1928 Hispano-Suiza H6C Transformable Torpedo by Hibbard & Darrin

12036roadFrance

Colour: Cream with dark brown convertible top

A 1928 Hispano-Suiza H6C fitted with coachwork by the celebrated Parisian firm Hibbard & Darrin, this car features the firm's signature Transformable Torpedo body style — a design also applied to Marlene Dietrich's Rolls-Royce. Originally delivered to the American distributor in January 1928, it was among a small number of H6Cs dispatched to the United States. Its early owners included flamboyant Peruvian heirs and an Armenian art collector, before the body was later restyled with full pontoon fenders and an integrated trunk reflecting 1930s streamlining trends. It subsequently entered the collection of noted Californian enthusiast Arturo Keller.

Ownership

—Auction sale
Estimate US$475,000 – US$600,000
RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →
—Auction sale
Estimate US$375,000 – US$450,000
RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →
1928-01-26 →Factory delivery
Clarke D. Pease (US distributor)
full documentation
Received the car as US distributor per original factory delivery records; one of very few H6Cs sent to the American market new.
2013 →Private sale
Current owner (consignor)
partial documentation
Acquired from Arturo Keller in 2013; car presented in well-maintained condition at time of cataloguing.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Chopitea brother (heir to Peruvian sugar fortune)
partial documentation
Wealthy playboy with residences worldwide and a substantial collection of luxury automobiles including Duesenbergs and Packards.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Mr. Marais
partial documentation
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Mirant Eknayan
partial documentation
Described as a prominent Armenian diamond trader and art collector.
Date unknownAcquisition unknown
Arturo Keller
partial documentation
California-based noted collector; during his tenure the clutch was renewed, engine tuned, brakes and suspension sorted, and coachwork freshened.

Competition

No competition history extracted from the catalogue.

Maintenance & restoration

—
Modification
The bodywork was updated at some point in the car's early life: sweeping full pontoon fenders were added, the rear body was extended to incorporate an integrated trunk, bringing the overall appearance into line with the streamlined aesthetic fashionable in the late 1930s.
Exact date and workshop unknown; the alterations were made while the car was still in relatively early use.
—
Mechanical
The owner prior to the current one fitted a new clutch, fully tuned the engine, and sorted the brakes, steering, and suspension to good running order.
Carried out by Arturo Keller or during his ownership; date not specified.
—
Bodywork
The belt molding and fender doors were professionally refreshed as part of the same ownership episode that addressed the mechanical work.
Described as a professional freshening rather than a full restoration.

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