Andre Dubonnet, successful racecar driver, WW I fighter pilot and heir to the Dubonnet aperitif business, created the Dubonnet Hispano-Suiza H-6C Xenia Concept Car. It's the latest addition to the Mullin Museum.
Early in life, Dubonnet developed a passion and took great delight in speed and adventure. He desired to perfect the future of road transportation and in particular, the suspension system. As his favorite car was the Hispano-Suiza, he picked the 1932 H-6C chassis, which he had seen previously at the Paris Auto Salon, and began sketching designs based upon his aviation background and racing experience for a prototype.
He took his designs to French coachbuilder, Jacques Saoutchik who helped him with the framework of the automobile and then partnered with engineer Antoine-Marie Chedru to develop his patented independent front suspension system. What followed was a dramatically streamlined build with an emphasis on aerodynamic styling, affectionately named Xenia after Dubonnet’s first wife.
Far ahead of its time, the Xenia resembles the fuselage of an airplane, right, with a slender, tapered shape and pointed tail. A new parallel opening door system was used as part of the aerodynamic design and special attention was given to the undercarriage for clean air movement. The curved glass of the windshield and doors are reminiscent of airplane styling and the panoramic windscreen and removable top were exceptionally futuristic.
It’s powered by an eight-liter OHV inline Six rated at 144 horsepower. Further, this 1938 Concept had a cutting-edge, four-wheel independent suspension and was designed to have a top speed of 125 mph, rivaling any car of the time.
The Xenia’s innovative suspension mounted each front wheel on a single arm that extended forward from the kingpin. A pair of oil-filled, coil spring cylinders offered resistance and swiveled as each wheel turned, improving stance and handling. This suspension system was later licensed by General Motors and used on popular, high-volume Chevrolet and Pontiac models.
To protect this revolutionary automobile, above & below, from the ravages of WW II, the Xenia was hidden away in 1939 and did not surface until 1946 in Paris. It was purchased by Alain Balleret, President of the French Hispano-Suiza Club, who started the car’s restoration. Upon Balleret’s death, the car was purchased and completed by Seattle, WA based collector, Charles Morse. Morse debuted the vehicle at the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance in 2000.
The Mullin Automotive Museum pays homage to the art deco and machine age design eras (1918-1941). For more information, please log onto www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com.