" Whilst witnessing Somerset lad Jenson Button score yet another Grand Prix win, this around Barcelona's neck-jarring Circuit de Catalunya it occurred to us here at Influx, that despite the Spanish being incredibly passionate about motoring, the man in the street "
Hispano-Suiza Streamliner
There’s a lot of talk about bespoke culture these days. It seems that it’s the latest thing.
But, of course, there’s nothing new under the sun. The whole idea of tailoring the objects of your desire was born in the very early days of the modern – and reached its apogee in the mid twentieth century when cars remained the playthings of the truly wealthy.
This one-off Hispano-Suiza was commissioned in 1937 by Andre Dubonnet, whose family had amassed a fortune from the aperitifs and cognacs that continue to bear the family name. Dubonnet was, apparently, an accomplished aviator as well as a racing driver – and you can see the influence of high modern aviation in those steel panels.
The styling was done by aerodynamics expert Jean Andreau – and coachbuilder Jacques Saoutchik crafted the body on a modified Hispano-Suiza H6B chassis.This is a car that set itself incredible aesthetic standards and in terms of a piece of pure design indulgence, it is hard to beat.
Makes you hanker for the return of the future…
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