A Hong Kong collector brought his Hispano-Switzerland 1934 J12 Vanvooren Cabriolet at Pebble Beach, California, USA, to take part in a Concours d’Elegance. It won second prize, but the car has come off badly.
A few days after the event, while being transported by road in a trailer, the 1930s classic was consumed by flames. fire completely destroyed it.
The second single-car fire in a matter of days
The best way to enjoy a car is to use it. Many collectors share this opinion and, thanks to this, we can see their cars at all kinds of events, whether giving it their all at the Goodwood Revival or in a much more relaxed manner in elegance contests such as the one at Pebble Beach.
Whatever the case, every owner of a special car that participates in these events knows that There are risksfrom a scratch on the bodywork that someone from the public can make to a fire. Luckily, nothing ever happens, but sometimes it does and with certain cars it can be a drama.
Historic Vehicle Destroyed in Trailer Fire on Highway 68 and York Road in #MontereyNews Release: pic.twitter.com/68FNZJfSqf
— City of Monterey (@CityofMonterey) September 6, 2024
This is the case of Hispano-Suiza J12 Vanvooren Cabriolet from 1934 which took part a few days ago in the Peeble Beach elegance competition during the Monterey Car Week held in California, United States. It took second prize in the “European Classic Touring Early” category, but the events are over for this classic from the Spanish brand that was built 90 years ago in France.
According to the Monterey City Council, this Hispano-Suiza caught fire on Wednesday, September 4, while traveling inside a trailer on the Monterey-Salinas highway. The Monterey firefighters received the alert, immediately arrived at the scene of the fire and quickly put it out, but the trailer and the car were completely destroyed.
Neither the car pulling the trailer nor its driver suffered any damage; the driver was able to quickly unhook the trailer from the car so that the fire would not also affect this vehicle, but he was unable to do anything for the Hispano-Suiza.
According to the City of Monterey, this 1930s classic has an estimated value of two million dollars, just over 1.8 million euros at the current exchange rate. Carscoops claims that this Hispano-Suiza J12 unit belongs to Hong Kong collector Michael Kadoorie.
The Hispano-Suiza J12 (known as the Type 68) was manufactured between 1931 and 1938 in France, at Hispano-Suiza’s Bois-Colombes plant, making it the last model manufactured by the brand before its current journey. Almost all units, including the one that burned, used a 9.4 liter V12 engine which developed 220 hp. Vanvooren was in charge of the bodywork for this model.
Hispano-Suiza J12 Vanvooren Cabriolet.
A classic car fire always hurts, but a car of this caliber burning down is a drama. Although everything indicates that the fire was not caused, Carscoops assures that the Monterey Police Department is investigating the incident; It is a normal process, but the investigation will also try to clarify whether this fire has any relation to that of the 1979 Ford Ghia Probe 1 prototype that took place at the end of Augustalso after this car participated in the last edition of Pebble Beach.
“It’s a rare occurrence to happen twice,” Monterey Fire Division Chief Chris Grogan said, as reported by Carscoops. “Neither fire appears suspicious. It’s just a streak of bad luck“, he clarifies.
Imagen: Monterey Fire Department
Source: www.motorpasion.com
