Hispano Suiza Coming to New York City Concours

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Hispano Suiza* will be the main sponsor of “The New York City Concours,” an exhibition of classic cars in Manhattan on September 17. The Hispano Suiza Carmen Boulogne will be on 72nd Street between Madison and Fifth Avenue. The US has a role to play, so to speak, in the expansion of Hispano Suiza internationally.

Hispano Suiza says it accepted the invitation from the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District, to be “the featured attraction” of their Men´s Style Month. Madison Avenue has pretentions of being “the main luxury district in the United States, where the most important fashion and jewelry boutiques are located.”

The exhibition is free and open to the public from 12:00 to 17:00. In 2022, the first Carmen Boulogne in the United States was delivered to collector Michael Fux.

I guess MABI never heard of Norma Desmond, aka Gloria Swanson, of Sunset Boulevard fame. Norma didn’t shop there. Oh, by the way, The Plaza hotel, which played a significant part in the Swanson and Joe Kennedy affair, is on Fifth Avenue. Moreover, Desmond’s car in the movie Sunset Blvd was an Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8. Ah, the tricky world of luxury product marketing.

*Hispano Suiza

Hispano Suiza is an old Spanish automotive brand owned by the Suqué Mateu family, now in its fourth generation. Hispano Suiza Automobile Factory S.A. was founded in Barcelona in 1904 by Damián Mateu, together with technical director and engineer Marc Birkigt, also a partner in the company. Hispano Suiza is now part of the Peralada Group, which provides luxury dining and entertainment through its global portfolio of casinos, restaurants, hotels, golf courses, vineyards, music festivals and marinas.

Between 1904 and 1946, Hispano Suiza manufactured more than 12,000 high-performance luxury vehicles and 50,000 aircraft engines, primarily for France and other allied nations. Currently, with its headquarters, technical center and manufacturing plant located in Barcelona (Spain), it says it “embodies a spirit that combines the pride of being a Spanish brand with a solid family legacy.”

In 2019, the brand showed the Hispano Suiza Carmen, its new 100% electric hypercar. One year later, it added the Carmen Boulogne. In total, 24 units will be produced. Sunset Boulevard was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won three. More exclusive? Well, it’s a “can of beans,” so to speak…

Since its foundation, four generations of the Suqué Mateu family have preserved the brand, providing “impetus and dynamism to maintain its significant heritage. Currently, Miguel Suqué Mateu, great-grandson of the brand’s founder, is at the helm of Hispano Suiza as its Chairman”

AutoInformed wishes him well, no matter where he shops…