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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Luxury sports car for the elite

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Created on February 25, 2020

Reading time 4min

Written by:

Daniel Koch

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

2

Adam Warner - Courtesy RM/Sotheby’s

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Bruno von Rotz

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Archiv

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Daniel Reinhard

2

Adam Warner - Courtesy RM/Sotheby’s

29

Bruno von Rotz

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Archiv

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Die Höchstgeschwindigkeit betrug 120 km/h

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Der fliegende Schwan

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - charakteristische Kotflügel

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Die Spurbreite betrug je nach Chassis 122 oder 129 cm

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Das lange Chassis wies eine Spurbreite von 129 cm auf

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Klassische Boattail-Karosserie

Bild von Partner Planai Classic 2025 Inline 1

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - König Alfonso XIII von Spanien kaufte sich jedes Modell

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Zweiplätzer mit Notsitz

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Auch die Sporterfolge blieben nicht aus

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Knappes Cockpit

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Die Windschutzscheibe bietet den nötigsten Schutz

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Die Fahrzeuge von Birkigt waren ein teures Vergnügen

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Zündverstellung und Handgas am Lenkrad

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Konventionell angeordnete Pedalerie

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Notsitz oder Stauraum

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Mächtige Scheinwerfer, Lichtausbeute unklar

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - 3.2 Liter Vierzylindermotor

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Birkigt setzte beim Motor auf Aluminium

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Das Fahrwerk verfügte über Reibungsdämpfer

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Die Motorhaube verdeckt die Schönheit des Motors

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Das lange Chassis wurde mit Dreivierteleliptikfedern ausgerüstet

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Das Werkzeug fährt auf den Trittbrettern mit

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Einfache Klimaanlage

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Geschaltet wird aussen

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Wie er sich Gehör verschafft

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Matching Numbers

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Der Schwan erinnert an den Kampfflieger Georges Guynemer

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Legendärer Schriftzug

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII - Die Landesfarben der Schweiz und Spaniens

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII (1913) - als Lot 158 versteigert durch RM/Sotheby's in Paris am 5. Februar 2020

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII (1913) - als Lot 158 versteigert durch RM/Sotheby's in Paris am 5. Februar 2020

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII (1913) - als Lot 158 versteigert durch RM/Sotheby's in Paris am 5. Februar 2020

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Hispano-Suiza Alfonso Model XIII (1912) - Mr. und Ms. Briggs Cunningham zeigen stolz ihren Alfonso anlässlich der Eröffnung ihres Museums

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Summary

Rolls Royce may be the better known brand, but Hispano-Suiza is the more expensive and exclusive. Only the richest of the rich could afford it, and many consider it to be the world's first sports and racing car, even before Bugatti and Bentley. The Alfonso XIII is probably also the first (and only?) automobile to be named after a king.

This article contains the following chapters

Swiss in Spain
Homage to war heroes
The monarch loves luxury and speed
Experience from aviation
According to the customer's wishes
The chauffeur has to crank more
Inventive spirit
Economic crisis and war
Valuable automobiles

Estimated reading time: 4min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Between the First and Second World Wars, Hispano-Suiza built the most expensive cars in the world, costing around GBP 2500, which was equivalent to the price of two stately homes. In return, the customer received a sporty luxury vehicle in which he could be seen both in front of the opera and on the racetrack. The Swiss engineer Marc Birkigt founded the company "La Hispano-Suiza de Automoviles" in Barcelona in 1904. He used the bankruptcy assets of the company "Castro y Cia", where he had previously worked as a designer. From 1911, he moved the main production site to Bois-Colombes near Paris, where most of the vehicles in the company's history were built. Hispano-Suiza is therefore considered a Franco-Spanish brand, although all cars bore the Spanish and Swiss national colors on the emblem in the radiator grille.

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