MADRING will feature more than a century of Hispano Suiza’s sporting DNA, with a unique collection of historic vehicles and the Carmen Sagrera hypercar
This weekend, the area around the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix at MADRING will host a journey through more than a century of motoring history, bringing together the past and present of Hispano Suiza in an exhibition organised by CarDesign.es together with Fever and MADRING.
The brand will be represented by nine vehicles, eight of them historic, which will form a chronological journey from 1912 to 2002 within the Marca España area of Fan Zone E2, ending with the Carmen Sagrera (2024), Hispano Suiza’s latest model which will be on display in Fan Zone A alongside the hypercars and competition-inspired vehicles. This will be the largest representation of a single brand within the exhibition, which brings together around 60 vehicles in total.
A history written between innovation and competition
Since its origins, Hispano Suiza saw motorsport as a tool for demonstrating the technical capability of its vehicles. From its earliest years, the brand competed in various motor races and was linked to some of the great sporting events of the early 20th century.
Among these, the Copa Catalunya, whose first edition, in 1908, is considered the first circuit race held in Spain. From that first edition, Hispano Suiza supported this pioneering competition organised by the Real Automóvil Club de Cataluña, in which numerous models from the brand took part over the years.
Among its most notable milestones is the Concurso Automovilista del Guadarrama, held in Madrid in 1912, where King Alfonso XIII himself competed at the wheel of a Hispano Suiza HS 45 HP. Two years later, at the 1914 Concurso de Navacerrada, the brand achieved an outstanding one-two finish: Louis Massuger, Hispano Suiza’s test driver, took victory at the wheel of the T20 bis “La Sardina”, while Lluís Carreras finished third in a T20/21. In 1921, Alfonso XIII once again demonstrated the brand’s performance at the Cuesta de las Perdices, setting a new record at the wheel of his Hispano Suiza H6, exceeding an average uphill speed of 102 km/h.
This close relationship with competition also translated into major international successes, from the victory achieved in the Mont Ventoux hillclimb in France in 1909, considered Hispano Suiza’s first in competition, to the triumphs achieved in the Boulogne-sur-Mer races in 1921, 1922 and 1923, which consolidated the brand’s sporting prestige beyond Spain’s borders.
The cars that built a legend
The historic journey that Hispano Suiza will present in Madrid begins with the Alfonso XIII from 1912, considered one of the first sports cars built in series production. Named in honour of the Spanish monarch, a great motoring enthusiast and regular customer of the brand, it combined high performance, lightness and innovation for its time.
Alongside it will be the Rabassada from 1922, a unique piece directly linked to the legendary Subida a la Rabassada hillclimb in Barcelona, one of the most prestigious hillclimb competitions in Europe during the first half of the twentieth century. Based on the Alfonso XIII, it was conceived as a lightweight build designed to maximise its competition performance.
The historic selection also includes the H6C Boulogne from 1924, a variant developed from Hispano Suiza’s successes on the French Boulogne-sur-Mer circuit, representing the sportier side of a brand renowned worldwide for its luxury and engineering.
From historic legacy to the electric hypercar of the future
More than a century after its first competition experiences, Hispano Suiza upholds the same principles of exclusivity, innovation and high performance in a new technological era.
The Carmen Sagrera, presented in 2024 to mark the brand’s 120th anniversary, represents the contemporary interpretation of Hispano Suiza’s sporting spirit. Located in the MADRING hypercar and competition-inspired vehicle area, this model embodies the brand’s historic legacy and carries it into the world of electrification through a hypercar handcrafted in Barcelona.
With this gathering of historic vehicles and its most advanced creation, Hispano Suiza shows, during the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend at MADRING, how the same philosophy has evolved over more than a century: from its first high-performance sports cars to today’s electric hypercars.
About Hispano Suiza:
Hispano Suiza is a historic Spanish car brand owned by five generations of the Suqué Mateu family. Hispano Suiza Fábrica de Automóviles S.A. was founded in Barcelona in 1904 by Damián Mateu, with the assistance of technical director and engineer Marc Birkigt, who was also a partner in the company. Between 1904 and 1946, Hispano Suiza manufactured more than 12,000 high-performance luxury vehicles and 50,000 aircraft engines.
In 2019, the brand was revived by the founder’s great-grandson, Miguel Suqué Mateu, who preserved its legacy, bringing fresh impetus and dynamism with a clear vision for the future and longevity. Sergio Martínez Campos, CEO of Hispano Suiza, together with the management team, continues to drive the brand’s legacy and evolution into the future.
In 2024, to celebrate its 120-year history, the Carmen Sagrera was unveiled, the vehicle that completes the range of electric hypercars alongside the Carmen (2019) and the Carmen Boulogne (2020). The Sagrera redefines the concept of the Gentleman Driver and sets the tone for the brand’s future design direction. Hispano Suiza continues to work towards offering exclusive, high-performance vehicles with endless customisation possibilities for clients seeking excellence, both through its hypercars and unique experiences.