Vanderbilt Cup Races

The Tragedy

Last November, VanderbiltCupraces.com posted about two 2024 Pebble Beach Concours that had tragically burnt in trailer fires on the way home from the August 2024 Concours event.

The 1979 Ford Probe I Ghia concept car and the 1934 Hispano-Suiza J12 Vanvooren Cabrio appeared to be complete losses, but one has come up for auction in hopes of someone who can resurrect the incredibly rare automobile.

The car seen here during the 2024 Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance on Highway 1.

The Hispano's Pebble Beach description.

On September 4th, 2024, a report from CBS channel 46 KION has reported on a fire about a second automobile engulfed in flames while leaving Monterey in very much the same fashion as the other burnt vehicle, the prototype Ford Probe.

In the report, the owner and vehicle were not mentioned, but upon a little sleuthing, it was uncovered that this car was the 1934 Hispano-Suiza J12 Vanvooren Cabrio, (2nd place winner in class J1- European Classic Touring Early) owned by Sir Michael Kadoorie of Hong Kong.

You can view the report and video from CBS KION in California Here.

A Possible Rebirth

There is hope!

Broad Arrow Auctions has listed the 1934 Hispano for auction on Saturdaty, March 8, 2025 at Amelia Island, with auction estimates set at $300,000-$500,000. (see all 54 photos in the link)

"-Shown at the 2013 and 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and 2016 The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering

-Winner of the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Alec Ulmann Trophy for its elegant Vanvooren Cabriolet coachwork

-One of approximately 120 Hispano Suiza J12s built between 1931 and 1938

-Commissioned by Belgian-born Baron Jean Empain and originally bodied by Fernandez et Darrin

-Used during Empain's travels between Europe to Africa and imported to the U.S. following World War II

-Restored and formerly owned by The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie

-A near-mythical “masterpiece of order and simplicity” that begs for a triumphant return from the ashes

-Offered without reserve, following fire damage in 2024"

"Chassis No. CH14019

Seule l'Hispano Suiza fait connaître à ses passagers les joies pures de la vitesse dans le confort, la sécurité, le silence

(Trans; Only the Hispano Suiza makes its passengers experience the pure joys of speed in comfort, safety, silence)

Speed, Comfort, Safety, and Silence were the stated characteristics of the Hispano Suiza in 1934, yet curiously, elegance is not mentioned among them. Perhaps the quality could go unsaid as the French company was at their apex as a pre-war leader in luxury automobile manufacture with numerous esteemed European firms such as Saoutchik, Graber, and Fernandez et Darrin contributing bespoke bodies. Among its greatest achievements was the truly magnificent J12 that existed as the ultimate expression of the company's engineering and design prowess. The J12 chassis was the near exclusive domain of Vanvooren, which formed elegant bespoke coachwork on the ultimate Hispano chassis just a few hundred meters from their factory."

"Introduced in 1931, the J12 was powered by a 9.4-liter V12 engine producing 220 horsepower. This refined yet massive powerplant featured twin banks of six cylinders set at a 60-degree angle, ensuring effortless performance. The chassis, with its leaf-spring suspension and a live axle, was impeccably balanced and arguably superior even to the Rolls-Royce Phantom III. Despite the economic challenges of the 1930s, the J12 attracted an elite clientele including royalty, aristocrats, and notable figures—the King of Romania and Pablo Picasso among them. It is believed that only 120 J12s were built between 1931 and 1938, and today the J12 remains an exceptional masterpiece of style and power and the highlight of any collection or concours d'elegance it attends.

Hispano Suiza J12 Cabriolet chassis number CH14019 was commissioned by industrialist Baron Jean Empain of Belgium, one of the world's wealthiest men during the Great Depression. Originally a cabriolet bodied by Fernandez et Darrin, the chassis is noted to have received its Vanvooren coachwork just three years later. Empain used the J12 for his travels between Europe and Africa, however it was later seized by the Axis powers during World War II. The car was later acquired by The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie who commissioned a full concours restoration to Pebble Beach standards beginning in 1998. The car, in fact, was shown twice by Sir Michael at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2013 and 2024, when less than 12 months ago it received the Alec Ulmann Trophy as “the car that best embodies the combination of excellence in performance and elegance in design."

"Just two and a half weeks after its second in class and trophy winning-performance, tragedy struck. While in an enclosed trailer leaving the peninsula a fire engulfed the trailer and the Vanvooren Cabriolet; it was devastating news for the car collector community and those who tirelessly restored and prepared the car for the prestigious show. While the damage suffered that day was extensive, the car remains a heron-badged Hispano Suiza J12 and one with Vanvooren coachwork, no less. As such, it affords the enthusiast an opportunity for restoration and presentation in the years ahead."

A little wax, buffing and elbow grease and she'll look good as new!