As with many Full Classics, the coachwork fitted to the mighty Hispano-Suiza J12 varied from formal and upright, to smooth, sleek, and sensual. Firmly in the latter category was the berline body mounted by the renowned Parisian firm, Fernandez et Darrin, to chassis number 13041. Featuring exceptionally full-figured, deeply crowned fenders; a low and shapely rounded roofline, moving in a continuous curve to the rear of the car; windows cut at the same flamboyant rake of the windscreen; no side-mounted spares; and a broad polished sweep delineating the beltline, it was and remains an exceptionally attractive design, bringing to mind the “four-door coupe” nomenclature more popular with later automakers.

According to information in the file from historians Marc Rabineau and Herve Pannier, chassis number 13041 with engine number 321127 was originally delivered on 30 September 1936 to Marcel Bloch, of the aircraft firm Société des Avions Marcel Bloch in Paris, for whom it was registered as 7056-RK5. A pioneer of aviation whose firm had built its first craft in 1930, Mr. Bloch would refuse to cooperate with the occupying German government during World War II. After surviving time in Buchenwald, he emerged and legally changed his name to Marcel Dassault, honoring the nom de guerre used by his brother as a member of the French Resistance, and, of course, became even more of a major figure in the French aeronautical industry, whose family firm would be built into today’s Dassault.

Following World War II, the car reappeared in 1945 in the ownership of a manufacturing firm in the city owned by Marcel Boussac, a French textile magnate whose other holdings included the renowned fashion house of Christian Dior as well as the St. Cloud race track. Mr. Boussac was something of a J12 connoisseur, having also owned an earlier example—which, ironically, would later spend many years in the same collection from which 13041 is currently offered. Chassis number 13041 was in Mr. Boussac’s care registered to another of his firms as 9382-BW-75 in October 1945.

In January 1959, the car departed France when it was exported to the United States by Ed Wachs of Chicago, possibly in collaboration with the well-known sourcer of great European cars, Bert Loyens. Mr. Wachs undertook the car’s original restoration, before selling it in the early 1960s to the prolific European automobile enthusiast Walter Weimer of Washington, Pennsylvania.

Dan Hamilton of Reno, Nevada, a longtime connoisseur of European and American Classics, purchased the Hispano-Suiza in 1997, and commissioned a ground-up restoration undertaken by some of the West Coast’s finest specialists. The mechanical components were undertaken by Tom Batchelor and Phil Reilly, while the bodywork and paintwork were finished by Kevin Kay Restorations and the interior by Ken Nemanic of Vintage Auto Upholstery. At completion of the work the car was debuted at the 2002 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, winning First in Class. Acquired for the present collection in 2008, the J12 has remained well-preserved, with its restoration still in fine overall condition, and has undergone recent mechanical servicing in preparation for sale.

The finest model produced by one of France’s greatest automobile manufacturers, the Hispano-Suiza J12 is unrivalled for its smoothness, outstanding power, and excellent road manners, as one of the most modern 12-cylinder automobiles produced prior to World War II. Very seldom do examples of this treasured model become available for sale. One of the most beautiful to have been offered in recent memory, chassis number 13041 would be a striking addition to any collection, as one of the rarest, most sought-after, and most pleasurable to drive of all European Classics. It is an automobile to make a connoisseur out of its owner.