘Hispano Suiza Cars’ from Barcelona/Spain, who developed and presented the Carmen this year.

After this traditional car brand didn’t exist for several decades, currently it exists doubled. Whether this duplication can last long remains to be seen. At this point we want to focus on the new Carmen from Spanish production. For this purpose, a completely new carbon monocoque was specially developed, which was specially designed for the use of the electric drive from the beginning. The T-shaped lithium battery pack, which drives the two electric motors at the rear wheels, sits in the floor of the vehicle. Combined the motors deliver 750 kW/1,019 hp. This force can also be distributed between the rear wheels via torque vectoring. The company states a reach of about 400 kilometers with fully charged batteries. Accurate data for driving dynamics aren’t available yet, but Hispano Suiza Cars expects an acceleration from 0 to 62 mph in less than three seconds and a topspeed of 155 mph. Ready to drive the weight is 1,690 kilograms.

Visually, the Hispano Suiza Carmen quotes the H6C Dubonnet Xenia from 1938, whereby also various modern elements such as LED lighting units are used. You can find a picture of this classic car, which remained a one-off, in our gallery. The flying stork as brand emblem can be found in various places around the car. For example, the round taillights show the bird motif in their midst. Meanwhile, the model lettering quotes the signature of Carmen Mateu, the granddaughter of the founder of Hispano Suiza and mother of the current president of the new brand Hispano Suiza Cars.

In the interior, the Hispano Suiza Carmen offers fine, hand-sewn leather and Alcantara, combined with real wood and aluminium. Behind the steering wheel sits a wide digital display and in the center console a 10.1-inch touchscreen display allows access to all comfort and infotainment functions. All in all, only 19 copies of the Carmen are to be created with a base price of 1.5 million euros each. The start of production is planned for early 2020. It remains to be seen whether until then the confusion over the brand name rights could be clarified.

Images: Hispano Suiza Cars, Matthias Kierse