This 1925 Hispano-Suiza H6b Landaulet looking for a parking space in Cerrillos, NM, during the 2013 Santa Fe Concorso. A fascinating car, built for Andrew Mellon, US Secretary of the Treasury under no fewer than 3 US Presidents. The car, body by Kellner of Paris, was powered by a 6.6 liter, OHC straight six that was basically one half (plus 2 cylinders) of the Hisso V-8 engine that had powered Spad aircraft in WWI. Its four-wheel power brake system was used, under license, by Rolls Royce for many years. The car was retrieved in more or less derelict condition from the estate of Mellon’s chauffer who had been given the car when he retired. Restoration ensued.
Photos by Charley Seavey
Charley Seavey has done a number of Galleries for us in the past, and his photo archives are not yet depleted by any account. Here, we see that cars in this gallery are mostly pre WWII and were built for the rich and very rich. What Seavey eyes is the touches of quality, size, and luxury that are conspicuously absent from more mundane vehicles and in themselves great examples of conspicuous consumption.
Seavey’s previous work for VeloceToday can be accessed via the links following this gallery.